Help for an entry level translator Thread poster: Nikki Del Valle
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Hello! I thought this might be the best one of the best forums to ask this question and look for advice. So I've been interested in translation since I was about 15 or so. I'm 20 now and I haven't been able to jump-start my career in transaltion since I don't have a lot of experience. I've only translated a handful of documents when I was in high school, but that's about it. I'm stuck in the endless no experience-no job, no job-no experience cycle and I can't seem to find a way to crawl out of ... See more Hello! I thought this might be the best one of the best forums to ask this question and look for advice. So I've been interested in translation since I was about 15 or so. I'm 20 now and I haven't been able to jump-start my career in transaltion since I don't have a lot of experience. I've only translated a handful of documents when I was in high school, but that's about it. I'm stuck in the endless no experience-no job, no job-no experience cycle and I can't seem to find a way to crawl out of it. I have native fluency in Spanish (specifically Puertorican Spanish) and US English and conventional fluency in French. According to my search, the best way to gain experience is to volunteer as a translator for NGOs, social media posts, and such, but the sites I've visited don't seem to have any jobs at the moment. I've also considered being an unpaid intern in order to gain experience that way, but how do I go about finding someone who needs an intern for a transaltion? I mostly did general transaltion in high school and I'm currently specialized in the hospitality, travel, and tourism sectors. Any tips on how to gain experience as a beginner or ways to network with others and find a possible internship? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
| Keep hunting, and hunt in the right places | Nov 23, 2021 |
LinkedIn has several full-time or internship jobs posted every now and then. You can also check out Indeed or Glassdoor. I personally have never had great luck with the later two, but YMMV. If you decided to do volunteer jobs, I strongly suggest to only work for well-known international organizations such as Translators without Borders, the United Nations, or Ted Talks, to name a few. That way, your CV would look rather appealing, which might help you landing on real jobs in the future. D... See more LinkedIn has several full-time or internship jobs posted every now and then. You can also check out Indeed or Glassdoor. I personally have never had great luck with the later two, but YMMV. If you decided to do volunteer jobs, I strongly suggest to only work for well-known international organizations such as Translators without Borders, the United Nations, or Ted Talks, to name a few. That way, your CV would look rather appealing, which might help you landing on real jobs in the future. Don't do volunteer jobs for agencies, you'll be taken advantage of.
You can also snipe several companies you want to work with. They usually have a career section somewhere in their websites.
Also, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but you misspelled the word 'translation' several times. Be careful, some agencies make a big deal about this.
HTH
[Edited at 2021-11-23 13:58 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | William Yang
China
Local time: 02:32
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| some of your efforts may pay off | Dec 28, 2021 |
To get start in right direction, as far as I'm concerned, you can try by getting accredited, which is meaningful as it not only adds to your experience, but it really sells.
You're right to accumulate experience by joining multinationals, be it NGO, media etc.
Another important thing is to get specialized, which ultimately important if translation is your livelihood. In this competitive arena, it makes you stand out.
My two cents and I'm also struggling and the unseen in the b... See more To get start in right direction, as far as I'm concerned, you can try by getting accredited, which is meaningful as it not only adds to your experience, but it really sells.
You're right to accumulate experience by joining multinationals, be it NGO, media etc.
Another important thing is to get specialized, which ultimately important if translation is your livelihood. In this competitive arena, it makes you stand out.
My two cents and I'm also struggling and the unseen in the business.
[Edited at 2021-12-28 09:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Fill in your profile and help clients find you | Dec 29, 2021 |
For example in the Bio section - write how you gained your experience in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors.
Clients are often more interested in what you are good at here and now than where you are going next year or five years from now.
As a freelancer, your career is your affair. Clients want value for money, which does not necessarily mean a cheap translation. Do not try to start cheap, because it is hard to raise your price later. Look for clients who will pay f... See more For example in the Bio section - write how you gained your experience in the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors.
Clients are often more interested in what you are good at here and now than where you are going next year or five years from now.
As a freelancer, your career is your affair. Clients want value for money, which does not necessarily mean a cheap translation. Do not try to start cheap, because it is hard to raise your price later. Look for clients who will pay for quality, and give them the very best you can! You may have to accept low rates just to get a foot in the door, but don´t make low rates a selling point.
Have you worked as a waiter or receptionist?
Do you know about bookings and guiding tourists?
Do you know about museums, local history anywhere, the cultural experiences tourists are looking for?
Transport and booking, and in these days keeping safe from Covid and complying with regulations?
Describe your experience on your profile!
Make yourself visible, and think what clients will be looking for.
You will still have to sort the offers from clients who find you, but some of the best come that way.
Keep targeting the kind of clients you really want to work for. Mention any qualifications you have, and ALL jobs you have had, not just translation. Those are where you learn the special language and terminology in a special subject field.
As William Yang says, get accredited, which may also place you on websites where clients look for translators. ▲ Collapse
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You do not have experience, but do you have the skills? Can you deliver the goods? Can you provide timely translations fit for purpose and be a dependable translation partner to agency clients?
If so, focus on the business/marketing side. Primer's like Corinne McKay's "How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator" and "Finding and Marketing to Translation Agencies" are a good start.
Since you have no much experience, I suggest you use the skill-based approach to your resum�... See more You do not have experience, but do you have the skills? Can you deliver the goods? Can you provide timely translations fit for purpose and be a dependable translation partner to agency clients?
If so, focus on the business/marketing side. Primer's like Corinne McKay's "How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator" and "Finding and Marketing to Translation Agencies" are a good start.
Since you have no much experience, I suggest you use the skill-based approach to your resumé/service offer and ProZ bio section. For inspiration, I find this is a good example (link only valid for 7 days on WeTransfer): https://we.tl/t-NDCY30SWjh
If you think you need to improve your translation skills (language competency in your source and target language are not all you need), yes, you can look for some voluntary work (with the caveat that Novian has highlighted), but most importantly, take the time to: read more about translation theory and the translation process (there are tons of books out there), hone your (translation/writing and other) skills and methodology, build your linguistic resources and translator tool box (do you use a CAT tool, for instance? Are you proficient in the software you will use everyday? Do you know how to touch type?). Identify all areas where you improve, make a plan and put in the effort.
Formal education is overrated, but to break the endless cycle, you need to commit to becoming good at what you do. The Internet is your oyster.
To wit, here's a non-translation book inspiration: Cal Newport's "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love"
Good luck and happy translating!
[Edited at 2021-12-29 12:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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