Little experience - do I have a chance? Thread poster: Nick Brisland, BA (Hons)
|
|---|
I have just recently graduated in German and Italian and I want to start translating freelance at some point in the future. The only experience I have is at University (four years), no experience in a professional environment. I am trying to find voluntary work but it isn't easy.
My question really is, do I have much of a chance making a living (approx 20-25000 British Pounds per year) based on my experience, or is it better to get some kind of professional experience first, to bols... See more I have just recently graduated in German and Italian and I want to start translating freelance at some point in the future. The only experience I have is at University (four years), no experience in a professional environment. I am trying to find voluntary work but it isn't easy.
My question really is, do I have much of a chance making a living (approx 20-25000 British Pounds per year) based on my experience, or is it better to get some kind of professional experience first, to bolster my CV?
Thanks for your help. ▲ Collapse
| | | | JaneD 
Sweden
Local time: 15:57
Member (2009)
Swedish to English
+ ...
| It all depends | Jun 15, 2013 |
It's a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" answer. You probably *can* make a freelance career from scratch based only on your qualifications, but it may take a while. Then again, if you have to go away and get experience in another field so that you can translate documents in that area, you will probably have to spend the same length of time doing that as it would have taken to build up your freelance translation business...
Either way, there are two things you really need; not... See more It's a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" answer. You probably *can* make a freelance career from scratch based only on your qualifications, but it may take a while. Then again, if you have to go away and get experience in another field so that you can translate documents in that area, you will probably have to spend the same length of time doing that as it would have taken to build up your freelance translation business...
Either way, there are two things you really need; not experience, but perseverance and excellent English writing skills. If you have those, you will definitely make it!
Edited to say that you need to complete the About me section of your profile (look at some established translators to see what they include).
Also, if you're charging .10 gbp per word, your hourly rate is too low. The "average" number of words translated per day is reckoned to be about 2500. If we assume this is based on an 8 hour day, that makes about 300 words per hour. Your hourly rate is only paying you to do 150 words per hour, so if I were you I'd double it!
[Edited at 2013-06-15 09:59 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | ATIL KAYHAN
Türkiye
Local time: 16:57
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
+ ...
| Polish your CV/resume | Jun 15, 2013 |
If I were you, I would spend a substantial amount of time polishing/upgrading my CV/resume. You can find countless Internet examples to serve as a model. Just make sure that your CV/resume is one page long.
Here is an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal. I am not saying that you should become an entrepreneur. It can be... See more If I were you, I would spend a substantial amount of time polishing/upgrading my CV/resume. You can find countless Internet examples to serve as a model. Just make sure that your CV/resume is one page long.
Here is an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal. I am not saying that you should become an entrepreneur. It can be a piece of inspiration, anyhow.
http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2013/06/13/robert-weber-pursue-the-lemonade-stand/?mod=e2tw
Nobody starts their career with an experience under their belt. Experience is gained day by day. Five years from now you will definitely be experienced. Of course, the question is how to go about doing it. I believe that is somewhat personal. In other words, it is up to you to decide what to do now. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Thanks for your answers. I'm considering doing voluntary translation work for a while, either in an office (if I can find it), or online. I see there is a thread here already about online voluntary work, so I'll look into that.
Here's hoping, hey?!
| | |
|
|
|
| You definitely have a chance, if | Jun 15, 2013 |
your writing skills are very good, and you understand your source language completely (most of the nuances, and cultural references). You should also try to get some jobs, not just wait for the clients to contact you -- there are various methods to do that. However, in your situation I would get a part-time job in the beginning, so you don't have to entirely depend on freelance translation. It is a free profession, in all free professions, like in the arts and design, sometimes people with 10 ye... See more your writing skills are very good, and you understand your source language completely (most of the nuances, and cultural references). You should also try to get some jobs, not just wait for the clients to contact you -- there are various methods to do that. However, in your situation I would get a part-time job in the beginning, so you don't have to entirely depend on freelance translation. It is a free profession, in all free professions, like in the arts and design, sometimes people with 10 years of experience or more may not have enough work for a few months, or even years, or be totally overloaded at some other times.
[Edited at 2013-06-15 11:21 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:57
Hebrew to English
| Do both - gain professional experience and build a client base | Jun 15, 2013 |
Nick Brisland wrote:
I have just recently graduated in German and Italian and I want to start translating freelance at some point in the future. The only experience I have is at University (four years), no experience in a professional environment. I am trying to find voluntary work but it isn't easy.
My question really is, do I have much of a chance making a living (approx 20-25000 British Pounds per year) based on my experience, or is it better to get some kind of professional experience first, to bolster my CV?
Thanks for your help.
I don't think the fact you have just graduated need stop you. The "no experience in a professional environment" might be a bit of a hindrance, but it is certainly overcomeable...wait that word doesn't exist ...surmountable then. Voluntarily work is all very well and altruistic and some people swear by it, I didn't see it ever really helped me get paid work, but it has helped some people.
Anyway, I think you should do both. It's going to take you years to build up a decent client base to earn 25K+ and you'll need another source of income, at least in the beginning, while establishing yourself. So why don't you get some professional experience (part time/full time if you still think you can squeeze translation in) while you are building your client base?
From what I've heard the German-English market is quite lucrative, with a decent supply of work at good rates and not as saturated as the Romance languages. I've heard less flattering things about the Italian-English market though.
And JaneD is right, double your hourly rate.
[Edited at 2013-06-15 11:31 GMT]
| | | | Roy OConnor (X)
Local time: 15:57
German to English
| Another option | Jun 15, 2013 |
Hi, Nick,
Some of my colleagues here may think I'm cynical, but I wouldn't look to translation as a life-fulfilling career. The competition for Western European languages into English is extremely fierce with every Tom, Dick and Harry saying they can do it at very low rates. Your expertise is of a very general nature, so that you don't have a niche to offer. It's not impossible but the odds are not stacked in your favour.
If you have recently graduated, you are probably... See more Hi, Nick,
Some of my colleagues here may think I'm cynical, but I wouldn't look to translation as a life-fulfilling career. The competition for Western European languages into English is extremely fierce with every Tom, Dick and Harry saying they can do it at very low rates. Your expertise is of a very general nature, so that you don't have a niche to offer. It's not impossible but the odds are not stacked in your favour.
If you have recently graduated, you are probably still in your 20s and the world is your oyster. If your private life allows it, in your shoes I would move to Germany and find myself a decent graduate apprenticeship with a Germany company in the marketing field. This would at least give you a second leg and some experience in industry. You might even have a chance to supplement your income with some part-time translation activity.
You have a good degree from a fine university – I just think you could do a lot more with it, especially if you are mobile.
But whatever you decide, I wish you the best of good luck.
Roy ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 14:57
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Industry experience in Germany would be a perfect background | Jun 15, 2013 |
Roy OConnor wrote:
Your expertise is of a very general nature, so that you don't have a niche to offer.
A generalist translator would offer mechanical engineering, medical and legal, too. Nick's specialisations don't seem that general to me - they are all areas that call for especially-good target writing skills. Because of that, Nick, you might find that it will pay you to have a well-written blog to show your skills. Taking a course in creative writing would be a useful qualification, too.
If your private life allows it, in your shoes I would move to Germany and find myself a decent graduate apprenticeship with a Germany company in the marketing field.
Certainly, a job in Germany would be a perfect start to your career. Imagine what your CV would look like after a couple of years working in a German advertising agency that works a lot in English, too. You'd be really fluent in German, with a good knowledge of the culture, rather than just academically qualified (anybody who has lived in a source-language country will accept there's a difference, I'm sure), as well as having industry experience in your specialisation. You would maybe also be able to translate as part of your job, or get to write copy from scratch if you're that way inclined.
I don't share Roy's pessimism for the industry as a whole, but I do think we will only survive if we excel at what we do. That makes it difficult to start out in the business, but not impossible. You will need to have other income to start with, but that's totally normal for any freelancer who doesn't have an existing client base, not just translators. The main trap to avoid is the very tempting one of accepting any and all offered work, resulting in you being so busy working for peanuts that you have no time or energy to chase the small number of jobs that would put real meat on your plate. Much better to work in a shop, for example, from 8am to 1pm and then devote the rest of the day to studying and marketing yourself as a translator. Expect to get only a little translation work for the first few months, gradually building up until you're having trouble finding time for translating, marketing, studying and the salaried job. That will be the time to hand in your notice - don't give up the studying and marketing, they're permanent to some extent.
| | |
|
|
|
LilianBNekipelo wrote:
your writing skills are very good, and you understand your source language completely (most of the nuances, and cultural references). You should also try to get some jobs, not just wait for the clients to contact you -- there are various methods to do that. However, in your situation I would get a part-time job in the beginning, so you don't have to entirely depend on freelance translation. It is a free profession, in all free professions, like in the arts and design, sometimes people with 10 years of experience or more may not have enough work for a few months, or even years, or be totally overloaded at some other times.
[Edited at 2013-06-15 11:21 GMT]
+1
Language competence is the single most neglected factor in and by translators. At the same time, there are translation agencies that just give you a sample and a fair chance.
| | | | | Once again... | Jun 15, 2013 |
... thanks everyone for your answers. I do have a year of experience working abroad so I do have at least something to offer in that department. Truth be told though, I would rather stay in the UK for the moment. As much as I enjoyed my time abroad, I realised I'm too much of a home-bird to be away from the UK for extended periods of time.
| | | | Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 19:27
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | May be you could start with translating literature | Jun 16, 2013 |
Nick Brisland wrote:
I have just recently graduated in German and Italian and I want to start translating freelance at some point in the future. The only experience I have is at University (four years), no experience in a professional environment. I am trying to find voluntary work but it isn't easy.
My question really is, do I have much of a chance making a living (approx 20-25000 British Pounds per year) based on my experience, or is it better to get some kind of professional experience first, to bolster my CV?
Thanks for your help.
It may sound challenging, but since you are interested in voluntary work to begin with, this could be a start. Identify small literary pieces in German/Italian that interest you, such as short stories, humorous pieces, children's stories/novel and talk to the writer/publisher, whether they would allow you to translate them into English. You could even pick something old that has become public domain stuff.
After translating, you could either try to publish it for money, or put it up in your blog. This way you will gain translation experience, even if little money, and also develop contacts with authors and publishers that could come in handy later in your career. It might even spark off the writing bug in you and turn you into a writer, which is certainly a much more lucrative and full-filling career than a translator. Of course, you could also pursue both a writing and a translating career simultaneously too.
Establishing yourself as a translator would take time and you should be prepared to be patient. Sometimes it may take months. In the meanwhile, use the time to do necessary stuff such as improving your profile, marketing yourself, and training yourself in the tricks of the trade - CAT tools, and things like that.
Also, the income flows can be erratic, so you will need some money available for the rainy day. It would be wise to take a job for sometime and do translation during freetime, until your freelance career takes off to such a level that it can financially sustain you and your family. You could chose a career compatible with translation and writing, such as advertising, journalism, language teaching, etc.
You are young and I am sure you will make it as a translator if you try hard enough.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 15:57
Spanish to English
+ ...
I agree with Sheila and Roy, but I'd suggest trying a stint teaching TEFL in one of your L2 countries (Germany would seem the most logical option from my point of view). Teaching while living in your L2 environment will enhance your source language knowledge and you could also start looking for translation work part time and build up a client portfolio and CV from there...
(This is how I eventually ended up a freelance translator. It's not something that happened overnight).
[Edited... See more I agree with Sheila and Roy, but I'd suggest trying a stint teaching TEFL in one of your L2 countries (Germany would seem the most logical option from my point of view). Teaching while living in your L2 environment will enhance your source language knowledge and you could also start looking for translation work part time and build up a client portfolio and CV from there...
(This is how I eventually ended up a freelance translator. It's not something that happened overnight).
[Edited at 2013-06-16 09:01 GMT]
[Edited at 2013-06-16 09:02 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Note of caution | Jun 16, 2013 |
Nick Brisland wrote:
My question really is, do I have much of a chance making a living (approx 20-25000 British Pounds per year) based on my experience, or is it better to get some kind of professional experience first, to bolster my CV?
Thanks for your help.
You can make more than that, but it will take a while. To echo what others have said, either get a part-time job or make sure you have enough to live on when you start. The resulting peace of mind will help you achieve profitability faster by stopping you from accepting dismal rates our of desperation.
| | | | | Basing on the two posts above... | Jun 19, 2013 |
... I think it might not be a bad idea to put 'practising translator' on your teaching TV, while putting 'based in German/Italy' on your translation CV.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Little experience - do I have a chance? | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
| | CafeTran Espresso | You've never met a CAT tool this clever!
Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer.
Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools.
Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
