What It Takes to Be a Professional Translator

Do you know more than one language?

I am sure that on a site as vast as Hubpages there are many people who speak, or even both speak and write, more than one language in addition to English.

You might therefore think that professional translation is a career worth considering.

Let me potentially save you much heartache by providing for you:

a) the things to consider BEFORE embarking on such a career and

b) the things I have learned from my several years as a professional translator.

Could I Be a Professional Translator?

As I am a freelance professional translator, then I will talk chiefly about this. Of course there are many translators who work for translation companies, and are not therefore self-employed as such. This type of work has different characteristics, about which I can say less.

Nevertheless, here are some musings on the profession of professional translator.

First, before considering becoming a translator (and I am dealing here only with written translation, as oral translation, or "interpreting" is a different set of skills entirely), you need to consider the following:

- Do I know my own native language so well as to be considered a very good writer, clear, well-versed in the grammar and rules of style, of my OWN LANGUAGE?

You should ONLY EVER translate into YOUR OWN LANGUAGE. The reason should be (but often isn't) self-evident: your text will be read by native speakers with decades of experience in many diverse fields within that language. If you are unable to match the expertise of your readers (and I would assert it is impossible to be 100% fluent in a language that is not your native language, not least because you are unable to check your own work against a native standard "in your own head" if you are not a native speaker yourself...), then you cannot write professional texts in that language.

- Is my native language in demand?

If your native language is Arabic, Chinese, English, or Spanish, then you are in luck. Particularly advantageous is the position of most educated Arabs, in that they usually know both Arabic and a European language. Arabic is spoken by millions of people from Morocco to the Persian Gulf, so this should be a lucrative market.

Similarly, native speakers of Chinese and Spanish, who also know another in-demand language (such as English) are in a good position.

- Can I type?

Silly isn't it? The skill that noone talks about is essential for any translator.

- Am I comfortable dealing with clients, long-distance, including ensuring payment?

This is a topic in itself, but an essential one. Note that even if you restrict yourself to working for translation companies, YOU STILL HAVE TO ENSURE YOU GET PAID BY THEM.

Let's assume, then, that your native language is one that is in demand (I might add Hindi to the list, though I know less about Indian society and business, so I am guessing here), that you are considered someone who writes very well in that language, and that the other language(s) you know is/are also high-demand languages. Let's assume also that you can type(!), and that you are comfortable dealing with clients over long distances (I might also add that, if your language combination includes one high-demand language and one more obscure language, then you can explore niche marketing -- check out my other hubs for discussions on Internet marketing; combining Internet niche marketing skills with a job you can do from home can be a powerful strategy for making money online).

Now comes the question of whether you are suited to the life-style of a professional translator.

Professional Translation -- Would it Suit Me?

In my experience, the advantages of being a freelance professional translator are also its curses. Let me list these, and discuss their pros and cons:

- You have no set schedule. Obviously potentially great, but THIS MEANS YOU MUST HAVE ENORMOUS DISCIPLINE.

- Time with family. On the other hand, working from home can mean becoming embroiled in family dynamics and issues at the same time that you trying to fight deadlines.

- Control over your fiscal situation. In short, if you don't like the clerical issues involved in running your own business, then think twice.

- Take holiday whenever you want, but never receive vacation pay.

So, this is a brief introduction to the life of a professional translator.

The one thing I haven't mentioned is that, to be a successful professional translator YOU MUST BECOME AN EXPERT IN INTERNET MARKETING.

More than likely your market is going to be abroad. If you speak Spanish and English, then your market is the US, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and possibly parts of Africa and the Caribbean.

CLEARLY THE INTERNET IS YOUR DOORWAY TO CLIENTS.

THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE A LOOK THROUGH MY HUBS. My focus here on Hubpages in Internet marketing.

I invite you to come and learn, and to contribute comments to increase my own learning.

Never forget, in any business, sound marketing is key.