It seems like one of the hardest things for any entrepreneur is to get paid for the work that they've done. Translators are no different. I don't think I've ever met a translator who's had at least some trouble getting an invoice taken care.

Most people will tell you that this is the reason contracts are so important. However, contracts don't always ensure that you'll get paid without a hassle. All it means is that it will take you forever and a day to get the contract enforced, and that's after spending all sorts of time, money and energy to get there. It can be a pain for sure.

So how do you know that a client will be one that you can count on to pay you? I don't think there's a surefire way you can ever know. I mean, sure, there's signs you can look for but none of them are definite indicators. I think the best thing you can do is make sure you don't do a significant amount of work before you get paid for it. If a client has a lot of work to give you, it's best to divide it up and get paid per section that you do.

I've done this ever since I started translating and I've never got burned for any huge amount. Sure you might get stiffed $100 bucks at most, but if you divide up the work and the payment, you should never lose more than that amount.

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