Off topic: Translators With Two Years of Experience or Less Thread poster: Amadeo Carlos
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Amadeo Carlos 
United States
Local time: 21:00
Member (2023)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Hello,
I would like to know if among this vast community of translators, there is someone with two years or less of experience that has been able to find a job? If so, I would like some advice on how to do it? So far, I have been unsuccessful.
All the jobs I have seen listed require at least five years of experience.
Thank you.
Amadeo.
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It’s always been like that. You just have to keep plugging away…
Try getting a foot in the door by offering a free sample.
| | | | Matthieu Ledoré
France
Local time: 04:00
Member (2022)
English to French
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| Cold prospection + emphasizing previous experience | Jul 28, 2023 |
Hi Amadeo,
I tried to post this yesterday but it didn't work...
It is true that many offers here require experience in translation. Which is why you shouldn't just apply for advertised jobs, but spontaneously offer your services to potential clients.
Also, I've checked your profile and I see you have experience in other fields. This is definitely something you should put forward.
Having been a translator for less than 1 year, I am rather satisfied with my workload.
... See more Hi Amadeo,
I tried to post this yesterday but it didn't work...
It is true that many offers here require experience in translation. Which is why you shouldn't just apply for advertised jobs, but spontaneously offer your services to potential clients.
Also, I've checked your profile and I see you have experience in other fields. This is definitely something you should put forward.
Having been a translator for less than 1 year, I am rather satisfied with my workload.
Best of luck!
Matthieu. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Selling yourself | Jul 28, 2023 |
Hi Amadeo,
New entrants do establish themselves as translators all the time but applying for the jobs listed here is unlikely to be a successful strategy (on its own).
You are running a business, so you need to learn about what that entails - networking, branding, marketing, working out what you can offer to customers that other translators can't, etc.
It looks like you have a wealth of specialised knowledge to draw upon but at the moment you don't seem to ... See more Hi Amadeo,
New entrants do establish themselves as translators all the time but applying for the jobs listed here is unlikely to be a successful strategy (on its own).
You are running a business, so you need to learn about what that entails - networking, branding, marketing, working out what you can offer to customers that other translators can't, etc.
It looks like you have a wealth of specialised knowledge to draw upon but at the moment you don't seem to be selling yourself very well. Maybe a marketing course would help?
Good luck,
Rachel ▲ Collapse
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| Not just a question of experience | Jul 28, 2023 |
Hi Amadeo,
While I didn’t have nearly as much work when starting out as I do now, my experience was that being helpful, approachable and a reliable conversation partner was more important in securing clients than explaining how highly qualified I was in certain fields. Clients want to know you will get the job done to their specifications (ideally quickly!) and be easy to reach.
Those three things are actually easier when you have more free time because your freelanc... See more Hi Amadeo,
While I didn’t have nearly as much work when starting out as I do now, my experience was that being helpful, approachable and a reliable conversation partner was more important in securing clients than explaining how highly qualified I was in certain fields. Clients want to know you will get the job done to their specifications (ideally quickly!) and be easy to reach.
Those three things are actually easier when you have more free time because your freelance business hasn’t yet taken off. So don’t sell yourself below value, but take advantage of the fact that you may be able to offer turnarounds that I can’t, simply because I have more projects and need to balance several deadlines at once.
And when you don’t have a job lined up, use that time for marketing.
But even as an experienced translator (10+ years), when I write to ProZ jobs for which I am in some ways a perfect fit (subject area, language variant, software, price), I hear back not more than 50% of the time, and most of those responses are rejections. The conclusion I draw from this is that experience is one helpful factor, but that – whatever the level of experience – there are simply a lot of translators out there competing for those jobs.
That also means that there is a lot of demand. If you can figure out a way to go directly to the clients who have that demand, then not only do you avoid direct competition with your ProZ colleagues, you also have the kind of direct contact that builds long-term business relationships which pay the bills. Two birds with one stone!
Good luck, and don’t be disheartened. These things do just take time and sustained effort. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 04:00
French to English
It's tough finding work when you don't have much experience. I found a job as an in-house translator at an agency, which gave me tons of experience and also plenty of contacts to chase up once I started freelancing.
My daughter started freelancing (in another field) as soon as she finished her training, but it was very hard going and she has now taken a job in that field to gain more experience, she might just start freelancing again later on.
| | | | | Can you pretend to have that experience? | Jul 28, 2023 |
At least if you can really do a good job that creates a lot more value than MT. When I went freelance (in the middle of a crisis), I'd been doing occasional translations for my friends and employers but had nothing I could call "years of experience," and still most of the companies I chose to contact (and do tests for) became my regular customers and would even bring new customers to me by word of mouth. If you're good at what you're doing, your work will shine in a market that's full of bad to ... See more At least if you can really do a good job that creates a lot more value than MT. When I went freelance (in the middle of a crisis), I'd been doing occasional translations for my friends and employers but had nothing I could call "years of experience," and still most of the companies I chose to contact (and do tests for) became my regular customers and would even bring new customers to me by word of mouth. If you're good at what you're doing, your work will shine in a market that's full of bad to mediocre translations. At least if the people you're dealing with have the discernment to tell gold from fool's gold (which is something I'm beginning to doubt when reading forum posts about huge translation agencies that seem to be fully staffed with robots)
[Edited at 2023-07-28 12:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Amadeo Carlos
United States
Local time: 21:00
Member (2023)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Translators With Two Years of Experience | Aug 1, 2023 |
Thank you for all of your helpful advice that I will put into practice.
It is much appreciated.
Amadeo Carlos.
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