| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Being competitive without experience Thread poster: Quentin NEVEN
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 15:06
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
I am not sure your Uni diplomas will be relevant in any way in the freelance world, unfortunately (minus the tender scammers who just need your diploma for a tender application and nothing else). They may do something for in-house positions, I assume.
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Korana Lasić wrote:
So no one was going to tell OP that he's got two typos in the shortest of bios and why that is bad, especially for someone offering editing?
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
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Quentin NEVEN wrote:
Hi,
I officially started as a translator on January 1st.
I was super excited to start working in a way that fits me perfectly and I love translating!
However, I am becoming aware that this industry is facing some difficulty, with the rise of AI technology and all (some would even say it is dying)...
I have two university diplomas, I have some experience as a volunteer and I feel quite competent in my domains of expertise.
Nonetheless, I see how competitive Proz.com can be when I look at the quotes for a job I apply to. I don't think I stand a chance against someone with years of experience.
I went for a rate that is considered "standard" on Proz.com. I believe translators are language experts with excellent research skill and critical thinking. Many of us have spent years at univerisy to learn this craft. It seems unfair to accept very low rates for that kind of job.
What can I do to make my profile more competitive, without experience ?
Should I accept ridiculous rates to get some experience and then go back to the standard rate in one year or two ?
Hi Quentin,
I know this probably isn't what you want to hear - and others will probably disagree - but I would recommend getting some work experience behind you before you launch as a freelance. Translation has always been tough for people coming to it straight from university (which it looks like is the case for you), but developments like AI and PEMT have only made things worse. Many highly experienced professionals are questioning whether they have a future in translation and a lot have already left for other jobs. Life at the bottom end of the market is increasingly grim with translators seemingly earning well below minimum wage for their efforts (judging by the rates I know some are charging).
If you start your career in employment you are at least guaranteed certain rights and benefits and you will learn valuable skills while being paid by someone else. You will see how things work in the world of business in a way you won't slaving away in the back room of your house. And you can pick up specialist knowledge of whatever field you are working in, even in fairly humble roles.
Accepting ridiculous rates to get experience is a trap in my opinion and will harm your confidence in yourself, making it almost impossible to move up to higher rates and hard to find alternative employment.
Sorry if this is overly negative. I'm sure others will have different points of view to offer and I'd encourage you to take on board everyone's opinions and then make your own decision.
And good luck whatever you decide
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 15:06
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Agree with Rachel’s points, plus you’ll get social/work environment skills (in person) which you definitely need (for various reasons) as a young graduate.
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Quentin NEVEN wrote:
Should I accept ridiculous rates to get some experience and then go back to the standard rate in one year or two ?
I don’t see why not. People always say here you can’t raise your rates, but you can.
It also means that you’ll make your rookie errors for bottom-feeding agencies who won’t notice.
Then, as you get better, you can migrate to the better agencies.
This is a pretty well-worn path and should not be rejected out of hand.
| | | | | Yet you never heed that advice, Chris. | Jan 24 |
Christopher Schröder wrote: Korana Lasić wrote:
So no one was going to tell OP that he's got two typos in the shortest of bios and why that is bad, especially for someone offering editing?
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
You've already had a go at my linguistic prowess, Chris, and ended up looking like an amateur with very poor knowledge of linguistics. Taking your linguistic opinions seriously says a lot about the people who do, or rather, their professional skills.
| | | | Quentin NEVEN
Belgium
Local time: 15:06
Member (Jan 2024)
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Hello,
You are all making good points.
I made some typos, indeed. I have now corrected my bio. Thanks for pointing it out.
I believe I have what it takes to translate from French to English, but I simply forgot to have a second look at my text before sending it. Oh well, lesson learned!
I have acquired some experience as a worker, but in different fields, and it has not been very positive for me. That's why I wanted to be a freelance transla... See more Hello,
You are all making good points.
I made some typos, indeed. I have now corrected my bio. Thanks for pointing it out.
I believe I have what it takes to translate from French to English, but I simply forgot to have a second look at my text before sending it. Oh well, lesson learned!
I have acquired some experience as a worker, but in different fields, and it has not been very positive for me. That's why I wanted to be a freelance translator, although many things were at play here.
I would like to give this a serious chance. That being said, I do not know if I can last a whole year without some results, financially speaking.
Right now, I decided I would work on my brand by writing blog articles on my domains of expertise: video games, the audio-visual industry, and literature.
I also plan on creating a Youtube channel about the development of my tabletop RPG campaign in English. It's a game, after all, and it involves literature to some extent.
It does not involve translation per se, but at least it gives me some visibility in my domains.
I do not pretend I know everything; I am always open to suggestions!
I just have to start somewhere... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 15:06
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Hopefully it’s different in other language pairs, but audio-visual and related translations pay really bad in my language pair.
I am not even sure that audio engineers or video editors get a lot of high-paying work.
I don’t know what you did before, but something must have prompted you to take up and try freelance translation. The typical path I saw is that someone hears a success story about someone else making big bucks online translating. Now these success storie... See more Hopefully it’s different in other language pairs, but audio-visual and related translations pay really bad in my language pair.
I am not even sure that audio engineers or video editors get a lot of high-paying work.
I don’t know what you did before, but something must have prompted you to take up and try freelance translation. The typical path I saw is that someone hears a success story about someone else making big bucks online translating. Now these success stories should be revisited and put in the right context and interpreted the right way. ▲ Collapse
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| just some random points | Jan 24 |
Quentin NEVEN wrote:
Hello,
I have acquired some experience as a worker, but in different fields, and it has not been very positive for me. That's why I wanted to be a freelance translator, although many things were at play here.
I would like to give this a serious chance. That being said, I do not know if I can last a whole year without some results, financially speaking.
Right now, I decided I would work on my brand by writing blog articles on my domains of expertise: video games, the audio-visual industry, and literature.
I also plan on creating a Youtube channel about the development of my tabletop RPG campaign in English. It's a game, after all, and it involves literature to some extent.
It does not involve translation per se, but at least it gives me some visibility in my domains.
I'm sorry to hear that your experience in employment was not positive. It might be worth mentioning on your CV in any case, as even seemingly humble jobs can be relevant to working as a translator. Quite mundane knowledge can be useful in this field.
I think writing blog articles and creating Youtube content to gain visibility is a great idea. Get your name out there.
I would also recommend joining a translator's association and getting out and meeting other translators in person. Having a supportive community is extremely helpful if things get tough and can be a source of inspiration, information and sometimes even work offers. Network with potential clients too if you can. Get out and meet people.
I also think you could do with improving your ProZ profile (not that Proz should be your main marketing tool). All new translators say they love languages but - forgive my bluntness - no-one cares. Clients will want to see evidence of what you can do for them. I'd recommend reading a book or two about marketing and trying to come up with something more effective. If you have specialisms I would mention them in your bio as most people won't hunt around to find this information. Give solid, specific evidence of how you came by them if you can.
| | | | | It sounds like you have a plan! | Jan 24 |
Quentin NEVEN wrote:
Hello,
You are all making good points.
I made some typos, indeed. I have now corrected my bio. Thanks for pointing it out.
I believe I have what it takes to translate from French to English, but I simply forgot to have a second look at my text before sending it. Oh well, lesson learned!
I have acquired some experience as a worker, but in different fields, and it has not been very positive for me. That's why I wanted to be a freelance translator, although many things were at play here.
I would like to give this a serious chance. That being said, I do not know if I can last a whole year without some results, financially speaking.
Right now, I decided I would work on my brand by writing blog articles on my domains of expertise: video games, the audio-visual industry, and literature.
I also plan on creating a Youtube channel about the development of my tabletop RPG campaign in English. It's a game, after all, and it involves literature to some extent.
It does not involve translation per se, but at least it gives me some visibility in my domains.
I do not pretend I know everything; I am always open to suggestions!
I just have to start somewhere...
Always a good idea to diversify income. Hopefully you won't go an entire year without any results, but it will take at least that long to assess properly how you are doing as a freelance translator trough proz.com.
Never mind the people with personal frustrations directed at me — over me seeing right through them, my intention wasn't to shame you, but rather give you the necessary advice. At least the advice I saw as necessary. Especially since I find the whole shtick of having low expectations of a newcomer to the field insulting. Particularly whilst telling him to be a great translator and charge accordingly, it can prove to be confusing advice for a newbie.
I wish you the best of luck!
| | | | | Always know your status | Jan 25 |
Many in this (and other) gig-industries don't know their status because that's the only job they ever had, so always keep your status in mind:
a) You don't own a business (if you did, you'd be able to build equity and sell it in the future). You are "in business", but you don't own one.
b) This is not really a "career" (no promotions, no status elevation, nothing much to write in your resume).
c) You are a worker on contract. So, your No. 1 concern should b... See more Many in this (and other) gig-industries don't know their status because that's the only job they ever had, so always keep your status in mind:
a) You don't own a business (if you did, you'd be able to build equity and sell it in the future). You are "in business", but you don't own one.
b) This is not really a "career" (no promotions, no status elevation, nothing much to write in your resume).
c) You are a worker on contract. So, your No. 1 concern should be your rate, and your No. 2 concern should be how to move to a more mature status (a solid career or a real business) as quickly as you can.
The older ones, we lived through the golden days of this job, and it gave us the illusion that the high rates of the time would continue for a lot more than they actually did. We didn't expect MT to catch up so fast. At any rate, specialization is the most vulnerable route. MT loves specialization and learns very fast, because the text is highly standardized in specialized fields, and the terms and expressions are the same or very similar. Currently MT translates medical studies at a rate of accuracy about 80-90%. The only reason large pharma companies still send work to agencies and pay them lots of money for the full wordcount, is because they have a lot of money themselves and want some company to be responsible for the whole task (less headaches). But I have not seen even one medical/pharma study not being "Post-Machine-Editing" for years! (except some patents and legal disputes).
PS. The advice on diversifying income is good. Find more income sources, even better. The happiest translators nowadays, are those who have income from other sources as well.
[Edited at 2024-01-25 08:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jo Macdonald
Spain
Local time: 15:06
Italian to English
+ ...
| Change the way you're looking at this | Jan 25 |
Ask yourself
Why would this potential client I want to work with be interested in working with me?
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Just a quick counterbalance:
Lefteris Kritikakis wrote:
You don't own a business (if you did, you'd be able to build equity and sell it in the future). You are "in business", but you don't own one.
Yes, you do, and you can.
This is not really a "career" (no promotions, no status elevation, nothing much to write in your resume).
Yes, it is, and there is.
You are a worker on contract. So, your No. 1 concern should be your rate, and your No. 2 concern should be how to move to a more mature status (a solid career or a real business) as quickly as you can.
Not necessarily.
The older ones, we lived through the golden days of this job, and it gave us the illusion that the high rates of the time would continue for a lot more than they actually did.
They haven't ended for everyone. Change your clients and maybe you can change your mindset.
specialization is the most vulnerable route.
Says who?
Currently MT translates medical studies at a rate of accuracy about 80-90%.
Which is almost worthless.
I have not seen even one medical/pharma study not being "Post-Machine-Editing" for years! (except some patents and legal disputes).
I have. Yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that. Again, best change your clients
The happiest translators nowadays, are those who have income from other sources as well.
Says who?
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 15:06
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Lefteris Kritikakis wrote:
The happiest translators nowadays, are those who have income from other sources as well.
Why would you say such nonsense? Are you able to look in the heads and lives of the majority of translators?
All you seem to do is looking at your own situation and then projecting it to the rest of the translation field, which is extremely divers, full of people with totally different situations, expectations, work loads and abilities.
What is your authority to make all the vague claims you constantly make ? It's ridiculous.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 16:06
Member
English to Turkish
Lieven Malaise wrote: Lefteris Kritikakis wrote:
The happiest translators nowadays, are those who have income from other sources as well. Why would you say such nonsense? Are you able to look in the heads and lives of the majority of translators?
Maybe he's reading the daily column of a certain English translator who seems to be enjoying life to the fullest while getting a nice little earner from farming and lumberjacking?
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