In my younger days, hungry for any kind of income, especially if I could do it while writing, the proverbial light bulb shined bright one late night while I was trying to assemble a baby stroller, which was made in Japan.
The instructions were so convoluted, I know I had to disassemble it and try again at least two times, before I finally got it put together, without any pieces falling off, and no extra pieces left over.
I decided to write to the company and explain how difficult it was to read their instructions.
I offered to rewrite them.
Not only did they send me another stroller for free, but they actually paid me $250 for the job.
Look for Your Own Freelance Writing Opportunities
When I was in the Army and stationed in Korea, I shot photos for several adoption agencies and just happened to read some of the promotional materials they were sending out to potential adoptive parents.
I made suggestions on how to improve their pamphlets and got the equivalent of $100.
Afterward, before they sent out press releases, they’d ask me to look it over, and often it required a total re-do, but I was paid every time.
Point is there are plenty of freelance writing opportunities for writers to get paid — instructions, promotional materials, and press releases are just a few suggestions.
Many foreign companies catering to the U.S. market rely on English as a Second Language translators.
And yes, while many are quite fluent, it seems that those who get stuck with writing those damnable instruction manuals majored in total confusion and double-speak.
So, think of everything you own that was made overseas.
Dig out the instructions and see if they make sense.
If not, send the company a sample of what you can do — maybe translate just a paragraph or two, plus the original of what you’re translating — and prove that communicating to the U.S. market and “keeping the customer satisfied” is paramount to repeat customers.
And who knows?
Maybe you’ll get a free baby stroller in the deal.
About Gary Bloomfield
Gary Bloomfield is a former Army Journalist of the Year, and managing editor for VFW magazine. He was the senior editor for the two-volume illustrated series on WWII titled Faces of Victory, Europe and Pacific.
Bloomfield wrote Duty, Honor, Victory. America’s Athletes in WWII followed by Duty, Honor, Applause. America’s Entertainers in WWII which he co-wrote.
His other books include Maxims of General Patton, the citizenship study guide I Will be an American Someday Soon, illustrated bios on George Patton and Mark Twain (the latter co-written). He recently completed The Devil’s Playground, about the Korean DMZ, published in July of 2019, and The One I’ll Always Remember, a compilation of stories from military doctors and nurses, published in the Spring of 2020, both from Lyons Press. And in September of 2020 He co-wrote a bio on George Custer.
He is currently finishing a book titled Alive Day Vietnam, which is a compilation of stories from Vietnam vets recalling a very bad day in combat. He is also updating his book on WWII entertainers, rewriting a novel about the Iraq War and researching a novel about the Afghanistan War.
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