[rampage]

Hey guys

I have been reading this forum for quite some time and I because I really like it I finally decided to register.
I am a 19 year old high school student from Slovenia (central Europe) . I think I have a talent for learning different languages and I was thinking of studying a language at university to get a Bachelors degree and later work as a translator while traveling the world. At the moment I am fluent at English and Spanish but I can have a basic conversation on Russian, German and Turkish too.


Reading Roosh´s blog about traveling through South America and picking up chicks I became really inspired to do so myself. So I went to Mexico last summer for 5 weeks backpacking and I have to say that I had the time of my life. And would really like to be able to work and travel the world, at least until I am young and don´t get married.

Do you guys think my plan is realistic and it can be done or not?

[HammockLife]

(01-09-2011 01:59 AM)rampage Wrote:  

Do you guys think my plan is realistic and it can be done or not?

It can be done, no question. About half my income is derived from translating between my native language and German/English, and that's while working 15-hour weeks.

Here are a few things to consider, just off the top of my head:

- Having steady clients is invaluable. You don't want to spend all your time drumming up business. Just a handful of customers that give you a steady stream of assignments can be sufficient.

- Think hard about this: What kind of companies will always need something translated?
Very large corporations do, but they use big and well known translation agencies or they hire their own people. It is possible to get hired by one on a freelance basis - this is the holy grail that all translators seek. However: consider lowering your price to get one or two assignments from a globally or nationally well known company. That is a wonderful reference to use when acquiring clients later: "Hey, if he's good enough for Sony, he's good enough for us". Consider doing it for free if you must.
Smaller corporations will usually only need translators sporadically, but may have a lot of material to translate at certain times.
Many print magazines translate articles for every issue - if you can get your foot in the door with a magazine or two, that may be enough. This is the route I have gone.
Big translation agencies use freelancers a lot. This may be your best bet to start with. It's not as profitable for you, but you don't need to do much marketing.

- Some sort of certification is a stamp of quality and will make it easier to acquire clients. These are usually quite easy to get. This will probably be required if you freelance for a larger agency.

- When it comes to translating between the "big" languages, like German, French and English, competition is fierce. Concentrate on "smaller" languages and you can command a higher price. If your native language is one that is only spoken in your contry, focus on translating to that.

- There's a big difference in translating to a language and from it. The language you translate to must (well, should) be one you speak and write on a native speaker level.

- A bachelor's degree's worth of language skill is probably entirely insufficient if you want to deliver good quality work, which you must if you want to keep a client. Being a native speaker of the language you translate to is the best solution. Your Slovenian should fit the bill nicely.

- Make sure that you write the language to be translated to flawlessly. You probably don't, even if you think you do. Learn the rules of grammar and always look up stuff you're not sure about. Some clients spot mistakes easily, and that may be the end of that assignment.

- As a one-man operation, you will have to compete on price. That's fine. Your costs are much lower than those of an agency. Note that the quality of your work may often be just as good, if not better, than that of the agencies. That is because they are very eager to make every assignment as cost efficient as possible.

- Some clients will be reluctant to hire a translator who does not reside in the country of the language to be translated to. There are many charlatans in this business, and lots of people have the same idea you have. Consider setting up a business presence in your old country, so that the clients think you are there. Call forwarding is probably a good idea.

Good luck in your endeavor!

[rampage]

Wow, thanks a lot for taking time to answer. You really posted some very useful information. By the way, do you think that Chinese is in high demand for translating? Do you think it is worth taking few years to learn it? Because I was thinking of taking some Chinese courses and later study it in university.

[HammockLife]

(01-09-2011 08:50 AM)rampage Wrote:  

Wow, thanks a lot for taking time to answer. You really posted some very useful information. By the way, do you think that Chinese is in high demand for translating? Do you think it is worth taking few years to learn it? Because I was thinking of taking some Chinese courses and later study it in university.

Knowing Chinese will undoubtedly be a good thing in the years to come. How much you get out of it depends on how you put your knowledge to work.

Now, translating stuff from Chinese to Slovenian is probably still a tiny niche, and I doubt the demand is high right now. But it is a market that may expand in time, as the Chinese economy continues to grow. You may have to try to get almost a monopoly on that particular combination of languages, but once you do, it will be very hard indeed for other translators to get a piece of that business. The barrier to entry (that is, learning Chinese) may be too high for them.

I suggest you learn Chinese with a view to dominating that niche in a few years, and that you also polish up your English and/or other major language for the volume it brings. Spending time in China and keeping your eyes open for possibilities could land you some decent business opportunities (and exotic babes).

You can (indeed, should) probably get your feet wet right now by offering translations from English (or Spanish or Turkish or whatever) to Slovenian. Contact translation agencies and offer your services. That will give you a good start and an idea of how the business works. Many language students do just that.

[OSL]

http://www.fluentinthreemonths.com

[Kid Strangelove]

A few thoughts

First off you need to learn the difference between being a translator and an interpreter. Interpreters usually sit in a booth and simultaneously translate as someone speaks. This is insanely hard and mentally draining, but the pay can be good. Plus, if you speak 3 languages well you can try out for the United Nations.This has incredible benefits and you get to travel the world, as long as you can handle the pressure of having worldwide meetings depend on you.

Now, besides what hammock life said, you can also be employed by law enforcement and government agencies - namely the court systems. To get a bunch of work - go to a place where there's a lot of criminals that speak the language you speak. Court interpreters get paid pretty well, plus you get to develop a reputation with lawyers and other people that can give you freelance work in the future

[HammockLife]

(01-10-2011 09:15 PM)Kid Strangelove Wrote:  

A few thoughts

First off you need to learn the difference between being a translator and an interpreter.

Interesting point. That difference is greater than one might think. As you note, interpreting can be extremely stressful and sensitive to mistakes. And it's not as location independent as translating written documents, which you can do from anywhere with an Internet connection. Those two activities are quite different, in my opinion.

Interpreting can indeed be more lucrative than doing straight translations, but is to my mind more of career choice. I wouldn't be surprised if many Chinese corporations will soon be on the lookout for interpreters globally, which may be an opportunity to get in on a growth market.

[Aliblahba]

(01-10-2011 10:52 AM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  

http://www.fluentinthreemonths.com

YMG, have you used this program? I couldn't find any reviews to find if it was worth buying.

[OSL]

No, I haven't - I posted that up there as an example of someone who is making a location-independent living using language and translation.

[maestrobaires]

@rampage good on you! great to see someone else from ex yugoslavia here. i was born in croatia. fluency in several languages opens you many doors. being an interpreter pays better but it's a hard work the few can cope with. it's draining. as you want to experience latin america, check out argentina and chile. both have sizable slovenian communities while very few speak the language. you being a spanish speaker too have some chances. i met a couple of croatians teaching croatian in argentina and chile. a croatian girl who i met in san pedro de atacama in chile after her teaching assignment was over got a job with croatian embassy in santiago de chile. if you are into winter sports, san carlos de bariloche in argentine patagonia has a huge slovenian community and there is even slovenian consulate.