| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Working in the UK Thread poster: A. Deb
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A. Deb 
Spain
Local time: 19:15
Member
Spanish to English
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Hi
I'm thinking of moving to the outskirts of London and was wondering if those living in the area could tell me about how easy it is to find translation and interpreting work over there. I have 15 years' experience in Spain. I've rang around a few agencies in London and aftger seeing my CV, they all say there is work for someone such as myself. But I've yet to see much work around. How easy is it to get into interpreting/translating over there with my language combination?
... See more Hi
I'm thinking of moving to the outskirts of London and was wondering if those living in the area could tell me about how easy it is to find translation and interpreting work over there. I have 15 years' experience in Spain. I've rang around a few agencies in London and aftger seeing my CV, they all say there is work for someone such as myself. But I've yet to see much work around. How easy is it to get into interpreting/translating over there with my language combination?
Thanks for any advice.
Ana ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:15
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| "I'm gonna move...way out on the outskirts of town" (Ray Charles) | Nov 9, 2011 |
Anaviva wrote:
Hi
I'm thinking of moving to the outskirts of London and was wondering if those living in the area could tell me about how easy it is to find translation and interpreting work over there. I have 15 years' experience in Spain. I've rang around a few agencies in London and aftger seeing my CV, they all say there is work for someone such as myself. But I've yet to see much work around. How easy is it to get into interpreting/translating over there with my language combination?
Thanks for any advice.
Ana
I don't think your physical location has any bearing on finding translation work. I live in London but I do all my translation work via the Internet, mainly through agencies and direct clients who are not in the UK.
As for interpreting work: this would of course require you to travel, nationally and internationally and you should be prepared to do that when required.
I used to do a lot of interpreting and this involved me in a lot of flying, staying in hotels, etc. I eventually gave up because it became too stressfu, I'm no longer as young as I was, and I hate airports. It's well paid though !
[Edited at 2011-11-09 08:43 GMT]
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 19:15
Spanish to English
+ ...
| No accounting for taste | Nov 9, 2011 |
Anaviva wrote:
Hi
I'm thinking of moving to the outskirts of London and was wondering if those living in the area could tell me about how easy it is to find translation and interpreting work over there. I have 15 years' experience in Spain. ...
Thanks for any advice.
Ana
All the translators I know working in the UK would love to able to move to Spain but they all have some reason keeping them there, whether it's a house, kids or their partner's job etc. You'd have to drag me back there kicking and screaming, seriously.
Whenever I go back to UK I just keep on working with my Spanish clients via internet. If you are looking for an in-house position, I suppose there are more agencies in the London area, but as Tom says, if you are working freelance from home it doesn't really matter where you are located as long as you have internet.
| | | | | translation work in the UK | Nov 9, 2011 |
Hi,
I am interested in this discussion about opportunities for translation work in London because I am considering leaving my current work and focus full-time in translation. Tom mentioned the traveling involved in interpreting job. I have studies in law up to Masters level and 10 years experience in international development. I do some translation work sporadically and usually volunteer for some international NGOs. My job involves lots of international travel and I don't really want to co... See more Hi,
I am interested in this discussion about opportunities for translation work in London because I am considering leaving my current work and focus full-time in translation. Tom mentioned the traveling involved in interpreting job. I have studies in law up to Masters level and 10 years experience in international development. I do some translation work sporadically and usually volunteer for some international NGOs. My job involves lots of international travel and I don't really want to continue travelling. Working from home as a translator would really work for me. I can only translate English into Spanish and I wonder if it is possible to make enough money to pay the bills with translations. ▲ Collapse
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Sonia Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:15
Italian to English
| Your location doesn't really matter | Nov 9, 2011 |
Hi Ana,
Like Tom and Neil have said, when it comes to translation work your location doesn't really matter if you're freelance. After starting out in Italy, I moved back to the UK and retained all my clients. I live in South-West England now and have clients all over Europe and the UK. I don't live particularly near any of them.
As for interpreting, I'd imagine there is plenty of work in London, although of course you'll need to be prepared to travel too.
G... See more Hi Ana,
Like Tom and Neil have said, when it comes to translation work your location doesn't really matter if you're freelance. After starting out in Italy, I moved back to the UK and retained all my clients. I live in South-West England now and have clients all over Europe and the UK. I don't live particularly near any of them.
As for interpreting, I'd imagine there is plenty of work in London, although of course you'll need to be prepared to travel too.
Good luck with the move!
neilmac wrote:
All the translators I know working in the UK would love to able to move to Spain but they all have some reason keeping them there, whether it's a house, kids or their partner's job etc.
Really? Lovely as Spain is, I have no great desire to move there ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Freelance or inhouse? | Nov 9, 2011 |
Like noted by fellow colleagues, if you are looking for freelance work, there is no difference if you live in London, as nowadays most of the activities are carried online (apart possibly from the fact that you should charge more given the cost of living in London).
However, a couple of weeks ago, I was looking into the current state of the industry in London (it never hurts being a Greek and living in Greece, you never know what you are up against!!) and I must say it seems to hav... See more Like noted by fellow colleagues, if you are looking for freelance work, there is no difference if you live in London, as nowadays most of the activities are carried online (apart possibly from the fact that you should charge more given the cost of living in London).
However, a couple of weeks ago, I was looking into the current state of the industry in London (it never hurts being a Greek and living in Greece, you never know what you are up against!!) and I must say it seems to have deteriorated in respect of salaries quite a bit since when I was there back in 2004. Of course, I cannot really provide an insight with regard to your language combinations, but it seems that for PMs (no Prime Ministers there, sorry...) an average salary of 30 k is provided annually, depending naturally on experience and company. I have approximately 8 years of experience in the industry and I found that I was being offered such a salary for living in London, which I find extremely low, given the high cost of living. Many companies have also stopped (like in Greece and in many other European countries I suspect) providing benefits and paying for sick days, or pension schemes, and pay by the hour. I am not sure as to how extensive this is though. In Greece, it is now becoming the norm. Other colleagues could maybe contribute with their experience.
Good luck with moving and getting settled in!
Ero ▲ Collapse
| | | | MartinPorto
Portugal
Local time: 18:15
French to English
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I like the kicking and screaming bit from Neilmac, I would also put up a real fight if for whatever reason should I ever have to go back. I would not consider ever living in the UK again; one of the major benefits of our profession is that it is very easy to move. I spent about 20years in France, Denmark, and short periods in other European countries, but without the Internet today it would be very difficult to move so easily.
Why anyone would want to go and live in the UK when coming from... See more I like the kicking and screaming bit from Neilmac, I would also put up a real fight if for whatever reason should I ever have to go back. I would not consider ever living in the UK again; one of the major benefits of our profession is that it is very easy to move. I spent about 20years in France, Denmark, and short periods in other European countries, but without the Internet today it would be very difficult to move so easily.
Why anyone would want to go and live in the UK when coming from countries such as Spain baffles me! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 18:15
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| To address Elena's point | Nov 9, 2011 |
I agree with everything that has been said in response to the original posting - you will be working "on the internet" not "in London" for translations. As for interpreting, I imagine London is one of the big centres of work.
However, both of you need to address Elena's question:
Elena Gonzalez wrote:
I wonder if it is possible to make enough money to pay the bills
As a couple of people have said, it is extremely expensive to live in London - that needs to be the subject you need to look into in very great depth, both of you.
Elena, as a newcomer, I'd like to welcome you to the discussion and point you in the direction of the "Getting Established" forum, where this matter has been dealt with numerous times. You'll find that you should not expect instant success, and you will have to be prepared to give as much as you get, but it is possible (as demonstrated by the number of us here!).
Sheila
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Maciej Majer (X)
Local time: 18:15
English to Polish
MartinPorto wrote:
Why anyone would want to go and live in the UK when coming from countries such as Spain baffles me!
Maybe just because of very convenient regulations on self-employment?
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:15
Hebrew to English
| It's not THAT bad | Nov 9, 2011 |
Maciej Majer wrote: MartinPorto wrote:
Why anyone would want to go and live in the UK when coming from countries such as Spain baffles me!
Maybe just because of very convenient regulations on self-employment?
Also maybe because for them, it isn't home. Living in a foreign country is always a bit more exotic and has a novelty factor that you don't have by living in your native country.
I'm the biggest critic of the U.K ever, I happen to think it's a slum hellhole, suburb of Hades, but even I can recognize it does have one or two redeeming features. (I haven't quite escaped yet-fingers crossed).
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:15
Portuguese to English
+ ...
| You can translate from the moon | Nov 9, 2011 |
Provided you have a reliable and fast internet connection you can translate from anywhere. Been there done that. As for the 'horrors' of the UK, done lots of foreign countries and currently back after 10 years in France. It's not half bad here (at all), even in a recession I'm certainly not hurrying off anywhere else just yet.
| | | |
...all you London-bashers!
As has been pointed out, freelancers don't have to live in an expensive metropolitan area like London. As long as you have a high-speed Internet connection, you're fine.
I'm not sure why anyone believes that London is a 'slum hellhole' or the UK is so dreadful. I for one love London and think that being a freelancer here is ideal. You have all the advantages of a great city without the commuting (which I admit can be bad in the rush hour). I f... See more ...all you London-bashers!
As has been pointed out, freelancers don't have to live in an expensive metropolitan area like London. As long as you have a high-speed Internet connection, you're fine.
I'm not sure why anyone believes that London is a 'slum hellhole' or the UK is so dreadful. I for one love London and think that being a freelancer here is ideal. You have all the advantages of a great city without the commuting (which I admit can be bad in the rush hour). I feel that I have access to all that a city of this size has to offer - without the hassle.
Maybe you lot should get out more, quit all that negativity and discover what this place can give you! ▲ Collapse
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:15
Hebrew to English
| Why limit yourself to London? There's more.... | Nov 9, 2011 |
Tina Colquhoun wrote:
...all you London-bashers!
As has been pointed out, freelancers don't have to live in an expensive metropolitan area like London. As long as you have a high-speed Internet connection, you're fine.
I'm not sure why anyone believes that London is a 'slum hellhole' or the UK is so dreadful. I for one love London and think that being a freelancer here is ideal. You have all the advantages of a great city without the commuting (which I admit can be bad in the rush hour). I feel that I have access to all that a city of this size has to offer - without the hassle.
Maybe you lot should get out more, quit all that negativity and discover what this place can give you!
Just to clarify - I never said London was a slum hellhole - I was talking about the U.K in general (although I'm not fond of London either in particular - this is something London-dwellers view as incomprehensible - FYI it has plenty of bad points). It's just my personal opinion. (The UK) It's home, and I'll always love it in a way. But it's like family, you love them, but sometimes you just want to kill them and never see them again.
Nowhere is perfect, but I just see the imperfections in the UK (and London - although London is not the UK and vice versa) more than the average guy I guess.
But like I said, it's not all bad, and there are good things too. Although I personally wouldn't recommend London, there's more to England than London, plenty of other great cities, which are far less expensive and which have equally good employment opportunities for translators (especially for a language pair like English > Spanish). (Taking into account the point mentioned a few times before about the most important thing being having a good internet connection).
Also, not sure if you considered this but if translation work was to dwindle or there were difficulties (internet, getting established), or just to supplement your income - then for a Spanish speaker, I'm sure there are other opportunities i.e. teaching (either privately or not), which could tide you over until you get translation up and running.
[Edited at 2011-11-10 08:09 GMT]
| | | | A. Deb
Spain
Local time: 19:15
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | What about getting into interpreting? | Nov 10, 2011 |
Thank you all so much for your comments. Many of you have voice the doubts I have about moving back. I left Hertfordshire and moved to Spain 17 years ago and it's a great place to live, but just as neilmac mentioned, when one has children, there are other factors involved in deciding where one should live. I would be moving back to Herts (20 mins away from the City), so it would be close enough without being too close.
I'm not so worried about translation as I have a good portfo... See more Thank you all so much for your comments. Many of you have voice the doubts I have about moving back. I left Hertfordshire and moved to Spain 17 years ago and it's a great place to live, but just as neilmac mentioned, when one has children, there are other factors involved in deciding where one should live. I would be moving back to Herts (20 mins away from the City), so it would be close enough without being too close.
I'm not so worried about translation as I have a good portfolio of clients all over Europe, but I would like to do more interpreting. I've rang around a few conference organisers and all of them seem to coincide that they have little use of interpreters as most of their speakers speak English. I'm not a member of AIIC so that rules out the "elite" end of the market until I have an opportunity to meet the membership criteria. But I think I must be missing something because as many of you say, London is a key arena for international meetings and business.
This is a great discussion and I thank you all for your input, all of which is valid and which has passed through my thoughts while I try to make this decision. ▲ Collapse
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:15
Portuguese to English
+ ...
This is a forum for translators so perhaps someone on here can recommend a good interpreters' forum. I think you have the translation side covered
Indeed, kids are a huge part of the consideration. I don't know how old yours are. Mine are 9 and 12, part of the reason for the move was schooling and from that point of view we're glad we made the move. Good luck with the decision-making!
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