People consider freelance translating as the most competitive field because there are countless professionals qualified with different language skills. Besides, the rising profiles of freelancers and establishments of agencies have also made it challenging for the professional and experienced freelance translators to find new clients. It also becomes tough to charge more as clients always have thousands of other freelancers in front of them waiting to get hired.
However, some companies and agencies prefer a well-qualified and experienced freelance translator with a decent rate over an inexperienced translator at a low rate. This factor makes the situation a little bit easier for qualified and skilled freelance translators. Besides, you can check Dormzi for freelance translator jobs as several clients are looking for professional translators.
If you are unaware of the qualities that the reputed companies look for, then you should definitely go through these seven qualities that every freelance translator should have.
- Good command over the source language:
As a freelance translator, you must be fluent in the source language. If you don’t have native skills in the source language, you might miss out on some of the essential things present in the source text. Hence, understanding the source language is of utmost importance, which the clients look for in the freelance translator.
- A native translator:
A native translator has an in-depth understanding of the cultural nuances that play a vital role in the translation process. Moreover, he has the ability to understand and properly handle the differences in the dialect and slangs. Hence, any good client would look for a freelance translator with proficiency in native languages as the translated piece will sound natural and accurate.
- Experience and niche:
The client would choose freelance translators based on their experience with a number of years, the fields in which they have worked, and the nature of their expertise in those fields. Apart from these qualities, a client would also look for other experiences in related fields. For example, if you are a legal translator and have few years of experience working as a law clerk, then there are better chances that the client will hire you over some other translator with no such related experience.
- Availability:
Most clients will give work to the freelance translator and decide from their first work whether to keep them on future work lists or to remove them. Thus, you must try to be available as much as possible for the clients whenever they contact you for the job. It is natural that sometimes you might be tied up with other clients, but you can always try to convince them that you will take up the job as soon as you can or ask them to extend the deadline.
Most clients will agree with you if they want the job to be done only by you. It is essential to have this communication because if you say no to them, they will look for someone else and think that you are not interested in working with them.
- Certifications in target languages:
Every freelance translator must have the right qualifications as it helps to attract clients. Most clients indeed look at the qualifications and certifications of the freelancers before hiring them. These qualifications can be relevant to your target language or area of specialization. Besides, there are several jobs in the field of translation that require compulsory certifications. Thus, as a freelance translator, you must get the certificate by a recognized authorization in your country and present your skills in a particular area of specialization. The clients will probably give you more preference over the ones who are experienced but lack certification.
- Good quality work:
Apart from the certification, clients also look for consistency in delivering quality work from freelance translators. So if you are willing to research thoroughly and use the CAT tool adequately to create and use glossaries for translation, you will be able to generate quality work. Through these efforts and determination, any client would feel interested in hiring you over other freelance translators.
- Ability to meet deadlines consistently:
Clients will consider you reliable for the work if you meet their deadlines consistently. In the freelance translation field, it is seen that any client prefers the freelancer translators who are reliable and responsible for the given work. Meeting the deadlines often creates a good impression on the clients rather than keeping them on hold or delaying the work.
As a freelance translator, you can develop this skill over time and try to manage your schedule to complete the work at the decided time. It will help you succeed easily in the market and make you open to different clients from the industry.
Conclusion:
If you lack any of these skills, make sure you work on them and impress the clients with your newly acquired qualities.