So, you want to be a translator?

Welcome to my new blog, which will be full of ideas, thoughts, experiences and comments related to (and occasionally not related to) the weird and wonderful world of translation.

Having picked up a great deal of invaluable advice on becoming a freelance translator from other blogs (my personal favourite being http://www.nakedtranslations.com/en/blog, which is full of useful translator tips) and through my own experience, I felt that I would like to share my own advice with wannabe translators. Although the list is not exhaustive, I feel these are the most important considerations to bear in mind before taking the leap…

Get a translation qualification

Would you contract an unqualified electrician to rewire your house? I didn’t think so. Nor would a translation agency or any organisation worth their salt take on an unqualified translator. Through completing a Masters or a Diploma in Translation, you will not only hone your translation skills but, through seminars and work placements, you will get the opportunity to gain invaluable advice from the experts about the practicalities of starting up as a freelance translator. It goes without saying that you will gain a valuable and recognised translation qualification to add to your list of achievements.

Get a translation specialisation

Find out what specialist areas have a need for translators with your language combination. Even if you are not using your languages, try to get work experience in that field. For example, if there is a gap in the market for Italian legal translators you could get a job within a law firm or if there is a dearth of Spanish medical translators, why not get a job working at your local hospital? It is amazing how much knowledge you can pick up when you are surrounded by experts. Read up on your specialist translation subject in all of your languages to become familiar with technical terms and stay up to date with your subject.

Join a recognised translation body

Give yourself greater credibility by joining institutes such as the Institute for Translators & Interpreters (ITI) or the Institute of Linguists (IoL). These institutes usually offer networking opportunities for translators through translation conferences and events, discounts on software and indemnity insurance. They even offer the possibility of appearing on their database of translators once you have built up the relevant translation experience and have passed their rigorous translation examinations.

Do a translation internship

Last August, I was very fortunate to work with the successful, Swindon based translation agency Syntacta. I managed to secure myself this exciting translation internship through my MA in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Bath. Andrew and Agnes passed on many pearls of wisdom and were highly amenable to my endless questions about working as a freelance translator. Their advice to me was: “be reliable, be friendly and of course make sure your translations are always of the highest quality.” Do your research to find out which translation agencies would be willing to accept a fledgling translator on an internship. You will learn more about starting out as a translator than you could possibly imagine.

Look professional

This goes without saying. One way to achieve this is through getting business cards printed. When meeting a potential client it looks much slicker to hand over your business card than rummage around for a leaky pen and a scrap of paper to scribble your details on, which may well end up stuck in a trouser pocket and go through the wash. Make sure you include your translation qualifications and membership of professional translation institutes. I used a company called Moo for my business cards and was very happy with the result, as well as the price.

Get yourself a website. This doesn’t mean you have to shell out thousands of pounds or require you to become a web designer, there are plenty of sites out there offering basic web building packages for free. Maybe you know a web designer who can help you build your translation website. I know I will be eternally grateful to Tom of Showler and Showler for the beautiful job he’s done on my website and the effort he’s put into it.

No more hotmail.com. Get yourself a professional translation email account, it will pay off. There’s nothing worse than sending a professional email to pinkflufflycutsiewutsie1989@hotmail.com (don’t worry, I checked I’m not offending anyone here!)

Beg, borrow or steal

Well, perhaps not the latter! However, before you buy in brand new, expensive equipment or services to set up your translation office, talk to friends and family to see if they can help you out. Maybe they have a dusty, unused computer that needs a loving home or accounting experience they can pass on to you. You don’t know unless you ask.

That’s all for now folks! I hope you have found my ideas on becoming a freelance translator helpful. Good luck getting started and I will be back in touch soon.