Bachelors degree in Spanish looking for online translation career advice
Thread poster: Samuel Hatcliff (X)
Samuel Hatcliff (X)
Samuel Hatcliff (X)
United States
Local time: 11:17
Spanish to English
Apr 29, 2020

Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice since my academic advisor hasn’t really been able to offer me much. I’m a senior in college who is about to graduate in 2 weeks with a degree in Modern Languages, with Spanish being my target language. I’m pretty fluent in Spanish, but still don’t talk like a native and probably never will.  So, I’d be translating from spanish to English. I’m extremely interested in the field of translation and want to eventually be able to make at least 4... See more
Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice since my academic advisor hasn’t really been able to offer me much. I’m a senior in college who is about to graduate in 2 weeks with a degree in Modern Languages, with Spanish being my target language. I’m pretty fluent in Spanish, but still don’t talk like a native and probably never will.  So, I’d be translating from spanish to English. I’m extremely interested in the field of translation and want to eventually be able to make at least 40,000 a year, hopefully higher. I’d like to be able to work online since my fiance lives in Costa Rica, and I would like to be able to live with her and take advantage of the language immersion as well as the cheaper cost of living down there. Here’s my main question... Is it realistically possible to find full time employment in the online marketplace given my current skill set/credentials? Or would you all recommend that I pursue some sort of higher education, whether it be through a MA or certification? (I’m not talking about ATA, I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but I’ve seen some online programs where they offer a handful of translation courses and call it a “certification”) Personally, it would be ideal for me to begin working as soon as possible. I’ve been in and out of school for a while and am about to get married, so I’d really love to just start working. However, if there’s no way that I could work my way up to at least 40,000k a year within a few years I’d definitely bite the bullet and pursue some sort of higher education. For that same reason, I’d prefer to just do a certificate, but if that sort of thing is not worth much and a MA is the most sensible option, that’s what I’ll go with. Basically, I’m very serious about having a career in this field, and will am willing to put in whatever effort is necessary to be able to support myself financially with this type of work. Honestly, I've been a bit overwhelmed by all the information I've found on the internet, and would love to hear from some people who actually know what they’re talking about that doesn't have some sort of conflict of interest. I feel like many are trying to sell things that are too good to be true. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read this. Any and all replies would be much appreciated. 

-Sam
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Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 00:17
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
. Apr 29, 2020

Is it realistically possible to find full time employment in the online marketplace given my current skill set/credentials?

Before somebody else comes to tell you off about the word employment, let's just say you should think about this as running a small business, rather than employment.

Or would you all recommend that I pursue some sort of higher education, whether it be through a MA or certification? (I’m not talking about ATA, I don't think I'm ready for that yet, but I’ve seen some online programs where they offer a handful of translation courses and call it a “certification”)

Do you think you need more education, or do you just need the piece of paper (or digital paper as it may be)?

If it's the former, look for an education.
If it's the latter, look for the cheapest, fastest program you can get that's still from a legitimate institution.

The MA can't hurt, but I don't know how much it will do for you in terms of actually making it. If you don't feel confident about your skills, then go for it.

However, if there’s no way that I could work my way up to at least 40,000k a year within a few years I’d definitely bite the bullet and pursue some sort of higher education.

There is nothing stopping you from doing both at the same time. I wish I started working in college.

I don't know anything about your translation skills, but you have a more pragmatic outlook than the average wide-eyed neophyte; at the very least, you don't look like a deluded dunce. If your practical skills are at least average, I give you a better than even chance to reach the goal that you set.


Dan Lucas
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Tea Komšić
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
@Samuel Apr 29, 2020

Samuel Hatcliff wrote:
Is it realistically possible to find full time employment in the online marketplace given my current skill set/credentials?


I agree with Lincoln -- the word "employment" is usually used for salaried positions, and it is highly unlikely that you will get a salaried position working online only, regardless of how high your academic qualifications are.

However, if you mean working as a freelance translator (with clients, some of whom translation agencies), then I think you have the same odds regardless of where you live.

Winning clients as a freelance translator means convincing them to use your services, and if you have a degree, you can mention that (a few clients find it important that translators have academic qualifications), but even if you don't have a degree, you may still be able to convince clients to use your services. A degree will help you in two ways: it will have given you useful knowledge about translation that other freelancers may need to learn through trial and error, and you can use it to impress clients who are impressed by such things as degrees.

Or would you all recommend that I pursue some sort of higher education, whether it be through a MA or certification?


Getting an MA will have zero effect on your chances of "making it" as a full-time freelance translator. Doing an online certification course will improve your skill at being a translator, but won't really help you to get more work.

Personally, it would be ideal for me to begin working as soon as possible.


Yes, you have to start as soon as possible. You will have very few clients and very little work in the first year or two of being a freelancer, and a lot of work that freelancers get is repeat business, so the sooner you start getting clients, the sooner you'll be able to stop working elsewhere (e.g. waiter, cleaner, etc.) and start doing translation work full-time.


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 16:17
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Some questions to consider Apr 29, 2020

You've had a great first response from Lincoln. I just want you to think about what's involved.

So, you're looking to set up your own business. For that to be a happy and successful experience, you'll need to be able to market your services and negotiate with clients on a B2B basis. It takes a certain maturity and a lot of self-confidence to stand up -- as a business partner -- to the PMs in the bigger agencies, who really want to have you work as a sweatshop employee minus the empl
... See more
You've had a great first response from Lincoln. I just want you to think about what's involved.

So, you're looking to set up your own business. For that to be a happy and successful experience, you'll need to be able to market your services and negotiate with clients on a B2B basis. It takes a certain maturity and a lot of self-confidence to stand up -- as a business partner -- to the PMs in the bigger agencies, who really want to have you work as a sweatshop employee minus the employment contract. Also, even though your business will be a tiny one, you'll need to handle all that's involved in running a legal enterprise that does business with clients at home and abroad and probably in various currencies: the book-keeping, preparing official accounts, taxation matters, invoicing, payment chasing, debt recovery, and a host of other things. If you just work for the big agencies through the online freelancer platforms that handle everything, you can avoid taking responsibility for nine-tenths of the above. But you'll never reach your target that way -- you'll just be a piecemeal worker getting through as many words as possible each day to survive. So my first question is: do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur and the skills to run a successful business? If you only lack the skills, many Chambers of Commerce run short courses that are cheap or even free. But acquiring the mindset can be more problematic and take years of exposure to the working world. Some people are simply unsuited.

I'm hoping you have some aces up your sleeve that you haven't shared. Some previous employment or in-depth knowledge of something other than Spanish? As I'm sure you're aware, Spanish and English are "pretty common" languages and many millions of people speak both extremely well. A good percentage have worked for many years using both languages. And translation seems like an interesting proposition to them too. So you have a vast -- a truly massive -- pool of competitors. But there's a massive need for translations too, so competition isn't by itself a killer. After all, you only need a couple of thousand words a day to survive, and that's just a tiny drop in the ocean. The problem is that many of those competitors just want to supplement a full-time wage, fill some retirement hours, or make a few bucks while stuck at home as a carer. Many others want to be full-time translators but have absolutely no aspirations of earning $40k p.a. They'll accept whatever gets them the job, so if you quote $0.06 per word, they'll quote $0.05, and so on. You absolutely must find ways to avoid direct competition with those listed above if you're to attain your goal. How will you do that? Why should a client pay you more? What is your USP? Do you have a niche market to target?

I agree with Lincoln that your pragmatic attitude is going to serve you well. This post is not meant to discourage you in your long-term plan. But I do wonder if you're ready for a career in translation at this moment. There are very many jobs out there that will earn you more money in the early years, and they'll provide you with maturity and the in-depth knowledge that comes from experience of a particular sector. For example, a job in an import/export company could use your languages to the full while acquainting you with all the jargon. That would vastly improve your chances of success as a translator later on.
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Josephine Cassar
Jorge Payan
 
Samuel Hatcliff (X)
Samuel Hatcliff (X)
United States
Local time: 11:17
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Finding a niche May 5, 2020

Thank you all for taking the time to write these detailed, thoughtful comments. It really is much appreciated.

So, my main take-aways from your responses are as follows… Let me know if I’m incorrect about any of this.

While getting a postgraduate degree in translation would likely provide me with sharper translation skills, since online freelance translation is a business and I as the translator am my own boss in search of clients, what’s most important is that
... See more
Thank you all for taking the time to write these detailed, thoughtful comments. It really is much appreciated.

So, my main take-aways from your responses are as follows… Let me know if I’m incorrect about any of this.

While getting a postgraduate degree in translation would likely provide me with sharper translation skills, since online freelance translation is a business and I as the translator am my own boss in search of clients, what’s most important is that I am able to occupy a niche that sets me apart from most other translators and gives clients a reason to seek out my services services. An additional degree may make me a better translator, but it’s not going to directly help me acquire more clients, or clients that are willing to pay more. This makes sense to me. To the woman who asked if I had any aces up my sleeve that I haven’t mentioned: Well, frankly, not really. Haha. Most of my previous employment has all been entry level odd-jobs; barista, fast food worker, warehouse receiving assistant, etc. I do have a couple of years of ESL teaching under my belt, but that’s about all of the experience I have. I have no previous translation experience, so I can’t honestly comment on my skills as I don’t know good or bad I really am at this.

However, I will say that I’m pretty well versed in current events/politics and have spent the last several years reading news articles in Spanish. This is something that I actually have a passion for personally, so it’d be great if there was some sort of niche market for this area, although I’ve yet to come across anything in this vein though whenever I see niches being mentioned. If this is indeed a niche in which I could establish myself, do you all know of any resources I could use to hone in my skill in this area?
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Michael Wetzel
Michael Wetzel  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:17
German to English
I would not study in the US ... May 6, 2020

The cost of education in the US is simply absurd. If you were a molecular biologist or a particle physicist, the resources in the US certainly offer very real and substantial advantages, but for anything in the humanities or, particularly, language or translation you can get a better education almost anywhere in the world and you can get it at a fraction of the price or even for free.

What is the educational situation in Costa Rica? Studying there might be a great way to get a crede
... See more
The cost of education in the US is simply absurd. If you were a molecular biologist or a particle physicist, the resources in the US certainly offer very real and substantial advantages, but for anything in the humanities or, particularly, language or translation you can get a better education almost anywhere in the world and you can get it at a fraction of the price or even for free.

What is the educational situation in Costa Rica? Studying there might be a great way to get a credential in a field of expertise (not in translation), massively improve your language skills and make a lot of connections with people within the field of expertise you will later be trying to find work in. Do some internships, go to office hours, join study groups, etc.: Meet and enjoy being around and learning from a lot of people.

In Costa Rica you may be able to genuinely boost your USP ("unusual selling position" is what it ought to stand for, because no one is unique) in terms of being a native speaker of American English with extremely high-level and specifically local Spanish skills, who has chosen to be there and is likely to be acquainted with hundreds of people at least in terms of a friend of a friend and who actually possesses a significant amount of expertise in some field (as certified by a university degree). Trying to make good money online as a fully interchangeable cog in the machinery of big translation is a bad plan. Lots of people succeed in this way (in terms of absolute numbers and the anecdotal evidence those exceptional individuals provide), but almost everyone fails to a greater or lesser degree (in terms of the odds of success you should be using to make your decision).

NGOs and aid are a massive industry that pumps tons of money into advertising and PR if you might be interested in what I presume is a partially inspiring and partially nauseating field.

And $40,000 would presumably be a great deal of money in Costa Rica, while it is probably not much at all in the US (particularly as a freelancer paying social security tax and trying to organize health coverage that actually offers a modicum of financial security if something goes wrong). That is doubly true if you think you might want to start a family at some point.

Well, that's a very opinionated post based almost entirely on speculation, but at least reading it won't cost you anything (although acting on it might) ...
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Sheila Wilson
Michele Fauble
 


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Bachelors degree in Spanish looking for online translation career advice







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