Starting out - how to get hired?

Mamainak wrote:
For example, many posters asking for advice already have a diploma in linguistics, which I think makes it much easier for them.

True, native speakers would be best proofreaders (for English text, of course), but I've met so many English people, educated even, that asked me to spell out words for them, proofread something and help their kids with homework.

I think my biggest chance lies in localization of websites, as I'm computer-savvy. I don't think I'd be able to translate official documents without a diploma.

It's true that having certification is important in the early stages, not just from the client's point of view but for your own confidence and quality of output. But just because you haven't got a diploma doesn't mean you can't have one. Why not try for the DipTrans? I don't know what courses are available to help you prepare, but I imagine they exist. Certainly IoL offer the DipTrans in English to Serbian or Croatian, though you may have to wait until there's demand.

Of course that's true - there are probably millions of native English speakers who haven't really got the hang of writing correctly in their own language, let alone a foreign one. But it's a totally invalid argument for a professional translator to make, I'm afraid. How many professional native English speakers are members of this site? There are certainly thousands, and we're all perfectly capable of proofreading English texts (although many prefer not to as so many have been written/translated by non-native speakers of English and it's difficult to judge how much work will be needed to polish them).

You normally need more than a diploma to translate official documents (if you're talking about documents that need to bear an official stamp, for immigration purposes, etc.), you need to be on the correct government list. I've never got involved in that. There's an enormous quantity of commercial translation needing to be done, and 'all' you need to be able to do is convince the client that you can do the job. Then, to get a repeat commission, you need to satisfy them with your first translation.

Website localisation could certainly become one of your specialisations, but could you also tackle texts in education and tourism (where you've had experience), and maybe linked to your interests (e.g. photography)?

But first, if you want to use ProZ.com as your window on the professional world, you need to follow all the advice for making the most of your presence here by following the link I gave you; and you need to tighten up your CV (there's advice in the Translation Industry Wiki under the Education tab).