Are you a Professional Freelance Translator? Find Out

Are you a Professional Freelance Translator? Find Out The work done by professional freelance translators is not an easy one. Some people speak fluently in more than one language and thinks that they have it all that takes to become a professional freelance translator. However, the truth is a bit different. You are the best judge of yourself. Following are some of the determining factors that can help you decide whether you have got professionalism in freelance translation jobs in you. Through the following seven factors listed below, try to identify and question yourself to derive the correct answer. · Does you experience in the foreign language last for 2-3 months stint you did in any crash course? · How many translation assignments have you worked on? Was it a college assignment? · Take a look at the email address you employ to be in touch with your clients. Does it read something as funny as bunny06@yahoo.com or something similar? · Do you have the tendency to accept all translation offers that comes your way? How often do you make the effort to find out the subject matter of the translation before embarking on the project with the client? · Are you wondering what “Deadlines” are and the importance of it? · Do you rate interpretation and translation as the same thing? · Do you make use of online translation tools and pass them off as your own work? If you identify yourself with the above factors, then you are just a wannabe freelance translator and need to work on your language skills to sharpen your freelance translation service further. But, don’t lose heart, hard work in the field of freelance translation jobs pay off well. Be determined, work hard on languages, bid for simple translation works, and gradually work your way to become a success in the field of freelance translation services.

The prerequisites of a freelance translator

The prerequisites of a freelance translator The trade of freelance writers is as competitive as any other field. So the quality that you provide has to be very high so that the client whom you are providing for comes back over and over again. There are some prerequisites that one should always keep in mind so that this turns out to be a grand success. Here are some of the prerequisites that are a must for every freelancer. The standard of education needs to be very high. It is an absolute necessity to have a degree but it might not be in the language that you are dealing with. It is advantageous never the less to have such a relevant degree. Added with the experience that you can have it would create a mark above the rest in the trade. A post -graduate training in the field of translation would be a definite advantage. One must be capable of writing impeccably in the mother tongue. The style needs to be lucid and the manner of presentation has to be easily understood even by the layman. Without research translation works can tend to become very shallow. Therefore one should have a flair for conducting detailed research work and developing the work. If there is any technical subject at hand the need for research multiplies manifold. Besides a thorough grasp over the language that you are dealing and the combinations there is another point that has to be borne in mind. One must also be well acquainted with the traditions and also the culture of the country. One has to feel the flavors of the country and this will help to put in the native touch to translated work.

Points to keep in mind for a freelance translator

Points to keep in mind for a freelance translator It is a great achievement to establish oneself as a good freelance translator. But there are a few very important facts that should be kept in mind. Not only should one be strong in the language one should also have some other aspects in mind so that the road to success is quite a smooth one. · You can start off your career in this sphere by joining an organization as a trainee. You might not be paid but the relevant experience would act as a wonderful boost to your career. · You should remember to register yourself as a person who is self employed. You may also speak to the relevant tax authorities and ask for their advice. · You should give serious thought to the volume of freelance work that you are getting. The work should be sufficient to keep you busy. For approximately twenty hours a week. You might also like to terminate your present contract so that you can carry on with your freelance work, as it would be as lucrative as your salaried job. · Everyone plans to take the plunge right after completing the relevant studies. As experience is an absolute necessity in almost all trades it is a definitely a good idea to opt for a full time job. This job will give you the much required boost in your career as a freelance translator. This will help you to understand your strengths and weaknesses and work upon them accordingly. There would also be a senior translator who would monitor your progress and so it would be very helpful.

Things to do before you become a freelance translator

Things to do before you become a freelance translator If you are providing for freelance translation services there are a lot of things that are supposed to be kept in mind. Do not take the risk of ignoring these, as these are actually the basis on which your career of a freelance translator is based upon. Here are some of the main things that should be kept in mind. · Have a point of contact with the client. This would help you to get your queries answered. Remember to keep a record of the contact person’s telephone number, email and obviously the name. · Remember always to find out exactly who the client is. This can be very helpful to determine the register of your translation. · There are instances where you are to work under a particular contract on behalf of a company. You should strictly adhere to the style guide if any. There might also be certain rules for the dates of translation that are essential and need to be followed carefully. · Find out whether the client requires any particular word processing software for the translation or not. · There might be text areas that are within certain images or tables. Remember to enquire whether these texts need to be translated as well or not. If you have a grasp over graphic editing programs it would be a definite advantage.

Qualities of a good freelance translator

Qualities of a good freelance translator All professions require certain specific qualities by which a person becomes successful. In this sphere of freelance translation the same dictum stands. Here are a few qualities that will make a good freelance translator out of you. Have a good command over the mother language and all those other languages that you are planning to translate in. The grasp over the language and the combinations is far more important than the degree that you possess. Good marketing skills is an absolute necessity. If your marketing plans are not up to the mark then even your skills in the language would not matter much. Learn to accept rejection and try to prevent yourself from getting frustrated when people come and tell you that your work is not up to the mark. The point is not to lose heart. The market is huge and you will surely find all those who are looking for the services that you are providing. Everyone needs to relax and you have to learn how to say a “no” when the situation is so. Learn to relax as a pent up brain an never ever take you far. This profession like all others have its own share of problems and how you come out of it is the art that you have to master. Managing your finances is another very important consideration. The people in this industry usually do not have a steady flow of income and therefore it becomes all the more important to maintain the steady flow of your income.

DEVELOPING YOUR FREELANCE TRANSLATOR PRICING STRATEGY

DEVELOPING YOUR FREELANCE TRANSLATOR PRICING STRATEGY Many freelance translators shy away from the question: “How much do you charge?” for fear that they will price themselves out of the market for the project. But the reality is that if you want to earn a living as a freelance translator, you have to develop a pricing strategy. One way to accomplish this is to look at how you spend your money. Looking at what you need financially to meet your monthly bills, helps to make you more objective than looking at your fee alone. For example, if your basic necessities and bills, including taxes, insurance, etc. total to $4200 a month, this is the amount you have to make. Calculate the dates when your expenditures are due and allow a week in advance to have these funds available. Now that you know how much money you need and when you need it, the next step is to decide how many hours you can perform your work comfortably – if you work with complicated material such as technical information, your work may take longer to complete as opposed to translating general advertising material. If you can work 30 hours a week, that gives you 120 hours to earn the income that you need. Divide the number of hours you want to work (120) into the total amount of income you require ($42,00) = a result of $35 per hour. Review the projects you have completed and make a note of how many hours of work were used to complete each one and how much you were paid. Using the hourly rate from our example above, if you worked on a project for 20 hours, you should have received at least $700. Use your hourly cost of living as a tool and it will make it easier to stay ahead of your bills.