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Possible to go freelance as a first career choice?
Thread poster: S_89
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Ivan Sokil (X)
Ivan Sokil (X)
Portugal
Local time: 23:02
German to Portuguese
+ ...
It's definitely possible. May 7, 2017

S_89 wrote:

Is it possible to start freelancing after a Masters in Translation? Has anybody done this?

Or is it almost always the case for translators to start off working in-house or teaching or something similar?

Many thanks.


It's definitely possible but you must bear in mind that it's easier to start freelancing if you have something that separates you from the other translation students, such an especialization or a peculiar languange combination with high demand in a certain area.

I will give you my example. I started working as a translation freelancer immediately after graduating in Civil Engineering. After graduating, I applied for jobs in translation instead of a job in my area because I wanted to translate and because I thought that the job would suit me well. I eventually got invited for some interviews to work as a translator, but most clients were looking for someone to work in-house. I informed them that I was not able to work in-house because I would be traveling in the following month. Nonetheless, since I had a specific profile for the technical translations one client required (knowing German as a second language and having majored in engineering) and since there were not many translators besides me that had applied for the position, or not any at all, at least with my profile, since I doubt that most engineers look for a job in translation after graduating, that client eventually agreed to work with me freelancing, even though I had no working experience.

From this experience, whether you start freelancing after graduating in Translation or not depends, I guess, not only on the supply and demand of translators, but also on how your profile is adequate to the type of translations a potential employer is looking for.

----------------------
Ivan Carvalho
Patents/technical manuals translator
English & German into Portuguese (EU)
Email: [email protected]
Profile: http://www.proz.com/translator/2287687
----------------------

[Edited at 2017-05-07 07:39 GMT]


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:02
English to Spanish
+ ...
Apples and oranges May 7, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

S_89 wrote:

Is it possible to start freelancing after a Masters in Translation? Has anybody done this?

Or is it almost always the case for translators to start off working in-house or teaching or something similar?

Many thanks.


Would you trust a brain surgeon who had just taken his degree but had no practical experience?


While it is true that first translations from a recent graduate do not compare to those done by an experienced translator, we can't even begin to compare tracks of the medical profession (particularly a highly specialized field like neurosurgery). A poor translation looks bad and embarrassing, a surgeon doing surgery without first supervised practice or residence is a life-threatening scenario.

Again, apples and oranges.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:02
Member (2008)
Italian to English
OK May 7, 2017

OK how about a textbook on neurosurgery translated by someone who started freelancing immediately after taking a Masters in Translation?

[Edited at 2017-05-07 16:32 GMT]


 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:02
English to Spanish
+ ...
Awkward analogies May 7, 2017

DZiW wrote:

> I think a more apt analogy for a translator would be something like a nail technician...

Chris, could you elaborate? For I think such an attitude is one of the reasons why clients so often (mis)take translators for low-paid MT-technicians a-la poor-man's Google Translate. Nevertheless, I do believe that most translators have got to recreate the idea equivalence from a source by means of a target, considering proper nuances, right contexts, aligned perspectives, and relevant aspects--it's no elementary mechanics (perhaps, unless it's about a rush provisional or word-for-word translation/verbatim).

Why value a translator who doesn't respect himself?--Just another nail in the translation field to get low, face down.

IMO


Your last statement came all out as mangled English, DZiW. We usually say another nail in the coffin [of something already discussed]. And the “to get low, face down” is very confusing. Could you explain more?

I agree with Chris in the analogy department. Those analogies may make us feel better about ourselves (“I'm a trained or experienced translator, unlike some nail technician or a plumber without bond or license”), but most customers don't get that and don't even care. I find it risible to discuss analogies in general because many times we are resorting to anecdote and assumptions about clients and translators in general.

Like some colleagues already said here, it's a different path for everyone. As long as a translator writes very well in all the languages she is working as such, I don't find her lack of a specific translation training or a diploma a hindrance or a disadvantage.

As for business skills, anyone with a professional occupation needs to develop them. There is no need to pooh-pooh translators who don't share your business skills or experience.


 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 07:02
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Yes May 10, 2017

I started freelancing a few months out of college. While I was searching for employment I came across ProZ quite by accident and began to look into it - at that time I was not expecting it to provide a living. It was sporadic at first, then about 3-6 months in I got my first major project, and at that point I stopped looking back. I got my postgraduate certificate in translation after committing to the career and already had my foot in the door at that point, and frankly I did not learn much fro... See more
I started freelancing a few months out of college. While I was searching for employment I came across ProZ quite by accident and began to look into it - at that time I was not expecting it to provide a living. It was sporadic at first, then about 3-6 months in I got my first major project, and at that point I stopped looking back. I got my postgraduate certificate in translation after committing to the career and already had my foot in the door at that point, and frankly I did not learn much from the coursework; it was more or less a piece of paper that gave me formal legitimacy.

It has its plus and minuses. It is a great fit for my aptitude, I am making a better living than I could have in full time employment (let's just say that income prospects for humanities degree holders in Hong Kong are not great), and the freedoms I enjoy have given me options that are unfathomable for people who must report to a fixed location every day. But I do have regrets about never holding a full-time job before going freelance, and it would likely be hard for me to find one if the industry goes south.

It also takes a great deal of pre-existing ability, and more than a little bit of luck. It is likely not a viable option for any one without top-notch command of two languages, and we are not talking about "have a degree" level of proficiency.
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