Getting started as a freelance translator
What you'll learn
- How to get good clients and keep them happy
- The top web sites and translator directories to submit your profile to
- Online dictionaries, books, podcasts, and other resources
- Why you need a Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tool
- Invoicing, taxes, and other business topics
- How to set and raise the rates you charge clients
- How to get started in the lucrative field of patent translation
Requirements
- Excellent command of two languages (your native language and another language)
Description
The translation industry doubles in size every ten years, and demand for skilled translators continues to grow. In this course, I teach you how to get started as a location-independent freelance translator. I focus on freelance translation, but the information is also relevant to in-house translation jobs. I cover the basics of the freelance translation industry, including types of clients, lucrative specializations, and the future of translation as a career. Other topics include getting clients, keeping project managers happy, and essential dictionaries, books, Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools, and other resources.
Who this course is for:
- People with excellent command of two languages (their native language and another language) who want to establish a successful career as a location-independent freelance translator
Course content
6 lectures • 1hr 29minGetting Started as a Freelance Translator
- Preview06:12
- 28:38About Freelance Translation
- 19:41Marketing Yourself to Clients
- 17:17Setting Your Rates
- 08:34Keeping Your Project Manager Happy
- 08:09Patent Translation
3 lectures • 38minComputer-Aided Translation (CAT) Tools
4 lectures • 49minOther Essential Resources for Translators
1 lecture • 9minConclusion
Instructor
![John Fry](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 27 Reviews
- 2,071 Students
- 3 Courses
I've been working full-time as a professional Japanese-English translator since 2009, specializing in technical translations. I am a member of the American Translators Association (ATA) and the Japan Association of Translators (JAT). I earned a BA in Linguistics and Computer Science from UCLA, followed by a Ph.D. in Linguistics, with a minor in Computer Science, from Stanford University.