Becoming a freelance translator

July 23, 2011 11:22 PM

Advice on getting jobs for frreelance translators? Experience with Proz.com?

I am trying to get regular translation jobs (Chinese to English) in hopes of eventually making this a career. I have paid for a membership on proz.com, because a translator acquaintance told me that helped him get a lot of jobs; however, I am not sure yet how to go about getting the most from that site. Have any of you used it? Also, I'd be happy to get any info on: getting freelance translating jobs, being a freelance translator full-time (what it's like), and any other details relating to those broad topics.

Currently I translate frequently for work, and I have also translated for my day job in the past. I have taken on a couple of freelance jobs, but not too many. I live in China.

thanks in advance.

posted by bearette to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Best answer: I've been a proz.com member for about 6 years now, and used it to launch my freelance career about 4 years ago. It's been the cornerstone of my "marketing" efforts; I'd say 90% of my business comes from there in one form or another.

A few things you can do to get the most out of the site:
(a) make sure your profile is complete. Check out profiles from high-ranking translators in your pair to see what kind of info you need to include. Upload some samples, and if you can get any good "pull quotes" from your previous translation work to include in the freeform section of your profile, I think that helps convince potential clients that you're not just making things up. I also post my base rates for all to see. That way, any client reviewing my profile can quickly see whether or not I'm in their budget.
(b) Your background sounds good, but make sure you format your CV as someone who is offering a service, rather than looking for a job. I indicate my services, rates, typical volume, and general and specific specializations on the first page of my translation CV. All the specifics of my employment history go on the second page.
(c) participate actively on the terminology boards ("Kudoz"). Until you start getting real work, this is a really, really good use of your time. Paid members are listed first in the translator directory, and then they are ordered BY KUDOZ POINTS. The more you successfully play the "Kudoz game" the higher you will be ranked in directory searches. I answered Kudoz in my free time just for fun before I even thought about becoming a freelance translator, and by the time I was ready to make the switch, I had several hundred points racked up. I eventually got that up to a few thousand, and now I just rest on my laurels :-).
(d) in addition to applying for specific job offers that are posted on the job board, peruse the blueboard and identify agencies that are likely to have a steady volume of work in your language pair--large agencies, located in China or areas with numerous Chinese immigrants, lots of favorable "LWA" entries from Chinese<>English translators--and apply directly (some agencies have online registration processes, with others you can just e-mail a CV along with a cover e-mail inquiry). If you send a direct e-mail, include a link to your proz.com profile.
(e) As you start working with outsourcers listed on Proz., try to get "Would Work with Again" (WWA) recommendations from anyone you work with. After you've worked for an agency, fill out a LWA for them (assuming the experience wasn't a disaster) and ask them to give you a WWA.
(f) If you feel like you have enough actual translation experience to apply to be a "Proz.com Certified Pro," by all means, do so.

I've been doing this for 4 years now, and I get several inquiries each week from new outsourcers and am turning down project offers all the time. The first couple years I had to chase work much more aggressively, but nowadays I sit back and wait for the work to come to me. To summarize, the proz-specific things that I believe have helped most in that regard are: (a) high directory ranking thanks to being a paid member with a few thousand Kudoz points; (b) lots of WWAs; (c) being a proz.com Certified Pro; (d) having a complete profile with lots of info.

Those are the proz.com specific things I can think of. Beyond that, obviously, any jobs you do get, make sure you have a clear understanding of the client's expectations, don't be afraid to ask questions, turn your work in ahead of schedule, proofread with utmost care, etc. There's a short e-book offered through the site (now available for free download) that I've recommended to others interested in learning more about freelancing. It's short and basic, but a good starting point.

Feel free to memail me--I could obviously talk about this for hours :-)
posted by drlith at 6:39 AM on July 24, 2011 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Wow, thank you so much, drlith! That was extremely helpful and I am glad I posted this question even if I get no other replies, because that was worth it. I may be contacting you; thanks again!
posted by bearette at 7:06 AM on July 24, 2011

This is actually a somewhat frequent question on the green - may be one reason why you're not getting many other replies (answer fatigue). Have you a done a search? You may find a lot of good advice out here already.
posted by war wrath of wraith at 8:03 AM on July 24, 2011

Response by poster: hmm, thanks for pointing that out, war... I guess I should have tried the google search! Nothing much turned up when I looked on askme.

I am however, still interested in more experiences with proz sepcifically.
posted by bearette at 8:53 AM on July 24, 2011

Hi bearette --

I'm also a freelance Chinese-English translator. I opened an account on ProZ a while back, but haven't ever got anything from them except spam. Friends who've used the service more than me say that there's a lot of pressure to keep prices low (probably from either Chinese translation companies or from internationally based companies farming work out to Chinese grad students who will run things through Google Translate), so the work that does come there way is not always worth their while to do.

Me-mail me if you've got any questions about C-E translating -- I'd be more than happy to help out.
posted by bokane at 3:29 AM on August 31, 2011