By Linda Selmani

You can read a foreign language, you have sharp writing skills, and a meticulous eye. So you decide to become a translator.

Now, where are you going to look for work?

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Volunteer

If you don’t yet have any experience, try volunteering. There are many organizations, such as TED, or Translators Without Borders, which are always on the lookout for aspiring talents.

Not only will you gain access to a community of like-minded professionals, but listing this kind of experience on your CV will definitely catch the attention of paying clients.

Personally, I started subtitling videos for free. This definitely helped me to gain momentum.

In addition to job opportunities, you can create long-lasting friendships, which might also come in handy if you are stuck on a term one day.

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Create a profile on translation portals

This is definitely a great launching-pad for translators, although the rates can be on the low side, so you will want to get off these as soon as possible.

The most popular ones are definitely ProZ and TranslatorsCafé, but you can also create a profile on more general sites for freelancers as well such as Upwork or Fiverr.

The premise is simple: you create a profile (just as you would on LinkedIn) and bid on jobs.

Want to learn more about how to leverage the ProZ directory to grow your translation career? Check out our Meridian Course, How to Boost Your ProZ Profile.

When you create a profile, you will most likely want to pay for membership. You can use some features for free, but very few clients will take you seriously with a free profile. We have a whole course on this topic, so I will just briefly mention a few points here.

Be careful about adding too many specializations – it will make people doubt the credibility of those specializations.

However, make sure you DO list the specializations that you have. This is one of the criteria clients filter for when looking for translators on these portals.

The same applies to language pairs: do not add a ton of languages.

Some people think that adding a ton of languages, outsourcing the job afterward, is a good idea. However, most clients will see right through that and won’t want to work with you.

You should also be aware that professional translators almost exclusively translate INTO their native language.

The last tip is to get reviews as soon as you can. Be aware that you are going up against a lot of competition, especially if your language pairs are not so unique. Therefore, getting reviews will make a huge difference.

You will probably have to be proactive on this and directly ask clients if they’ll leave one for you, as it will very rarely occur to them to leave you a review on their own.

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Get in touch with clients directly

As we mentioned in the previous point, you will want to get in touch with clients as directly as soon as possible. That means eventually trying to work for clients who are not translation companies.

This way, you’ll be able to push for higher rates (since agencies won’t be taking a cut).

LinkedIn is one of the best ways to network online (right from your home office) and to grow your business. Having a great profile can get you noticed by others, and potentially land you several job opportunities.

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Bonus: Join professional associations

Joining professional associations such as the ATA or FIT (or any other association in your region) can also leverage your position on the market.

You can usually do this without needing to take any test or demonstrating any qualifications since this isn’t the same as being certified.

Just by being a member, you show clients that you have invested in your career and you take it seriously, and you can mention that membership on your CV as a way to demonstrate your seriousness.

If you’re a member you can also be listed in directories that people might search when looking for translators, so it can be a way to get new business.

Where else are you looking for clients? Share in the discussion!

by Linda Selmani

Linda Selmani is an English to Slovak translator.