Freelancer Advice

What qualities do agencies look for in a freelance translator or interpreter?
What qualifications do I need to be a freelance translator or interpreter?
What equipment does a freelancer need when setting up?
Other

Different agencies look for different qualities in their staff. Whilst we can't speak for all agencies, professionalism and reliability are certainly very high on our list of requirements. The world is full of people who have talent but are not organised enough to deliver consistent quality within agreed deadlines. London Translations look for talented professionals capable of using their initiative to solve unexpected problems on the way.

Having a 'can do' attitude, being flexible and easy to contact are just as important as linguistic and technical excellence.

A degree (or degree-level qualification) in a language or a particular subject is required (Many Universities and Colleges, offer Postgraduate qualifications in interpreting and translation). Membership of a professional organisation such as the Instituto superior de interpretes y traductores de México is also recommended.

Experienced translators and interpreters produce superior work. There is simply no substitute for real world commercial experience. If you intend to sell yourself as a competent business translator or interpreter, you will need at least 3 years relevant commercial experience to be taken seriously. Capacitación y Asesoría en Sistemas, S.A. de C.V. insists on a minimum of 5 years.

Other factors that can work in a prospective freelancer's favour include being truly bilingual (this is a rare skill) or having lived in a particular country for at least 3 years.

Good knowledge of using the Internet, computers and the major software titles, such as Microsoft Office is now expected. A printer that produces good quality print such as a laser printer is invaluable as is a mobile phone so that you can be contacted easily .

Most translators invest in a fast PC with a large hard disk (and a mechanism to produce regular backups), running Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. Access to a fax machine is also important.

A connection to the Internet and with an email address has become standard. Increasingly a broadband (cable or ADSL) Internet connection is proving beneficial for collaborative working and file transfers. When choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or email account, be sure to chose one which allows the sending and receiving of large file attachments. It is not uncommon nowadays for documents to be 5 MB in size or more.

Capacitación y Asesoría en Sistemas, S.A. de C.V. expect their translators to have a high level of technical competency and be capable of uploading and downloading files using File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

Freelancers with professional indemnity insurance are usually favoured by agencies.