Working as a translator is not easy.  Other than the basic language skills you need to have, there are many things to look out for to make this a reasonable means of living.

1. Knowledge
There are so many different domains and areas that a translator can work in. Language skills alone will not help the you navigate all the technical and specialized language of any domain. Even if you are a specialist in a particular domain, there are always new developments, new technologies, new paradigms and new phrases that you need to keep up with.

2. Variants
I work only on English and Chinese texts. Both have many variants and as languages that are widely used in the Internet, there are many new phrases for which an equivalent that is just as sexy and succinct is hard to find. Take for example, “邪魅狷狂”，4 sexy characters, can anybody translate this with four equally compelling English words? Ping me if you can.:)

3. Finding projects
A competitive language pair like English-Chinese means that some efforts are required for any individual to stand out. Luckily, although this language pair is competitive, there is so much materials to be translated for this language pair means that it is still possible to make a decent living.

If you are new, make sure you are registered on the various key translators databases for a start. I have yet to pay any money for any registration or extra services, so do check out before you make any payment.  These are really helpful in finding available jobs or just learn from others (on which are the better agencies, market rates, how to translate certain phrases etc). The common ones are:

TranslatorsCafe
TranslationDirectory
ProZ

Another is to cold call the various agencies. But do check the agencies before you contact them whether they work on the language pair you offer and most importantly, was any translator “bullied” by them?

I also checked out job boards regularly for organizations who are looking to hire translators and may sometimes approach them for possible collaborations and if they will consider hiring a freelance translator like myself.

4. Agencies
Working with agencies means that

• You don’t need to deal with end customers;
• Jobs are more regular;
• Support is better as there is a workflow where your will be supported by a proofreader and/or an editor. This is the best part for me as I really learn a lot and I believe my work has improved a lot because of all these support.

That said, working with agencies means that they take a cut for providing that extra support and servicing the clients. Most agencies I have worked with are decent folks who pay when they say they will. For any new agency, I will try to check the following site- Translation Ethics – and Linkedin.  Please do not just simply review the comments on the various translation portals like ProZ, I found out that many agencies who offer indecent low rates are listed on ProZ blueboard.

There are also a few simple things I realized (after having been “taught” unceremoniously by several rogue agencies) and now try to adjust the ways I work and negotiate to avoid being taken advantage of:

• It’s okay to do a free sample test for them to gauge my work and competency but it should not exceed 400 words.  Anything beyond 800 words is suspicious, i.e. the agency may be getting free translations they will collect payment for without paying you.
• “Long-term” working relationship can mean they will give you one “peanut-size” project every few months.  Many agencies have used this to lower my rates per word/zh-character and now I am more skeptical.
• Payment terms have to be clear – who will pay for what charges and the relevant taxes. Whatever rates you quote, make sure that you earn enough to cover the fees charged by intermediaries and taxes.
• If your agency kept asking you to do “sample tests” for their clients, even if they do pay you for it (which is often a small amount anyway), be wary if there are no more projects for you from that same client.  I have worked with an agency who made me  work on all sample tests but when they won the tender, they did not pass me the main jobs from this customer and this involved one of the largest white goods manufacturer, they went on to pass the jobs to other translators.
• If the agency is only willing to pay you low rates but demands that you turnaround on weekends and in 24 hours, find other jobs.  They are not worth it, they are just exploiting you.
• If the proofreader the agency engaged to vet your work has a lower language competency than you, go work for someone else.  Chances are these agencies pay you very little money as well.  You will not gain much from working with these agencies who are so cheap that they can not get a proper proofreader.  It happened to me for one Indian agency, the proofreader who criticized my work did not even know what is subject-verb agreement.
• There are agencies who place you as a “digit” so that they can boast to prospective clients that they have “X” number of translators even though they never give you any work.

5. Recognition

Most people can name a few famous writers but translators?  Contrary to what many people think, some amount of creativity is involved in translating another person’s writing or idea.  It may not be original in the usual sense but it is not simply plug in the equivalent of individual words to convey the idea, a certain amount of creativity and talent is required to convey the message and mood accurately.

And not having recognition does not mean the work is not important.  Many studies have shown that people still prefer to receive information in their native language and they are more perceptive to information received in a language they are more familiar with.

Life as a freelance translator is not easy. There are no perks, no employee benefits, most agencies just see you as a contractor whom they can replace anytime – unless you are working in a rare language pair. When I started, I also don’t get to speak to anyone at all – all the communications, negotiations and payments are done via emails, skype and the Internet and things can be quite lonely socially. Of course, the Internet does offer one big advantage, that I am no longer constrained to working with agencies in my own home country although that may pose other issues like taxes and tax reporting but that can be overcome once you know what to expect. There is also no support when the agencies or customers choose to exploit you.

Lucky for me, I love languages and I love my work. I also have a curiosity about many things. I like it that I learn more about a subject, an organization, new expressions every time I work on a new project. And even luckier, I manage enough to keep myself going doing the things that I like.  After navigating all the little pitfalls here and there, this is still a worthwhile decent occupation.