Turn your passion and language expertise into a thriving online business. This post is written by a professional translator with nearly two decades of experience. He will discuss practical strategies for starting, growing, and nurturing your translation business online. Start your online business doing what you love with these steps to starting an online translation business.
Peter wrote this post in his own words, based on his life experience as a translator.
There has never been a better time for translators than now, as today’s rapidly changing world presents endless opportunities to capitalize on exceptional language skills. And that is in spite of all the current technological disruption with AI and such. Translation has undergone significant transformations throughout history like any profession that gradually evolved. What was once an exclusive job performed by a few monks and philosophers in temples and monasteries and later by a modicum of scholars in courts and universities has gradually transformed into a job that is performed by a plethora of language professionals and experts either as part of a group or independently in the recent half a century or so.
Today, over 640,000 professionals worldwide work as translators—more than at any other point in history, representing about 0.008% of the world’s population, with numbers growing. While the core role of translators remained consistent, this growth is driven by revolutions in technology and shifting social, economic, and educational dynamics, which made this once-exclusive role much more widely accessible, especially within the last decade or two.
Modern education significantly lowered the entry barrier into the field. Personal computers, the internet, and ever-improving CAT tools transformed how we work. Easier access to information through ever-more abundant digital repositories of knowledge, the emergence of AI, and the copious forms of social networks bring the world closer together and open a plethora of new opportunities for us as translators.
So, let us dive in.
Where to start?
The most successful translators, and this may come as a surprise, are not necessarily the best language experts. The most successful ones are those who can build the most perfect mosaic of everything required to succeed. No one thing will suffice if the sum is not on par. What do I mean by that? Here are the essential components you will need to work on to succeed:
- Having excellent language skills
- Marketing and branding
- Consistency and reliability
- General communication skills
- Networking and building relationships
- Effective financial and administrative skills
Those who are good at all of these will enjoy much greater success than those who specialize in either of these but neglect others.
Breakdown
- Excellent language skills
This one is foundational. No other part can compensate for the lack of strong proficiency in your languages. Be mindful that languages evolve. Thus, maintaining excellent language skills is an ongoing and never-ending process and is something to always be mindful of.
Marketing yourself: Translators who can market their skills are better positioned to attract clients, create visibility, and build a personal brand.
- Marketing and branding
As a translator in any language, you surely know at least a few prominent translators by name. Those whose name is synonymous with top cat translator? The one you look up to? Well, I guarantee their success is not solely due to their linguistic proficiency alone.
Understand that, as a translator, you are selling your work as well as yourself. Your personality, your attitude… The translators who stand out from the crowd know how to do exactly that and know how to connect this seamlessly. I mean, if nobody knows of you, then how can anyone find you and do business with you? So, your goal is to make yourself known for all the right reasons.
How? Again, by building a smaller mosaic. Here are just a few things you should be doing.
- Create a clear brand message that defines what sets you apart. Is it your insane linguistic proficiency in an obscure language pair? Is it your bilingual niche expertise in quantum physics? Are you capable of lightning-fast yet high-quality translations? Lean into your strengths and communicate them clearly.
- Create and foster a professional online presence. Build a website with your services, testimonials, portfolio, and qualifications. Make sure to include a compelling biography. Get listed on freelance platforms such as Proz. Join as many translation networks and specialized forums as you can. Do not neglect smaller and exclusive translation groups on social media.
And then consistently engage with the community through these networks and forums. This will help build your profile and make you known. Keep in mind, however, that whatever you tie to your name in any official capacity will reflect upon your skills – this includes any and all websites and official posts. Your posts should be a reflection of you!
- Remember that direct and personalized marketing are your friends. First, identify your target audience. Then, tailor your offers to their needs and make sure to demonstrate how they will benefit from your expertise and services as your clients. Make sure the focus is on them and not you and what they have to gain from hiring you.
- Build and grow your reputation and make yourself known within the communities you interact with.
- Marketing and branding are closely intertwined with networking. Thus, make sure your networking is on point.
- Be authentic! That is paramount. Your brand must represent who you are. Misrepresentation will cause harm to your reputation.
The penultimate goal of marketing and branding is to create your reputation. Your reputation is critical in this business. Once tarnished, it is nearly impossible to rebuild.
- Consistency and reliability
Consistency in quality and reliability in delivering on time builds trust with clients and creates customer satisfaction. That leads to repeat business and referrals, as well as a healthy professional relationship.
Furthermore, do not underestimate the importance of translation tools designed to ensure consistency and reliability, such as translation tools like Trados or MemoQ or other project management software. Those can and will save you time, money, and nerves.
- General communication skills
Never neglect communication skills – it is what will allow you to excel in any situation, not just your professional capacity. Using clear communication, being responsive, accepting and giving feedback, having a professional demeanour, etc, have an impact on long-term success. It is also what many, ironically, do neglect.
Understand that clear communication is essential for building and maintaining strong relationships, regardless of whether we are talking about networks, groups, or clients. If communication is your weak point, there is a plethora of resources available that can help you overcome this disadvantage.
- Networking and building relationships
Marketing will help you reach clients. Branding will put you on the map. Networking will open up the world for you. Connections are about as important as linguistic proficiency. That is what will allow you to stay in the proverbial game. Not only that, it is *the* key to building a strong reputation. This will lead to your being referred in the future, thus opening business avenues you may not even imagine at this point.
The four simplest places where to start are freelancing platforms, business platforms designed for networking, specialized translation associations, and specialized social media groups.
The most widespread freelancing platforms are ProZ, Fiverr, and Upwork. While only ProZ is specifically designed for translators, they each offer ample opportunities to meet potential clients. Each has its own perks and tricks to maximize your impact on the page. Each requires a personalized and individual approach. For instance, ProZ allows its members to be certified, which significantly boosts your credibility on that page and can lead to additional clients.
Business platforms designed for networking include sites like LinkedIn, Shapr, Xing, etc. These are platforms designed for direct outreach – one of the most effective methods of gaining new clients.
Joining translator associations and being a member, such as the International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters (IAPTI), can open many new doors. To networking events, conferences, webinars, workshops, and job boards. These associations often have dedicated directories where potential clients can find and get in touch with or straight-up hire qualified translators.
Small groups and communities for translators on social networks are true hidden gems, such as LinkedIn groups, Reddit forums, or dedicated Facebook groups. They are perfect places for asking and answering questions, engaging in discussions, showcasing your expertise, building your credibility, expanding your network, and growing your brand both passively and actively. They are often places where many clients either directly search for potential translators or post job offers, looking for specialized or experienced translators.
You should treat creating a profile on these pages as part of building your online presence. Successful networking will have a significant impact on your bottom line, but it will not happen if you fail to interact with your communities. If you do, you will stay present. You will stay in the game. You will stay relevant. And people will refer you.
Remember, out of sight, out of mind.
- Effective financial and administrative skills
This part is the most boring, but it is essential. Translation work is but a part of a translation business. You must not neglect the administrative side of things, especially when working online. Invoicing, taxes, international taxes, long-term financial planning, and assets management… are but a few aspects often neglected. Your goal is not to be a translator. Your goal is to strengthen and manage your career long-term. Thus, staying on top of your red tape is vital. Luckily, the skills necessary to be a good translator encompass all required to find all the help you might need in order to educate yourself when it comes to financial responsibility and administrative requirements.
To sum up, a successful business as an online translator hinges on more than just linguistic excellence and prowess. Delivering outstanding translations is but one step of the journey. It continues with a well-rounded blend of effective communication, consistency, productive networking, responsible financial management, marketing, personal branding, and engagement. In turn, this will result in you building a strong reputation and will create the basis for a lasting, multi-faceted professional career. Always keep in mind that being a successful translator is not just about producing excellent translations but about thriving in life while being an excellent translator!
Of course, this is but a basic guide on how to start. And you will encounter many obstacles along the way, as is the case with any journey. However, remember that any journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step.
Now, take these insights and start building your path to success in the translation industry! Go through some more translation posts no matter where you are on your translating career journey:
Thinking about becoming a translator?
Why or Why Not to Become a Translator
Already Working as a Translator?
Why Not to Use Shortcuts Translating Online
Which Translation Software to Use- Which CATs are Awesome
Tips to Successfully Translate Online
Becoming a great translator will require networking, so take the Networking is Your Shortcut to Success Course to get a headstart on networking the right way for partners, clients, and all the people you need to create, grow, and maintain your business. The course is just an hour and a half long and provides an eBook.
Use the Business Tools Page to find the right tools to start and run your business.
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