Right, so you want to be a freelance translator. Do you know what are the biggest obstacles on your way? I definitely wouldn’t recommend to go into freelance translation (or any other freelance business), if:
You fear failure
You will be failing a lot, especially in your early days. There will be others getting projects, you will not hear from 999 agencies you send your CV to, you will make stupid mistakes in test translations. It is normal and acceptable, and I don’t know anyone who managed to avoid it. But you shouldn’t fear failure. Failure teaches you lessons you wouldn’t have learned if you succeeded. I would say that it’s not success that pushes us forward. It’s failure.
You have too much else going on in your life
Going freelance requires incredible amounts of energy and a huge commitment of time and money. Just imagine that you have to be your own director, line manager, finance department, marketing department, office staff AND a translator (I write a bit more on “drawbacks” of freelance translation in here . You have to add all that to your daily routine and duties, and if you have too many other responsibilities, you may limit your success before you’ve even begun.
You lack belief
“Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you are right” by Henry Ford. People going freelance for the first time in their life tend to find numerous “excuses” just to stay tied to their full-time job. But the lack of belief is something that is only in our minds, it doesn’t really reflect the reality. I know one translator with 20 years of experience who told me that she’s not experienced enough to go freelance. That’s probably the best example of where our lack of belief can take us.
You see being a freelancer as an easy way to live
If you want to go freelance because “you can be your own boss”, “work only these hours you want” and “go on holidays whenever you want”, well, you are wrong. Freelancing is even more engaging and time consuming than running your own business (because in business, you usually have at least one other brain and two extra hands).
You are inflexible and set in your ways
I don’t work on weekends, I don’t work in the evening, I never go to sleep after midnight, I always take at least 3 weeks of holidays, I would never work on Christmas Eve. Forget it all. As a freelancer, you will have to bind a lot of rules. I thought I will never do an all-nightie because of translation. I thought I will never accept a job for less than XX. I thought I will work only 4 hours a day. Good laugh.
You don’t know your market
We are in business. Before you even start, you should consider:
- Who your customers are
- What is the demand for your language pairs
- Who your competitors are
- How much your competitors price and what do they offer
- Why your customer would choose you over your competitors (USP)
If you won’t bother to check these out, you may end up having overpriced (or underpriced), mistargeted, dull offer that is easy to beat.
This list is not complete
Can you think of some other points to recommend to start-up freelance translators?
Marta Stelmaszak
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1 Comment
Hi, Marta,I would add to this list “you have poor financial management skills”. As a freelancer, you have to learn to use your money efficiently. I’ve met some translators who spend all the money as soon as they get it and they are soon disappointed with their career because they are always running out of money.
Nice article!
Luciana E. Lovatto