Translation Services: Freelance Translation 101

Would you like to work in translation services and become a freelance translator? Here are a few tips and rules regarding how to start your own business and make a living delivering freelance translation services in the USA.

Always translate into your native language. No matter how familiar you are with the target language and its culture, you will never be as familiar with it as you are with your native language.
Study translation or languages. It's not enough to be knowledgeable in a foreign language to become a translator. One also needs to know how to write in his/her own language. Spelling and grammar mistakes are rarely forgiven
Work in-house for a few months. It’s a good place to get the training and to see how the business works. There are a lot of translation services agencies, and some major companies (computer, software, hotels, etc.) have their own team of in-house translators.
Take the time to set up your business: an office, a good computer, a fast Internet connection, dictionaries, grammar books, etc.
Get a membership with the ATA (American Translators Association). You will receive a monthly magazine that features a few interesting articles, jobs ads, and the name of translation services agencies. You might look if your city has a translator association of its own. Those can be good networking grounds.
Check out the different translation services bidding websites. First, just register as a free member before getting a full membership. It will allow you to figure out which website is the most appropriate for you or the one you like best. Here are a few of them: Proz.com, Translatorscafe.com, Translatorbase.com, Aquarius.net, Transquotation.com, etc. Once you have set your mind on a translator website, buy a full membership and make sure to complete your profile as thoroughly as possible. It’s the first thing potential clients will see of you.
If you can afford it, invest in Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) software. They are not cheap, but the main translation services agencies require the use of a CAT tool.
Decide what your fields of specialization will be. Make it realistic. If you don't know anything about medicine, don’t take on translations in the medical field. For instance, if you are a big video gamer, then specialize in that field. Some companies need foreign language testers.
Another important part of translation is the rate. Translation services rates vary from language to language, and also depending on the source and target language. Language pairs such as English/French and English/Spanish are a lot more common, and translators working in those pairs will not be able to charge as much as a translator working from French into Hindi, for instance. The rates will also vary depending on the country. Rates in the USA and Europe are comparable. However, a translation services agency located in India will expect lower rates. Depending on where you live and the cost of living in your area, you will have to decide how much is too low.
As far as payment, most US translation services agencies will send a check. However, it is a good idea to open a Paypal or Moneybookers account since some agencies will prefer that type of payment. The registration is free. However, they charge a small transfer fee.
Polish you resume. Try to see how other translators have built their resumes. It should include: Name, address, e-mail address, phone number, language pair (source and target language), rates, fields of specialization (marketing, software, legal, etc), software owned, educational background, previous or current clients, and/or previous experience as a translator or in one of your fields of specialization (for instance, you were a legal assistant in your native country).
When bidding on a project, keep it short, simple, and to the point. For some jobs, a translation services agency might receive over 100 responses. They will not read a long detailed e-mail.
Before accepting a job, make sure you have looked at the files and that you can do it. It's better to refuse a translation than to do a poor job and lose a client. It’s easier for them to find another translator than for you to find a new client. Just because you have refused a job doesn’t mean that the client will not call you again. They will.
Don’t forget that it takes time to establish oneself as a freelancer: from 6 to 12 months. When clients start coming back to you for other translation services, that’s a good sign you are getting there.

From then on, you can start making a living in translation services as a freelance translator!

Géraldine Touzeau-Patrick, French Editor and Translator.