Life as a Freelance Translator

Life as a Freelance Translator

Thinking about becoming a translator? Marek Nowak explains in a guest article about why he decided to become a translator and how it has influenced his life and how it might influence yours should this be a path you’re pursuing.

~Brian
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Almost every day I come across someone who asks me “what is it like being a translator?” I assume they expect a short and straightforward answer such as ‘great!’ or ‘terrible!’, but the honest truth is that the answer isn’t, and cannot be, that simple. There are just too many variables which need to be taken into account, too many different situations that I must face daily and too many rewards as well as challenges that I encounter.

I have been working for a London based translation agency Language Reach and its sister company Translation 24 for many years now and can honestly say that I made the right decision in doing so. Although there are days that I drink unhealthy amounts of coffee to stay awake finishing work, being a translator has become a part of my everyday life so it’s very hard to imagine being in another career.

Why a career in translation?

I chose this profession for the simple fact that I have always been madly in love with languages, different cultures and countries. Learning a new language allows me to communicate, gives me a unique outlook towards and understanding of a country’s culture and further helps me to appreciate things that I would never notice as a monolingual speaker. My native language is Polish, but I also speak English, French and (I’d like to think anyway) Thai.

My career plans have always involved languages which is why my initial plan was to teach English in Asia. Long story short, that plan never worked out, and so becoming a translator seemed like the next, natural step for me.

There’s more to being a translator than just being bilingual!

The very first thing you should know about becoming a translator is that speaking another language, even fluently, doesn’t make you one automatically.

I personally would like to think it’s more than that anyway! I’ve graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in teaching languages, worked as a translator for almost 8 years, completed official courses for translators, still spend hours every week studying, translating and exploring languages and I always find myself learning something new with each project that I undertake.

One thing is for sure; the conclusive love I have for languages and different cultures definitely makes things much easier. I cannot imagine working in this industry without the willingness to learn or without being eager to undertake another project. And although I have been working as a translator for many years now, this enthusiasm doesn’t, thankfully, wear off!

A few words of advice…

Whether you’ve just started learning a new language or if you are thinking about a career in languages, I can advise you one thing from my personal experience; only become a translator if you truly enjoy languages! There is one very important word that floats around the industry and which is somewhat of a holy grail; quality.

When working as a freelance translator, the quality of your work will be something that can and will determine whether you will receive work or not.

Can you possibly imagine delivering a 6,000 word project, then proof-reading it only to be told that it is lacking in quality? Even if you did manage to deliver it on time, the quality of your work is so important, because without a high standard of you can seriously damage your reputation or the reputation of your company.

To give you a more familiar perspective; imagine a sales person working in a shop. Do you think the quality and standard of their customer service, friendliness or assistance will be of a high standard if they count down the minutes until they can leave work? I’m guessing not so much.

Drawbacks? What Drawbacks?

Being a translator, like any other job, certainly has plenty of rewards. While the good definitely outweighs the bad, there is no denying that challenges do come with working in the translation industry.

Some of the challenges that come with being a translator, such as the tight deadlines, unhappy customers or staying up all night finishing a project, would be a subject for a completely separate article, and because I’m trying to encourage and inspire future translators,  let’s leave those out for now. Every job has its downfalls and if you have a passion for languages then the drawbacks are minimal compared to the rewards.

After 8 years of working in the industry, I’ve established my position with the companies I work with. I get to choose to take on or decline various projects and I get to choose when and how I want to work.

Being your own boss is one of great rewards of being a freelance translator. No more 6 am alarms or being the last one to leave the office. Also, I’d be lying if I said that the satisfaction of completing a project or learning more about a language isn’t an advantage, because it certainly is.

One thing to keep in mind if you’re a language student thinking about becoming a professional translator is not to get discouraged after your first unhappy client or complaint. Especially at the beginning of your professional career it’s almost definite that sooner or later you will come across someone who, for whatever reason, isn’t completely happy with your work. It’s important to remember that although the person might not be entirely nice about it, you should always remain professional and rather than arguing over the project back and forth, admit your fault, make sure to correct it and most importantly of all; learn from your mistake!

Conclusion

Becoming a freelance translator isn’t for everyone.  I said it before and I’ll say it again; choosing to become a translator was possibly the most difficult – yet also turned out to be the best- decision of my life.

Perhaps it’s because the love for languages keeps me going, or maybe because I enjoy being my own boss, being able to work from home (and possibly any place in the world with internet access) on the projects that I choose.

One thing is for sure, if you love different cultures and languages, I’d encourage you to give it try! Perhaps just like me, in 8 years from now you’ll even be writing an article about how great the job really is and how you made the best decision in your life becoming a freelance translator.

 

About the Author:

Marek Nowak is a freelance translator and a true language lover working for London based agency Language Reach. As much as he loves languages, he also enjoys travelling and meeting new people from different countries and cultures. You can connect with Language Reach on Facebook and Twitter.

Apex-editor of Languages Around the Globe, collector of linguists, regaler of history, accidental emmigrant, serial dork and English language mercenary and solutions fabricator. Potentially a necromancer. All typos are my own.