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Translator 101 – What It Takes To Be A Good Translator?

By: Eric Nelson Posted on Thu, 15-10-2015

Let’s be honest here. We all know how easy it is to get a freelancing job online. They are a dime a dozen. If you have a skill, there is a job for you. If you can do perform well on a couple of them, you will get more projects and that will increase your income. But just like every other job you do, your freelance job requires a little effort. If you have the convenience of working from home, you can put a little extra something in your work to make it look good.

Right now, there is a boom in income by becoming a translator. People who are bilingual or who have a good grip on another language can easily make money by joining an online solution and working for them. But before you can start earning some really easy big money, you need to prove your skills and prove that you are a good translator.

Do you have what it takes to be a good translator? Do you know what it takes to be a good translator? Well, we are here to help you out. Here are a few advises, tips and tricks to help you out and give you the push in the right direction.

  • Never be afraid of learning something new. We all know that most of the time, people either want to translate their material in English or from English. So, if you know English, you can easily translate any document to and from English. However, there is a huge trend in learning new languages. For example, right now, people want their material to be translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German and Spanish.
  • Learn the rates before you begin the work. Remember that the translation projects are paid by the number of words. At first, a project that pays $0.06 per word is too little, but be patient. There are more projects and every project has a different number of words. These are quick jobs so you can work on multiple projects and earn $50 to $100 dollars in a day!
  • Always keep your certification near you. This is something you will need if you are thinking about going solo. However, if you join an online portal for translation services, they will have their own tests and exams that you will have to pass. When you work there, the company’s certification will be good enough. However, being certified by ATA on your own will definitely be a perk.
  • Manage your work and diligently focus on what you need to do. Let’s be honest for a moment. Of course, translation is an easy job, but it is not that easy. One misspell or bad sentence structure can cost you the job. So you need to be very careful. Read, re-read and proofread your work before you submit it. Also, these are time sensitive jobs. Every job will have a timer and you need to complete the job before the time runs out. So manage your work and prep time before it is too late.
  • Be flexible my friend, only tress or dead are not. Your main concern in satisfying the client, because he is the one paying your hard work. Try to be encouraging, and above all, be polite. Telling client he is an idiot will not work in your favor.

Be open and responsive to the new techniques and tools. For example, there are CAT tools that make the translation process very easy. Always be honest, stay available to make the changes that the client wants, communicate with the client and the team to get the best experience and give the best experience. And if a client leaves a feedback, you must reply back. Courtesy is the way to success my friend.

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