Where do I need to start as a beginner translator?
Thread poster: Natia Nikoleishvili
Natia Nikoleishvili
Natia Nikoleishvili
Georgia
Local time: 14:40
English to Georgian
+ ...
Sep 17, 2019

Hello all!

I am working as a freelance translator for 2 years. (Eng/Rus to Geo) I was doing it from time to time as a hobby, but now I want to dedicate full-time to it but do not know where to start or what to do?

I am registered to all kinds of websites, but aside from having some experience I know I need much more to emerge as a professional in this area.
So please can you suggest me what I should do? Where to start? How to become certified translator? Are th
... See more
Hello all!

I am working as a freelance translator for 2 years. (Eng/Rus to Geo) I was doing it from time to time as a hobby, but now I want to dedicate full-time to it but do not know where to start or what to do?

I am registered to all kinds of websites, but aside from having some experience I know I need much more to emerge as a professional in this area.
So please can you suggest me what I should do? Where to start? How to become certified translator? Are there any good online certification courses? What CAT Tools do I need?
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Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:40
German to English
Develop business skills Sep 17, 2019

You are attempting to go into the translation business. There's more to the job than just translating texts. You will need to develop skills necessary to operate a successful business, such as marketing, accounting, time management as well as performing due diligence in order to sort out potential clients and frauds. Read through the section devoted to scams, since as a beginner you are particularly susceptible to fraud.

Sheila Wilson
Angie Garbarino
Joshua Parker
Laurent Mercky
Philippe Etienne
Josephine Cassar
Carolyn González
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 10:40
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Give clients information Sep 17, 2019

You say you have a presence on several platforms, and that's good. But you need to make every one of those profiles as attractive as possible. Leaving it as you have your ProZ.com profile won't do you any favours at all. You need a strong and attractive profile on each site, a great CV and quote texts (our cover letters). polished samples, and professional-style business cards and maybe a website. Everything needs to give potential clients the same, clear message: that you can provide a quality ... See more
You say you have a presence on several platforms, and that's good. But you need to make every one of those profiles as attractive as possible. Leaving it as you have your ProZ.com profile won't do you any favours at all. You need a strong and attractive profile on each site, a great CV and quote texts (our cover letters). polished samples, and professional-style business cards and maybe a website. Everything needs to give potential clients the same, clear message: that you can provide a quality professional translation of their text.

Certificates are important to some clients and give you confidence. I don't know what's available in your pairs. CAT tools are essential so start practising on a free one. They all have more similarities than differences.
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Rachel Waddington
Jorge Payan
Kay Denney
Paul Malone
 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 11:40
Italian to English
Begin by reading the forums Sep 18, 2019

All the questions you could ever have, and more, have already been answered here in the forums.

Sheila Wilson
Kevin Fulton
Kay Denney
Marta Muizniece
 
Tierra Montgomery
Tierra Montgomery  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:40
Spanish to English
Helping Sep 18, 2019

When I started out as a translator, I watched a lot of YouTube videos on translation.
1. Know what you want to specialize in. Do you want to be a Literary Translator, Medical ,etc.?

2. Online resources. In the US, some translation certificates are offered through Universities or as a Continuing Education program. American Translators Association has a list of universities by each country that will give you how to obtain their translation certificates.

There are
... See more
When I started out as a translator, I watched a lot of YouTube videos on translation.
1. Know what you want to specialize in. Do you want to be a Literary Translator, Medical ,etc.?

2. Online resources. In the US, some translation certificates are offered through Universities or as a Continuing Education program. American Translators Association has a list of universities by each country that will give you how to obtain their translation certificates.

There are also videos available on Proz for a fee on various materials.

3. Know what your pay rate is/will be, but also know what is the regulated pay rate for your country. For instance, if you want to get paid $0.08 per word in your Target Language.

4. Have fun! There is nothing like being excited in starting out in a new career.
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Kay Denney
Luximar Arenas Petty
 
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
France
Local time: 11:40
French to English
+ ...
Contact agencies Sep 20, 2019

Once I had done some work on my CV and my profile I started contacting agencies to put myself out there. I had only worked with one Spanish agency for a couple of years, which did give me some experience but the work was a bit sporadic. I've contacted around 25-30 different Spanish agencies in the past couple of months and I've since been added to the database of four new agencies and I'm now actively working for two of them, having just completed a translation project of 37,000 words. If you've... See more
Once I had done some work on my CV and my profile I started contacting agencies to put myself out there. I had only worked with one Spanish agency for a couple of years, which did give me some experience but the work was a bit sporadic. I've contacted around 25-30 different Spanish agencies in the past couple of months and I've since been added to the database of four new agencies and I'm now actively working for two of them, having just completed a translation project of 37,000 words. If you've already got a bit of experience behind you then that's one of the biggest hurdles overcome already.Collapse


 


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Where do I need to start as a beginner translator?







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