| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Freelance Translator, starting out, seeks advice! Thread poster: Marc Rizkallah
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Desdemone (X)
Local time: 15:43
French to English
Rick Henry wrote: amanda55 wrote:
What I don't understand is, you have a computing degree and still want to become a translator? My eldest is married and living in Canada and he is making fantastic money in that field. He only qualified three years ago. Sort of off topic, but just because someone gets a degree in one area then later decides to pursue another career, all that really means is that perhaps they've discovered that they'd be happier in that second career. A lot of us have gone that path. And in the case of translation, it's a pretty solid base for specialization. Sure there might be more money in the first career, but that doesn't really equal happiness. R. ==
Zingaro has a terrific specialization to build on, and living in Canada, a big potential client - the government. He could easily make translating what he makes (could make) in computer engineering, but would need certification to avoid the agency trap that proz promises and the resulting rock-bottom rates and bidding wars.
| | | | | Diffent rates then | Mar 13, 2010 |
Paula, I didn't know that in Canada government translators earn that much. I don't think they do back home, does anyone know? All I know that back home, in my situation, I could only ever earn about a quarter of my son's salary. Good for him, I am so glad he is doing so well and he loves Canada and the snow.
| | | | Marc Rizkallah 
Austria
Local time: 20:43
Member (2010)
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Clarifications | Mar 19, 2010 |
Thanks again for the comments and insight about my situation.
Charlie, interesting point of view. I mean, I agree with having certain standard minimums. There are some jobs on ProZ asking for very low rates (typically from India) - I've seen as low as $0.01. But if I ask for $0.12 and refuse to budge on the rate, at this stage in my very beginning career, I won't get any work at all. I think a lower rate is justified to get started and build a CV. When I have too much work to h... See more Thanks again for the comments and insight about my situation.
Charlie, interesting point of view. I mean, I agree with having certain standard minimums. There are some jobs on ProZ asking for very low rates (typically from India) - I've seen as low as $0.01. But if I ask for $0.12 and refuse to budge on the rate, at this stage in my very beginning career, I won't get any work at all. I think a lower rate is justified to get started and build a CV. When I have too much work to handle, then I can increase it. It may be a bit too simplistic, but aren't those the laws of supply and demand?
It's all fine and well as long as you have work - but if you're desperate - then you humbly accept a paycut. Also, as far as I understand, I need translation experience before I get certified in the first place.
Paula - well I certainly mean no offence with my professional strategy. I have a varied skillset, translating is but one of the things I've doing, and I don't necessarily plan to make a fulltime profession of it. That doesn't mean I don't respect or profoundly admire those who have. Experienced and certified translators who've been working for decades certainly deserve their reputations as skilled and talented professionals - and I also envy their lifestyle (working from home, from anywhere, making their own hours, being true autonomous entrepreneurs). I'm glad that for them, the long hours of investment in education and certification have paid off.
But the translation industry, as with any other industries, offers services of different quality with different price. Better educated and more experienced professionals cost more / make more. But the fact that lesser educated / less experienced translators cost less / make less should be neither a surprise nor an offence. As I said, I'm not going for government translation jobs. But I must admit, you've intrigued me. Do they really pay so generously?
Amanda and Rick - Indeed I'm looking for a profession which offers more than great money - I want to be passionate about what I'm working on. I am still idealistic enough to believe dreams are worth fighting for, even as intangible and elusive as they may be.
I'm looking for opportunities in Computer Engineering as well. But in the meantime, I hope I can do some freelance translation work which I feel qualified for, without offending the profession!
I discovered two great free tools this evening though you've probably known about them for some time:
Google Translation toolkit, basically a free online and nicely laid out CAT tool. As far as I can tell, I can build my own TM Glossary using that, and so - why would I pay $800/year for software to do the same? (Please correct me if I'm wrong!)
I've also found a few outsourcing websites which seem like nice client/translator models for the sort of quick generic jobs I'm looking for right now, (fixed rates $0.07/word for client, $0.05 for translator - not much but a good starting point) though I wonder about the balance between translators and jobs. One of them boasts 45699 translators and only 11276 customers - nice ratio of 4 translators for every client!
I was hoping to ask advice on these specific sites but it's against ProZ rules to post links to outsourcers. Hopefully this is acceptable: http://www.proz.com/blueboard/25307 - incidentally, there's the feedback I was looking for. Thanks ProZ!
And thanks everyone for your comments.
[Edited at 2010-03-20 00:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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