Poll: Early-career language professionals should focus mostly on ... Təhdid postu: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Early-career language professionals should focus mostly on ...".
View the poll results »
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1. Improving language proficiency
2. Learning to use translation tools/software
3. Marketing
4. Deciding on either developing knowledge in a range of subjects or specializing in a specific industry or field
5. Everything in between…
| | | | | ...should focus mostly on... | Jul 28 |
...other sources of income (e.g. becoming a language teacher, being married with a husband with an income sufficient for two persons, focus on a carrier as an interpreter or as a lecturer for future language professionals who better should focus mostly on (see above)...
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... realising they have a made a dreadful mistake, and finding another way to make a living.
There's nothing wrong with having it as part of an ongoing portfolio, of course, but I really don't see anyone in their 20s being able to make enough money solely from translating from now until retirement.
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Kevin Fulton 
United States
Local time: 20:23
German to English
They have to realize that they're business people, not artists, and that their business is translation.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belçika
Local time: 02:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
... building up experience through an inhouse position.
And after that:
1) accept as many translations from as many specialization areas as possible.
2) endless repeat.
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There is no one thing you need to be focussing on, you need to focus on all the things if you are going to be successful (if success is even possible any more).
Mostly my advice would be to go and do something with more of a future. Or at least, go and do something else for a while - this will help your translation and give you more options.
| | | | | Based on this site… | Jul 29 |
… losing the attitude.
Mind you, I was the same.
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Lieven Malaise
Belçika
Local time: 02:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Provided you've built up a few years of experience inhouse or by starting as a parttime translator (personal opinion: getting straight into the fulltime freelancing business is a terrible idea):
- Ignore these forums
It's a depressing place with advice all over the place, meaning it's mostly worthless for people who are looking for more or less clear answers.
Find your own way. I can only be happy that I didn't get involved with Proz earlier than 4 years ag... See more Provided you've built up a few years of experience inhouse or by starting as a parttime translator (personal opinion: getting straight into the fulltime freelancing business is a terrible idea):
- Ignore these forums
It's a depressing place with advice all over the place, meaning it's mostly worthless for people who are looking for more or less clear answers.
Find your own way. I can only be happy that I didn't get involved with Proz earlier than 4 years ago. If I would have read all this doom and gloom nonsense when I just started out, I would probably have shot myself.
Running a freelance business isn't rocket science: you establish an acceptable rate (use the internet, ask for quotes if you have to) and you start hitting agencies and direct clients at will through the proper channels with the proper, flawless communication (if you need any advice on this, go do something else). Then you deliver quality work again and again. Of course you also need commercial feeling, knowhing how low or how high you can set your rates, knowing how to properly communicate with people in a business environment, etcetera), but that's somehting you already have or never will have.
(Disclaimer: yes, I'm aware of the fact that I just gave advice while stating that any advice on these forums is more or less worthless 😂) ▲ Collapse
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Christopher Schröder wrote:
… losing the attitude.
Mind you, I was the same.
She's priceless. Masters in Basket Weaving but hasn't researched the likely revenue per basket, nor been taught, it now emerges, the tools almost every basketweaver uses, and doesn't know that in many markets, no-one uses baskets any more anyway.
| | | | Luis M. Sosa
Ekvador
Local time: 19:23
English to Spanish
+ ...
starters/younger members are reading this(these) poll(s).
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 19:23
English to Russian
+ ...
| If this is not cheerful, then I don't know what is | Jul 29 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Provided you've built up a few years of experience inhouse or by starting as a parttime translator (personal opinion: getting straight into the fulltime freelancing business is a terrible idea):
Hi Lieven,
So far we've been good pen pals on these pages and I hope it will stay that way:-). You must understand that just one quoted line had stricken out everything positive you've said and you just joined the crowd of "depressed and depressing", right?
The initial condition you've mentioned, which I have used to the fullest back in time nearly 30 years ago, is non-existent today, at least in the US. Definitely not for rookies. Neither do .12 and up to .18 from the start for a full computer word count without any CATs and funny matches. Mind the cost of living back then...
Colleagues here are desperately trying to explain to Alisha that she can't count on the translation income to pay her bills in the nearest future, unless... lucky strike is the first and foremost thing any freelancer needs! You've gotten yours, I've gotten mine but that was a long, long time ago. In a different century! I wish her the same.
But... lack of any hint of practical knowledge of the translation business tells a lot about the degree's worth. Lack of expert knowledge in any seriously money-making field makes it very dangerous for basic survival. This is unfortunate but not unusual, and this is exactly why people are trying to convince Alisha to get a real job in parallel with further efforts to establish herself as a freelancer. She needs to pay the bills but instead, which is quite scary to hear, she is thinking of putting even more money that she doesn't have into the bottomless pit. She should understand that she may not receive ANY decent offers in months and even years, like so many here on Proz and other platforms, regardless of any acronyms and degrees. With the first arrived job there will be no training, no slack for a rookie, no special treatment. Do or die within a due date, you claimed to be a professional, we believed you or else. University safe haven is over.
Will the optimists arrange for a collection? I don't think so. Alisha, I know that you never asked for something like that, don't take it literally, please.
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