Getting into part-time translation business? Is it feasible? Thread poster: ArthS
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Hello. After weeks upon weeks of thinking, I've finally roughly decided about what do I want to do with my life. Now, I'm trying to figure out the details, and I hope that you could help me out with this.
Bit of a background:
I'm from Poland, lived here all my life. As a native, my Polish is of couse fluent - and I can communicate in English effortlessly from about two years. I've decided to study Mechanical Engineering in Germany from September 2013, but I have no relatives i... See more Hello. After weeks upon weeks of thinking, I've finally roughly decided about what do I want to do with my life. Now, I'm trying to figure out the details, and I hope that you could help me out with this.
Bit of a background:
I'm from Poland, lived here all my life. As a native, my Polish is of couse fluent - and I can communicate in English effortlessly from about two years. I've decided to study Mechanical Engineering in Germany from September 2013, but I have no relatives in there - thus, I would need to take up some part-time work. Seeing as my passion is traveling, mostly to countries in Asia and South America, translation seems to be the perfect match - I could basically work from any place on Earth without much restrictions.
My ever-increasing knowledge of German language certainly won't hurt, as I could later add it to my 'working languages'.
However, it is no great surprise to me that I can't simply start to translate for some agency/clients just like that and expect to be paid anything more than a pittance. I've browsed briefly this forum, but it's hard for a total newbie to grasp some concepts - thus I've decided to make this topic and hope that it will help me to understand a few things.
As I've said, my knowledge of English is fluent. Lately I've even found myself thinking/writing about various things in English more often than in Polish - but my knowledge is mostly about everyday things, not about some specialised field, such as medicine (I have no problem reading any book in English, but some medical journal would have me looking for a dictionary numerous times, and I wouldn't even understand Polish translation most of the time anyway).
I would, however, be willing to learn things that would help me along the way - English comes to me naturally (I've never taken a single class before High School, where I've already known it far batter than practically anyone in my school only from reading interesting books/stories in English), so in case I would need to get somewhat familiar with some more obscure field, I'd be willing to do so.
Is it reasonable in my case to try to make a living out of translation? Most likely I wouldn't earn much over the first few months (even in first year or two), and it's not like I could commit that much time to it once I'll start University - but it surely beats flipping burgers (it's far more convenient, and I'm not sure how long my pride would accept being tossed around preparing McBurgers). Assuming I would be somewhat successful, it would also allow me to work when traveling, which would be huge bonus as my family is rather poor and couldn't help me with funding my life even if they wanted to (nor do I want them to), and it's a long time till I will finish my education.
Basically - is it reasonable to expect to live off of translating English-Polish, and later possibly between English-Poligh-German when spending on it no more than about 4 hours per day? Should I perhaps try to make myself somewhat famous in one year or so, as I have practically unlimited time till 2013 and very few duties to attend to, and then switch to working part-time?
If my 'plans' are no more than idle dreams - please tell me so, I'd rather not waste half a year for nothing.
If such plans have a fair chance of success, then I would be really grateful about some sort of newbie-FAQ which would explain to me the basics, such as what certification (if any) should I try to acquire etc.
Any input appreciated! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paula Gordon 
United States
Local time: 20:12
Bosnian to English
+ ...
| think like a professional | Jan 20, 2012 |
ArthS, first of all, your English does seem very good; your message has very few mistakes.
I'm in the US, so I don't know if my experience is applicable to your situation, but here goes:
I think you should consider approaching Polish companies doing business in Germany or with German partners as well as Polish companies doing business with partners in English-speaking countries, and ask if they have a need for a part-time contract (freelance) translator or writer. Especially ... See more ArthS, first of all, your English does seem very good; your message has very few mistakes.
I'm in the US, so I don't know if my experience is applicable to your situation, but here goes:
I think you should consider approaching Polish companies doing business in Germany or with German partners as well as Polish companies doing business with partners in English-speaking countries, and ask if they have a need for a part-time contract (freelance) translator or writer. Especially if you have a field in mind (you mentioned mechanical engineering), look for companies in this field. Get to know people, perhaps attend chamber of commerce-type events or trade shows, and make contacts, work on establishing relationships with hiring people or project managers in those companies. In a year, you may be able to line up a few reliable clients and then you will not fall into the agency rut, where you have very little control over deadlines. Which would tend to come all at once and during exam periods or when you have a big class project due. (Feast or famine.) You might also check into interpreting, especially if your spoken English is as good as your written English.
Second (or maybe this should have been first), join a Polish translators or writers association, or some kind of small business association. This will be helpful as you encounter your first problem of every type. Nothing against the great and helpful people in ProZ forums, but it's useful to get advice from people in your town, your country, who have experience with the nuts and bolts of things. Plus, professional membership lends credibility.
You can also ask this question in the Polish language forum on ProZ (but I suggest taking a more humble approach about your skills, since you don't want to appear as competition). Translation associations usually have their own member directories where clients can search for translators. There might even be a student-member rate for joining. Ask in the Polish forum which organizations in your town/city or region are worth joining.
If you have already been accepted into a university in Germany (or as soon as you are), contact the office of student affairs and ask about work-study and internship opportunities. (Or ask admissions which department you should contact.) There might be something better for you than flipping burgers that does not require you to start a business on your own. Perhaps you can tutor, or work in the writing center. I was lucky (a million years ago when I was in college) to get a job in the media services department. My job was showing movies (on 16 mm projectors -- now antiques), video taping lectures (3/4" open reel!), and helping other students edit their video projects. It was great.
You can also research professional organizations in the town your uni is located in, and already start making contacts there. I am a big advocate of professional associations. Note the difference between a not-for-profit professional organization and a commercial job placement site. They're both useful, but one cannot replace the other.
Finally, if you intend to take work from agencies, join or subscribe to one or two lists where you can check if they are reliable or not. Don't rely only on the Blueboard here.
One last thing -- consider that eventually you could find a job as an engineering company rep or project manager. Perhaps you can combine your university degree, your language skills and your love of traveling. Translation is something you can start at any time in your life, so you don't have to be in a rush to start now. Lots of us got into translation as a second or third career. Just keep learning and keep an open mind.
Good luck!
[edited to correct typo, please excuse the ones I missed]
[Edited at 2012-01-20 21:29 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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