How to break through the endless catch-22 of gaining experience
Rachel McRoberts United States Local time: 09:35 Member (2009) Spanish to English + ...
Another newbie
Apr 1, 2009
I am also trying to get started translating, while I work toward my certificate. I am constantly reminded that networking is a HUGE part of this field. I plan on joining my local organization, and I am always reminding people I know that I am trying to get more experience. It is important that everyone you know is aware that you are looking for work, in case they come across anything! People who already know you tend to be more willing to give you a chance early on.
I am also constantly checking Craigslist for both paid and volunteer opportunities. Currently, I am waiting to hear the final word on a potential job with an agency that I heard of on Craigslist. And I figure that any volunteer translations will add to my experience. My theory is that I should keep practicing, keep searching, and keep applying--it is true of any job search.
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Ulf Samuelsson Mexico Local time: 02:35 Member (2007) English to Swedish + ...
Apprenticing
Apr 2, 2009
The best way to learn the ropes is to work with someone who already has more than 5 years in the business.
So, what you can do is offer your services to other freelancers, clearly indicating that you are looking for a mentor and that they can discount a "training fee" for the jobs they send you, as they will have to check your job and send you feedback.
I've done this with two other translators who are now getting jobs on their own (using me as one of their references).
Ulf
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That's a great tip Ulf. But wouldn't this constitute a breach of the confidentiality clauses in many of the business agreements we usually sign with agencies? Most of the time they clearly state that translators are not allowed to subcontract the work themselves... or disclose any information for that matter.
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Ulf Samuelsson Mexico Local time: 02:35 Member (2007) English to Swedish + ...
The legal point of aprenticing
Apr 2, 2009
Of course, I'm not a lawyer, but I would say that any job can be sub-contracted, unless there is a specific clause in an agreement which specifically prohibit it.
Some non-disclosure agreements I've signed only require that anyone that I myself sub-contract should be bound by the same non-disclosure agreement.
The best way to avoid any trouble, though, is to list your name and the aprentice's name when you apply for a job (I've done so without any problems). List the aprentice as translator and yourself as the overall responsible editor. (It actually stresses that you are quality conscious.)
Not all jobs are suitable for this arrangement, but many of the one's I receive are.
Ulf
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Samuel Murray Netherlands Local time: 09:35 Member (2006) English to Afrikaans + ...
There are thousands of agencies!
Apr 3, 2009
Peter CD1 wrote:
You try and register with an agency and they say "we only want you if you have experience". ... Well...how are you supposed to gain experience if you can't register with any of them?
Erm... by not stopping after you were rejected by one (or ten) (or a hundred), because there are thousands of agencies out there, and some of them are bound to be willing to take a chance on you.
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Nicole Schnell United States Local time: 00:35 Member English to German + ...
Experience vs. expertise
Apr 3, 2009
Agencies don't necessarily expect you to have 100.000 translated words in your portfolio, but they are certainly looking for some expertise. Unfortunately, your profile page is entirely empty. Even if you haven't translated much yet, there must be some fields of interest or hobbies where you are good at. That's where you should start. Example: You know how to repair a car. You have travelled a lot. You own animals. At school you were excellent in history / physisc / biology. Something.
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Taija Salo Finland Local time: 10:35 Member (2008) English to Finnish + ...
The first jobs
Apr 3, 2009
I have found approaching agencies that aren't actively looking for translators useless. The first jobs I got were cases where an agency had an urgent job that had to be ready that day or tomorrow, and obviously their regular translators were booked, so they were forced to look for someone else on ProZ or another site - I understand that's not how they want to operate, since they too are taking a risk with someone new whose work they don't know, and there is no time for testing when something needs to be ready the same day.
So you get an urgent assignment and handle it well, good work ready on time and polite communication and so on - then you're in by the back door. Often there are more files for the same project later and they prefer to send them to the translator who did the first ones, even if it's the newbie.
Nicole also makes an important point: you should put every effort into making your profile here appealing to clients. The majority of jobs is never publicly posted. I get contacted directly by outsourcers who find my profile by searching, look at it and decide to contact.
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BethanHasnip Local time: 08:35 Member (Apr 2012) German to English
luck and persistence
Feb 13
I think the keys to breaking through are persistence and luck... I am only just starting out as a translator so I'm in the same boat.
About a year ago I thought translation was something I was interested in and emailed a lot of companies asking for work experience/internships. I got an unpaid placement with one of them which was great for my skills and my CV, once I pass their test translation I will also be added to their database. In addition, about 4 months after I sent out those emails, one of the other companies got back offering my a small project. I have had (a little) more work from them since then.
I found a mentor through these boards and she is fantastic, giving me work, feedback and tips. I really recommend this. It lets me do work I would be worried about doing on my own (business reports for example; most of my previous work has been product descriptions/assembly instructions/event websites) and expand my sphere of knowledge with a safety net.
I have also got work from peopleperhour.com and someone else recommend oDesk though I've not used that yet. I know get work occasionally from the contact I gained through peopleperhour. I think it helps to look in slightly more unusual places. O and translatorscafe allows you to bid on any job without paying a membership fee, although there are not a lot of jobs on there. Even if I am not appropriate for the posted job, I often email companies on the assumption that if they are posting on such websites, they may not have as many translators in my language pair as they need.
Finally, I read somewhere that in your first year you should aim to email 400-500 companies to try to get yourself established. My experience is that even if you don't hear back straight away, there may be a job months later that they decide to approach you for. Offer to do a test translation. I know a lot of translators disagree with this on principle but at the beginning I think it is a good way to prove your ability.
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