How to Become a Sucessful Freelance Translator

As a freelance translator you will be require to produce a certain number of words per day, if the agency is going to continue to offer you work. You will slowly have to produce from 1,000 to 2,000 words a day.

You may decide to find work first as a salaried employee with a translation services agency, as a Junior Translator. Your income will be less compared to what you might potentially earn in a freelance capacity, but don't forget that without experience you're never going to be successful in the first place.

Working at a translation agency will enable you to acquire the skills and experience you need to become a professional translator. This will also give you the opportunity to experiment with various types of texts and subjects.

Regardless if you decide to increase your experience working as a salaried employee in a translation agency or if you choose to venture into the freelance world right away, the best plan is to send your resume to a chosen group of professional translation firms and translation departments within private companies and governmental institutions, clearly referring to your work experience and education. Don't forget to highlight your willingness to do a free test translation.

If you are working in another field, once you have managed to find enough freelance work to keep yourself busy for around 20 hours a week, you might consider terminating your current employment and devoting the extra time to attracting new business. In 20 hours most experienced freelance translators tend to earn around as much as a full-time translator in salaried position at a translation firm.

These are clearly very general guidelines; however, you will find that experience and a certain amount of business expertise are the things that matter most in a successful freelance career.

Ema Dantas is the owner of Language Marketplace Inc, a translation agency in Canada, with office in the United States, Scotland and Portugal.;After having worked for several translation agencies and government departments as Freelancer, Mrs. Dantas opened her doors for business in 2001 and Incorporated in 2003. Language Marketplace is now one of the fastest growing Translation and Interpretation services agencies in Canada. For more information about Language Marketplace, visit their site at www.languagemarketplace.com.