by David Grunwald, GTS Translation
The fact remains: even with all the advances in AI and MT, there is a strong demand for translators. And freelance translators can make a good living. From the comfort of your home and wearing pajamas, an income of $100,000 a year and even more is not out of reach if you are a good translator whose services are in demand.
As someone who has bought millions of dollars of translation services over the years in my capacity as a project manager at GTS, I thought I would share some insights with freelance translators who are looking to establish themselves.
- Don’t sit around doing nothing. The translation business can go from feast-to-famine. Sometimes you will be overcome with a ton of work and sometimes you will have little or no work. That is the nature of the biz. But it is key that you do not sit around scratching your ass (literally and figuratively). Get up early each morning and get to work-even if you have no work.
- Establish an online presence. Instead of sitting around, promote yourself online. Register on the online job boards and directories for freelance opportunities. Create a website and/or blog. Try to write guest blog posts to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
- Don’t turn down work/establish a strong work ethic. This one is tricky but I feel it may be the most important of all. Because of the feast-to-famine thing I mentioned in commandment 1, turning down work is irresponsible. First of all, you are passing on an income opportunity. Secondly and even more importantly, the job you are being offered may lead to much more repeat work in the coming years. Once you turn down a job, the employer may move on and write you off as a possible asset. I know that it may be tough, but in my opinion better to work night and day while the work is there. Otherwise, you may regret it in the times of drought.
- Turn in work on time. Never miss a deadline.
- Never lie to customers. If you must be late with a delivery (which is very, very bad as is), never make up BS excuses which are lies. Be reliable and trustworthy if you want to succeed in this profession.
- Streamline your workflow. Find ways to increase your throughput so you can maximize your delivery capacity. Get to know tools you can use to make your work faster and more efficient.
- Don’t fixate on a per-word price. I have negotiated with translators on a fixed project price. But the translator will not reduce their word price no matter what. This may be a mistake. Sure, if you have a steady stream of work at $0.15 a word then why should you lower your price? But if you are under-employed and need the income, then consider being more flexible in return for getting work.
- Don’t engage in spam. I know it is tempting but avoid sending out email blasts to prospective agencies. Spamming is rarely effective and with all of the online scammers out there, you risk getting labelled as one yourself. Instead of spamming, consider online promotion like SEO and CPC.
- Learn a new language. While most translators only translate into one language, the good translators work out of several languages. So if, for example, you translate from Spanish to English, consider learning French and German as well so you can translate out of those languages. This will create new opportunities for you.
- Become a software tool expert. Having good CAT tool skills is essential for a good translator. Being savvy with DTP tools can also help you get more specialized jobs. Many translations require some measure of formatting, so if you develop strong PC skills, you will turn in better work and expand your skill set in a profitable way.
