Mastering multiple languages is perhaps one of the most important and sought-after skills in recent years, and with the increasing amount of content that needs to be translated into different languages, the field of translation has become a highly paid job, especially if the translator has experience in all kinds of translations.
If you are bilingual or multilingual and are interested in venturing into the world of translation to generate extra income, we want to show you where you can start or what you need to know to turn translations into your ideal extra work, with it you can get enough money to save and invest smartly in the future.
Here’s how to become an online freelance translator!
- Languages and skills
- Translation types
- Offering your translation services
- Time and schedule as an online translator
- Long term profit expectations
Languages and skills
Although knowing two or more languages is an important and admirable skill, you need to know that to become an online translator you will need other types of skills in addition to knowing a specific language. To do this it is not entirely necessary that you have developed a university career as an interpreter or translator, but there are certain elements that you must take into account before starting this path.
Written translations involve much more than just knowing how to exchange a term for its equivalent in the chosen language, it is about knowing how to adapt the message to the syntax and semantics of the language to be translated, it is a work of interpretation and adaptation so that the translation is truly effective and manages to convey the correct idea of the original text.
On the other hand, depending on the type of translation you wish to perform, you will need deeper comprehension skills, especially when performing legal or medical translations, which involve adapting not only the message of the text, but the tone of the document. So, it is a delicate job and it must be done with the greatest responsibility and skill.
Translation types
There are currently various types of online translation job proposals, which employers offer and seek urgently. These are some of the most common on online freelance job pages.
Simple texts
Simple text translations usually involve the adaptation of texts for website landings, social media posts, blog posts, product promotional texts, and many more. These translations do not require too much skill on the part of the translator, but a general knowledge of the language to be translated and a good ability for syntactic adaptation.
Scripts for TV or movies
Nowadays, the film and television industry rely on the help of dubbing networks to adapt its content to other languages, and reach greater audiences through dubbing in foreign languages. For this reason, dubbing networks seek the support of translators who are able to translate the original scripts of movies or TV series into dubbing scripts for their voice actors. This also applies to the creation of translated subtitles for the same purpose.
Translating scripts for television or films involves a little more skill on the part of the translator, since he or she needs not only to adapt the syntax and convey the message, but also to carefully follow the rules of the neutral language and the handling of other expressions of the actors.
Editorials
Editorial translation remains a fairly popular field, and in recent years it has become more apparent on online platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr or BabelCube. Editorial translation consists of translating books of any kind, whether novels, stories, essay books or autobiographies. This type of translation requires a lot of skill depending on the type of book to be translated, but in addition to the adaptation of the message, the translator must also know how to imitate the tone and the distinctive mark of the author’s narrative.
Legal or medical translation
Legal and medical translations are very specific types of translation, but surprisingly they are in high demand on online platforms, these are usually used for migration processes or medical treatments that must be performed abroad, for this, people request translations of these documents on the extra work platforms.
Translators of legal or medical documents must have a knowledge of the area they intend to translate, so if you are a lawyer and bilingual, you will surely be able to perform this task as well as possible, and likewise, if you are a medical professional and also master another language, it will be easy for you to become a medical translator.
Simultaneous interpretation
Simultaneous interpreters are requested online to support during digital meetings with partners from different countries, or who speak different languages. With the recent global pandemic, digital business meetings have become important, so simultaneous interpreters can also provide their services through the web.
To be a simultaneous interpreter you require a certification, because it is a complicated discipline to perform, but if done in the right way, can generate extra income to the person who performs it. So, if you studied as an interpreter and want to earn extra money online, you can use this option.
Offering your translation services
Now that you know the different types of translation requests that are on the web, and you are sure of your skills as a translator to perform any of these jobs, the best way to offer your services will be through freelance work platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr or Freelancer, on these websites you can create your worker profile, add your fields of experience and subsequently apply for the different job offers published by employers.
You should keep in mind that at first you may not be taken into account so quickly, but this is because you need to do enough work to generate credibility and recognition, this is achieved by working on different offers and improving your qualifications as a service provider. Once you get enough jobs on the platforms, you will surely have more work inflow and more visibility.
Time and schedule as an online translator
If you have thought of having an extra job as an online translator, it is most likely that you have a full time job to which you must respond on a regular schedule, at least five days a week. And although it seems a little complicated to maneuver two jobs at once, it is totally possible and everything will depend on the organization that you can create so that everything fits into your schedule.
What you should consider is how many hours per week you can devote to this work, whether on weekdays or weekends, usually freelance online translators work an average of 15 to 20 hours per week, allowing them to complete projects without affecting their regular job.
However, you must take into account your free time to share with your loved ones, remember that it is always necessary to rest to have motivation and improve your concentration when working.
Long term profit expectations
Online freelance translators can earn good extra income if they work consistently and apply to different projects across multiple web platforms. On average an online translator can make annual profits of $50,000 to $80,000, this is governed by the type of translation they do, how many projects they can carry out in their working hours, and what fee applies to their services.
Online translators organize how they want to make their profits, so they can determine a fee per working hours or per translated words, ranging from $0.10 to $0.90 per word. It all depends on the type of project and the employer. This means that you will be able to adjust your own rates to get the earnings you need taking into account your working hours, the level of difficulty and your specialization in the type of translation.
Are you ready to apply as an online translator?
If you are interested in other options for extra jobs where you can earn extra income to invest, we invite you to check out our articles.
Get your ideal extra job and improve your quality of life with extra income!