Robert Gebhardt - How to be a Successful Freelance Translator: Second Edition

How would you like to be able to set your own hours, pick your own clients, decide where you want to work, and what you want to wear while you work? How would you like to work from a coffee shop, from the beach, or from Thailand? Does it sound too good to be true? Well, it is.

Not to say it isnt possible. Plenty of people are doing exactly that. In fact, I am one of them. I live in Taiwan; my clients are in the United States, Europe, and China, and I work with translators on four different continents. Ive also been taking classes in Mandarin. I recently did some modeling for a local beverage company, Im the co-founder of the first English language entrepreneurship association of Taiwan, and Ive been traveling the heck out of East Asia (and no, none of my translation languages are Asian. I basically just work in Italian and English).

So why is it too good to be true? Because, like with anything in life, it isnt that simple. Like with anything in life, it takes hard work, dedication, motivation, and persistence, and possibly more of that boring stuff you always hear about before you tune out.

But dont get discouraged just yet; at least finish this chapter before getting discouraged! The good news is this book contains step-by-step instructions on how to make it possible. Obviously, everyones experience is different, and it is possible that you are already following a few of the points I mention, but following these steps is a great outline of how I achieved this life, and how you can, too.

I should just repeat this one more time. It is not easy. I worked my tail off, and I am still working my tail off. I doubt I have more free time than your average worker, but I do get to choose which clients to work with and when to work with them .

This is not a here are the secrets all the industry experts dont want you to know type book (For the record, those are all scams). Also, your specific path may vary from what is written here. But, like any instruction manual, its good to have read it, even if later you decide to do things a bit differently.

In this book, I will show you how to create a good web presence, highlighting your strengths, and how to get it in front of potential clients eyes. Then, I will show various methods of getting paid by clients (and how to make sure they actually pay you), as well as how to rinse and repeat, so you can do this for a living. At the end of the book, I also describe how to take your translation skills to the next level and how to have translators work for you so you get to sit back and relax, letting someone else do the work for a change if you want to.

I should also mention that I have very few, if any, translation tips. Im pretty much assuming you are all translators and youre good at what you do. If you werent then you wouldnt be seeking a career in this field. If you would like more general translation tips, I recommend checking out the forums on proz.com and wordreference.com where you can also post your own queries.

Lastly, I will mention many products and brand names here. Some favorably, some less so. I promise that none of them are paying me anything. I am subscribed to a couple for my own purposes, but I have no incentive to talk one up and talk another one down. My only incentive is giving you the best information I can, based on my experience.

So, are you ready to work for yourself? To pick which clients you want to deal with and when? To decide where you want to work and how much time you want to spend working? And, more specifically, are you ready to earn these benefits through your sweat equity?

Good! Lets get started.

Well, actually, not just yet. Lets start with what to do even before getting started. Read on