Wow, hello blogworld! I sure have been neglecting this blog for the past year!

Life is busy and I continue to build my translation career! I have begun to see this as a lifelong project. After almost two years full-time as a professional freelance translator, I have learned a few things!

I recently heard from a new translator fresh out of school, who is looking for some advice on getting her career in gear. Here is the quick synopsis of almost everything I have learned since dipping my toes into the waters of the world of LSPs (Language Service Providers).

My big suggestion is to research, research, research: the market and the industry, best practices, and what other translators are saying; and then to choose a niche if you don't already have one (or start with general work and then flow towards a niche through time). 

The advice on making top dollar as a translator (assuming you are already competent) is: 

1. Know your own skills and limits

2. Choose a niche to specialize in

3. Know the market and your competition

4. Market, network, put yourself out there, and don't give up! 

5. Grab any opportunity for Continued Professional Development

6. And, my philosophy has been, take what you can get to start with and then keep making strategic choices on projects and opportunities to eventually get to where you want to be. i.e. I started with "AGENCY" at minimum .08 per word but now I mostly work for between 0.10 and 0.12; all my new clients that are agencies, I charge 0.12 to now as a minimum (I already have more work than I can handle at lower rates). So I am climbing up the fee scale but not within the same organization necessarily. For direct clients, rates of 0.20-0.25 per word are not beyond the pale, but you will have to pay your proofreader too, so take that into consideration. 

I myself feel I am about 1/3 of the way to where I want to be after almost 2 years of full-time translating. I still work mainly with "AGENCY"  in "large city in North America". Their rates are quite poor, but I have done probably over 500,000 words for them in just a year and a half. I have a steady income with them alone, and I have learned REAMS about the hidden aspects of translation. I honestly think it takes 5 full years to hit your professional stride, and I understand that now, and am happily continuing to move towards that goal. In 5 years, I hope to be working for min 0.15 all the time. This may or may not be realistic! There is lots of downward pressure on rates globally because people don't understand how qualified you have to be to do the work. 

When I pick a project, this is what I pay attention to: 

1. Type of text - article? Published legal opinion? Court records? (I do mostly legal). If it has a lot of citations of this and that article or excerpts of legislation, charge more because that is very time-consuming. Any time you see numbers, names, it takes longer to do correctly without errors. 

2. FORMATTING. Pain in the butt. I avoid jobs with tables etc, or I charge exorbitant rates so they will not place these jobs with me. You are better to work on a straight text job for .08 per word than a bunch of tables and financial reports at double that rate. By the same token, working off a PDF is less desirable than working into a txml (a CAT tool document). Work with the CAT tool goes faster and there is less chance of missing a segment of text. "Agency" requires that you use Wordfast, and I like it. It's a good tool. I wish I knew better how to get the most out of it. 

3. Deadline. I charge more if it's over 3K expected to be done in 24 hours. 

4. Project manager. Do they sound like an idiot? If so, their mistakes are going to cause your headaches. Takes a while to get a feel for this part. Many agencies hire kids fresh out of school to do this type of work. Which is fine. They have to learn too. But hopefully not at your expense. Watch for stupid requests and just say no. 

5. Is there a proofreader for the project? If not, any complaints will come straight back to you. You need to be more careful when you are working on your own. 

Proofreading: my normal rate of speed is 1500 words per hour (yours may be less or more...). If you are asked to do more, don't! It's not physically possible and they will blame you if the errors are not caught. I started proofing for $20 per hour (duh, they loved me) but now I charge $50 to not get stuck reworking the translation of some poor buffoon who does not know what they are doing and who is charging the agency .05 per word. ALWAYS charge per hour on proofing - you might find a large text done by several different translators so you will get badly burned when you get to the part done by the incompetent person if you have offered to do it for a flat rate. Never do proofing for a flat rate (unless it's like 300 words and then charge your min hourly rate for 15 minutes of work!) Accepting proofing jobs is a good way to learn terminology and lose the fear and trepidation of being new. (You will see that everyone makes mistakes. This is a simple fact. There should always be at least 2-3 layers of QC). 

Have a minimum hourly rate and don't work for less. 

For direct clients, you NEED someone else to tag-team with you and check your work. Never take a job with a direct client and do it all by yourself. The second layer of QC is indispensable, and it will cost you more to get another client than to outsource the proofing. 

Wow. Quick dissertation on almost everything I have learned in the past couple of years!! 

Obviously, there is a lot more to know. This is what I love the most about my job! I am constantly learning.