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What makes the Talent Club special
Freelance platform with international jobs for translators
Freelance translation jobs with high demands
Freelance translators who want to find a job or project can discover exciting projects from national and international companies on our freelancer portal. There are various tasks to choose from and to which you can be placed as a translator. With a meaningful profile, very good reviews and an excellent reputation, your chances of being hired as a freelance translator increase.
Fondness for language and diligence
Very good marks at school or perfect chatting in another language are not prerequisites for working as a translator. Rather, as a freelance translator you must have a fondness for languages and work with due diligence. Depending on the assignment or project, there is not only the requirement to transfer the texts from a source language into a target language word for word. Rather, metaphors, ambiguities and the intention of the author have to be reproduced in the new language. As a freelance translator, it is therefore important to know the culture and language history of the target country.
English, French or Spanish with high demand for translations
The companies on our freelancer platform want to be excellently positioned for the future and usually target the largest markets. With the languages English, French and Spanish there is the possibility to reach numerous countries in Europe, South and North America, Asia and Africa. The demand for international freelance translators with these language skills is particularly high, but because of this there is also a lot of competition among the freelance translators. With special language skills such as Russian, Chinese, Turkish or Greek you can stand out from the crowd and apply for advertised freelance jobs with higher chances.
CAT programs as support
In freelance translator jobs, programs and techniques are a valuable aid in everyday work. The frequently used office programs Word and Excel do not necessarily meet all the requirements of translators. CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) programs such as SDL Trados or Across can prove to be useful tools and knowledge of these is often expected by clients. They help freelancers to recognize and suggest words and sentence structures that have been translated previously. This enables you to work much more efficiently and you will achieve a faster translation time.
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The way to a successful freelance translator
Studies and further education for translators
Numerous freelancers underpin their range of freelance translations with a successfully completed degree or appropriate further training. The starting point is, at first somewhat surprisingly, the perfect use of one’s own mother tongue. After all, it is usually the case that texts are translated into the mother tongue. In many freelance projects, the reverse is also possible without any problems if excellent knowledge in a foreign language is acquired. The translational competence acquired during a course of study also includes the culture and history of the respective country. The cultural and historical knowledge helps to translate the present texts in such a way that a reader will never notice that it is a translation.
Freelance Translations without official qualifications in great demand
Certified graduate translators can bring a great deal of know-how to bear on projects and assignments. This is usually associated with very high prices for companies on freelancer platforms. For many companies, these costs cannot be covered in the process of the internationalization of a website. In this context, applicants without official qualifications for the various languages have very good chances of getting a job as a translator. With very good references, basic knowledge and a feeling for languages, various projects can be realized with you as a career changer at moderate costs.
Certificates, examinations and sworn translations
In some specialist areas it is fundamental that freelance translator jobs may only be carried out with legal proof. Certificates, examinations and oaths are prerequisites for certain assignments in order to ensure legal certainty. If you have the chance to take part in corresponding further training with examinations, you should definitely make use of it. If you mark these on your profile, your chances of getting well-paid translation jobs will increase. In rare cases, companies are even prepared to finance further training or a certificate in connection with a job.
Create a profile with all language knowledge and skills
To save you the tedious acquisition process, it is worthwhile to create a profile on our freelancer platform. There you have the opportunity to present your language skills and abilities. The more extensive these are, the higher is the probability of finding an attractive job or project in the field of freelance translations. You can benefit from advertised projects or, alternatively, be contacted for placement on the basis of your attractive profile. Communication takes place via the portal, as well as through personal negotiations on the word price or hourly rate. On the basis of the recommendations you receive, you will be suggested for interesting job offers.
Subjects and fields of application for freelancer translations
- Technical translators: Most freelance translators can call themselves technical translators. They translate operating instructions, annual reports, advertising brochures, scientific articles and other special texts into the target language.
- Software localization: This activity includes translations of computer program user interfaces, online help systems or manuals. For example, the operation of electronic devices for buyers or users is described.
- Translation of documents: In this case, sworn or authorized freelance translators can be commissioned. They are not only responsible for the translation, but also vouch for the accuracy and completeness of translations.
- Literary translation: Fiction, non-fiction, comics, theatre plays, radio plays and films are made accessible to a new audience by freelance translators.
- Subtitling: A special field of expertise in translations is provided by subtitlers who are responsible for texts in films or in theaters. They are often also used as simultaneous stenographers or for special shorthand software for readable texts for the hearing impaired.
- Conference translation: Simultaneous translators face the biggest challenge. They have to simultaneously capture the current events of a conference and translate them for the participants. Conference translation is considered the supreme discipline.
Specializations and communication in freelance translation
Become an expert in one or more specialist areas
Simply knowing the language is often not enough. Most freelance translators choose to work in one to three specialist areas in which they acquire the relevant specialist knowledge. Literary translators transfer books and poetic texts into a target language, trying to transfer moods, metaphors and the special characteristics into the translation. When translating software or manuals, this is of course not necessary. Here a clear and comprehensible approach is necessary. As an expert in a specialist field, the chances of a freelance job increase.
Communication as an important instrument
Good communication is not only desirable for conference interpreters. Rather, a lively exchange with your customers is always important. You should by no means be afraid to contact the client in case of possible misunderstandings or problems with the content. In this way you avoid mistakes in advance and some terms are used exclusively in that company. They do not have to be generally valid and cannot be understood by you at all.
Realistic time planning as a basis for international freelance translator jobs
Time planning in translation jobs is always a delicate issue between freelancer and client. The company wants to push ahead with its planning and be able to access the translations as quickly as possible. However, this increased pressure should not be included in your time planning. Rather, realistic time planning is the perfect basis for a good collaboration. You have the opportunity to produce high-quality translations and the client is given a time frame with which to plan. Overhastily accepting demands can later affect your reputation due to a lack of quality.
Negotiate fees and earnings for assignments fairly
Earnings are an important aspect of working as a freelance translator. You have various options to get paid for your work. A classic option is payment per word, which is very transparent and easy to understand. Alternatively, you can negotiate an hourly rate, where you should present a time statement and calculation to the customer in advance. Freelance translators often also agree on a flat rate and the time of delivery. In this way, you can freely manage your time and only have to adhere to the general conditions specified by the client.
Earning opportunities on international freelance translator jobs
- The average hourly rate for translations by a certified interpreter is between 60 and 80 euros. Hourly rates for beginners are lower.
- The price per word can vary considerably. Relatively simple translations are done by freelancers from 5 cents per word. Very complicated and technical work is charged at up to 25 cents.
- When working with flat rates, the quality, the scope and the time frame are important. All these aspects must be included in the offer.
- There is also the option of a proofreading service. Quite a few companies want to commission a proofreading service for quality assurance. The payment varies, especially with regard to text length and technical terms.
National and international translation jobs in Germany, Europe and worldwide
Freelance translators in Germany
Most freelance translators work remotely in a home office. Nevertheless, there is a high demand for native English translators in the major cities of Germany. Many international companies are based in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg or Stuttgart and are looking for very good translators. Since local work is often required, you can focus your search for a job in these cities.
International translators in Europe and worldwide
Your language skills can take you all over Europe or be interesting for worldwide assignments. In this case “Native English” is often sought as the target language. It would therefore be possible that you work for companies in Australia, Africa, Asia or Europe in order to translate a text into English for them.
Language combinations for freelance translator jobs
These languages are very often sought after in this context:
- German-English / English-German
- German-French / French-German
- German-Spanish / Spanish-German
- German-Portuguese / Portuguese-German
- German-Italian / Italian-German
- German-Russian / Russian-German
- German-Dutch / Dutch-German
- German-Polish / Polish-German
- German-Swedish / Swedish-German
- German-Chinese / Chinese-German
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Find freelance translation jobs online
By registering on our freelancer portal you have the opportunity to find interesting and varied international freelance translator jobs. Companies from Germany, Europe and all over the world place interesting assignments and projects with great demand for well-trained translators. With a profile with us, we can place you directly with these companies and offer you good payment. Do not miss this opportunity!
FAQ
How can I find well-paid international jobs as a translator?
By registering on our portal you increase your chances of finding an attractive job. We offer interesting assignments and projects of our partner companies to freelance translators.
Which languages are particularly in demand for freelance translations?
For English, French and Spanish there is a high demand for freelance translations. If you have exceptional and rare language skills, you have a good chance of finding a job as a translator due to low competition.
As a career changer, do I have a chance of getting a job?
Studying or training as a translator is an advantage in many fields. These freelancers, however, have a higher price than those who are career changers. If you have extensive and wide-ranging knowledge of a language, you have very good chances of getting a freelance translator job without official qualifications.
Are certificates and sworn statements required for a freelance translator job?
There are assignments and projects for which the translators must legally vouch for the correctness and completeness of their work. Only sworn or authorized freelance translators are considered for these jobs. Otherwise, there are hardly any restrictions for jobs as a translator.
Which companies are looking for freelance translators?
There are no restrictions in this respect. Frequently, it is companies from the advertising and media industry, but also numerous shop operators and companies that want to position themselves better on the international stage are possible clients.
Where is a high demand for translations in Germany?
In the major German cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Munich or Stuttgart, there is increased demand. Numerous international companies are based here, which communicate worldwide. In most cases, however, translators do not have to be on site, but can do the jobs remotely.
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