How to Find Translation Work
Freelance
translators should realize more clients are looking for experts in specialized
subjects, so you may want to develop a niche
I've been
a freelance translator since I graduated from university in 2004, but I'm
having difficulty finding new opportunities. What new methods can I use to find
more jobs? —N.A., Cairo, Egypt
For a self-employed person, the
ideal situation is for you to become the "go-to" professional for
translation agencies and corporate clients who have regular translation work
that they outsource. Once you prove yourself available, reasonable, and
reliable, and make key corporate contacts, you'll be able to decide how much—or
how little—you want to work.
"The good news is that
translation is a global industry, and one that is constantly growing,"
says Nataly Kelly, an author and a senior analyst at business globalization and
language services research firm Common Sense Advisory. Her firm predicts that
the language services market will hit $24 billion by 2012.
Increasingly, translation
agencies and end clients seek specialized subject-matter expertise, so if you
don't have a niche you may want to develop one. "Literary translation is
very different from technical translation, and translating business marketing
materials is completely unlike translating legal or medical documents, such as
informed consent forms. Highlighting your unique skills and experience is essential
to differentiating your services from those of other translators," Kelly
says.
If you are new or little known in
the industry, it might help if you offer some free translation work, or
volunteer as a translator for charitable group, says Susanne Evens, of AAA
Translation in St. Louis. "Free translation work helps you gain experience
and exposure, which you can use in your résumé," she notes. Build a credible Web site (BusinessWeek.com, 6/9/08) if
you don't already have one. It should list some recent projects and client
testimonials if you can get permission to use them. "Include downloadable
samples of your work, but if you use actual projects as samples, be sure to
redact any of your clients' identifying information before posting," Kelly
says.
Send translation companies your
résumé and Web site information. Your résumé should be free of spelling errors
and include three references and a translation sample, Evens suggests. If you
list all of your specialized skills and areas of interest—even hobbies—that may
catch the eye of someone looking for a specialist, Kelly says.
Where you live determines how
much you will earn. Translators in Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, and
the U.S. earn the most, Kelly says, while those in Bulgaria, China, and Moldova
earn the least. Stats from Common Sense Advisory show that translators based in
Egypt earn around $20,000 annually, Kelly says.
Karen E. Klein
is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers entrepreneurship and small-business
issues.
Source:
Klein, K. (2008,
September 9). How to find translation work. Businessweek.
Retrieved December 31, 2011, from http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/sep2008/sb2008099_904198.htm
