I want to get established as a freelancer- what should I do better to begin?
Thread poster: Sergio Juárez García
Sergio Juárez García
Sergio Juárez García
Spain
Local time: 20:42
Japanese to Spanish
+ ...
Mar 23, 2004

I have great knowledge of English and Japanese. I would like to establish myself as a freelancer. I have many ideas, creating a web page including sample translation (non-copyrighted texts, literary, in the case of Japanese). Is that a good idea? What would be better to do when you have almost no experience in translation and you want to get job in this field? Any suggestion is welcome... Thanks in advance

 
Susana Galilea
Susana Galilea  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:42
English to Spanish
+ ...
raise your rates :) Mar 24, 2004

Even if you are a beginner, if you intend to work professionally I would recommend you set competitive rates from the start. Either you are qualified to do the job, or you are not. If you are, charge accordingly. Chances are you will have to negotiate anyway, at which point you can offer some flexibility if needed. There are many threads in these forums that explain why rock-bottom rates are detrimental to the entire profession, you may want to do a search for more information.

Rath
... See more
Even if you are a beginner, if you intend to work professionally I would recommend you set competitive rates from the start. Either you are qualified to do the job, or you are not. If you are, charge accordingly. Chances are you will have to negotiate anyway, at which point you can offer some flexibility if needed. There are many threads in these forums that explain why rock-bottom rates are detrimental to the entire profession, you may want to do a search for more information.

Rather than undersell yourself, you can always offer your services as a volunteer translator to gain experience and valuable contacts.

And yes, including sample translations in your website is a great idea.

Best luck to you,

Susana Galilea
Accredited Translator, EUTI
[email protected]
www.accentonspanish.com
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I want to get established as a freelancer- what should I do better to begin?







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