Are direct clients worth the extra hassle?

Are direct clients worth the extra hassle?

I was going to save this question for last, but it is a crucial point so I’ll bring it forward, here goes:

Yes, definitely. Apart from anything else, some direct clients are very easy to work for, just as some translation agencies/companies are more trouble than they are worth. So if you can make sure you get the right direct clients with all their advantages (which I’ll talk about a bit more on 24 October), you should have closer working relationships and more money without any extra grief.

On the other hand, I have to stress – and this is also a topic for 24 October – that there are some (many?) good translation companies/agencies out there and the range from bad agencies to good direct clients is a graduated spectrum – who you work for is not an either/or choice.