Have you ever dreamed of a job where you could work from home, in your pyjamas, with the freedom to set your own schedule? I did, and that dream became my reality as a freelance translator. I'm a native Norwegian, and I translate texts from Swedish and English into my mother tongue, Norwegian.
Through my four years as a translator, I've worked for some of the biggest brands in the world in the movie, travel, and e-commerce industries. If you want to know how I started earning money by translating and how you can, too, read this blog post!
Psst: Already know you want to become a translator and don't want to read all the way to the end? Here's the link to the the free training I'm talking about in the end of the post.
This post contains affiliate links*
Before I tell you my story, let me tell you some basics about working as a translator:
The translation industry is one of the biggest industries in the world! Imagine all the products that are sold and marketed all over the globe every day, and how important translation is for international companies to reach every single market around the world.
Most translators translate from their second language into their native language, not vice versa!
You don't need a degree in translation to land a job with a professional translation agency. Still, you need excellent grammar skills in your native language, you have to be a good writer, and you need to be analytical and thorough.
Machine translation has existed in the industry for years, long before Chat GPT and similar services. However, human translators will still be needed for many years to come. I am not afraid of losing my job anytime soon.
Earning money by translating: A flexible career
For someone like me, who's dealt with health issues ever since being a teenager, finding a career that offered both flexibility and creativity was like hitting the jackpot. Before I quit my part-time retail job right before the pandemic broke out, I dreamed of being a freelancer who worked from home.
My translation career has allowed me to take care of myself while still pursuing my passion for languages and communication. Working part-time is no issue; I've also combined it with other freelancing gigs. Right now, translation is my bread and butter while I try to set up passive income streams, which I write about a lot on this blog.
The Translator Academy
My journey into freelance translation didn't happen overnight. It started with a small step — signing up for a free e-book that promised insights into the world of freelance translation. Little did I know that this small step soon would lead towards a fulfilling part-time career, perfect for my health situation. This free e-book doesn't exist anymore; now, they offer a free webinar instead, which I recommend to sign up for if you want to learn more.
This webinar offers a lot of knowledge about the industry. It's not one of those webinars which only markets a paid program (oh, how I hate those!). You'll learn a lot! However, they do have a paid program as well, which I decided to purchase down the line, as I was hungry for more knowledge and really wanted to quit my job and find a new career path.
Gathering information
I followed the (paid) course meticulously and took notes from every lesson, but I still had a lot of self-doubt. It took me over a year from signing up for the course to actually start taking action. I struggled so much in my day job that I decided to resign without any plan B. And since I had no idea what to do next, I decided that I might as well start following my dreams and take a leap towards a job I actually enjoyed! I put my negative thoughts aside and decided to follow the recipe I had learned in the course, which worked!
Not long after, I landed my dream client, the one I dreamed of working for a few years down the line after gaining some experience. But an agency that works for this client actually contacted me after seeing my translator profile on a professional translation network. I passed their translation test and started getting regular jobs from them, and I've worked for this client for three years now.
What you can and can't do without a degree in translation
In total, I work for three different agencies. Project managers from one of them consistently reach out to me weekly, while the two others I only work for now and then. I mainly do marketing translations, but in different sectors. Even though you don't need a degree in translation to get work, you can't do all types of jobs. Some jobs, like for example law, medicine and official documents usually requires a sworn translator.
But! If you dream of doing commercial translation (think websites, product descriptions, marketing campaigns, or email newsletters for big international brands) or subtitling movies and series, you don't need a degree to do so. You do, however, need to be good at translation and prove this by doing well on the agency's tests.
That's how I got started! It wasn't always easy, and my income varies from month to month, but it has given me the freedom to craft a career on my own terms, despite life's curveballs. And as I continue to navigate this ever-changing landscape, I'm grateful for the opportunities it's brought my way.
For example, after joining The Translator Academy's course and then signing up for their monthly membership (for established translators), I actually got a chance to join their team and worked for them for eight months in 2022. As a freelancer, I have often experienced that you never know where your next job comes from. Taking a step in one direction can lead you to so many new opportunities.
Since my blog is centred around design and passive income, not translation, I recommend signing up for The Translator Academy's free training if you want to learn more about getting started in the translation industry. Inger Lise, the head teacher, has worked as a translator since 2004. She even ran her own agency with over 40 clients from all over the world! It's very valuable to learn from someone with her extensive experience, and from both sides of the table: as a translator, but also as a project manager!
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