To ask for your help figuring out how I can get some income in fast

[Moneyproblemz]

Legal options only please 🫠
I'm really panicking. I've been a freelancer for two decades now but my industry is being destroyed 😭 I'm a translator, and before you suggest interpreting - don't bother. My languages don't have heavy interpreting demand in the UK.
Like many translators, I've been watching my profession slowly die for a while now. But this week my biggest client said they were shutting down.
I'm absolutely screwed. I only have two months of outgoings I can cover.
I live in a city which is helpful, but I just don't know what the hell to do. I know I need to think of a proper long term career pivot, but right now all I can feel is panic. I need to find something quickly, and I've applied for some jobs already, but I just feel like who the hell is going to hire me as a 40-something with zero experience of anything other than my own industry. I'm assuming anything to do with hospitality and retail they are just going to prefer someone 20 years younger than me.

I'm just asking on here in case anyone has a few off-piste ideas I might not have thought of other than "desperately trawl through Indeed". Like I said, I do have some ideas for a bigger picture plan, but right now I need an immediate solution.

Thanks all

French and German are two of the most common MFLs taught in schools and MFL is one of the areas with the highest teacher shortage - have you looked into teaching? If you already have a degree you can train in a year and often you are able to do this whilst employed by the school. Obviously not a short term plan but could be a longer term option, being in your 40s wouldn’t be off-putting to most employers in education.

If you're personable, how about nannying? I'm stuck up enough that I'd love to hire a nanny to play with my kids in French who wasn't just 20!

Join an agency to be a TA in a High School. Where I am they take you without experience. Lots of students do it after Uni while they're figuring out what they want to do. Your language experience would only be a boon . Its difficult if a pupil needs a scribe and is doing languages to find anyone to fit the bill.

What about some sort of admin or assistant work for French or German companies, especially banks, in your city. You don't always need direct experience but your languages would be a real asset.

Look into recurring revenue b2b sales, they often hire people with language skills as a priority. It is often well paid and remote. Good luck!

Yes my sister’s best friend is a German and Spanish grad who has just changed career to be a Speech and Language Therapist. She went to City Uni.

Local councils may be looking for people to help update the electoral register. It would be part time evening and weekend work

In the same boat OP, it is terrifying.

I never finished my degree or would have gone into teaching a few years ago.

I think teaching/TA/cover/education is absolutely your best bet for short-term. Search all the supply agencies and register with all of them. Focus on how immediately available and DBS-checked you are, and find referees. I'd be surprised if you haven't found something by half-term.

Teach English and your other languages on Preply?

Thank you so much all for your responses, I have a big piece of work to finish and then on Monday I am going to go through every single post to investigate each option that has been suggested.
I actually have a first plus a Masters so I know I can figure something out long term, my priority right now is: how am I going to pay November's bills.
I own my flat (mortgaged) and I guess being self-employed I'm not entitled to any help, at least that's what the UC calculator is telling me.
I will report back, but thanks for these suggestions, it's made me feel like there are possibilities. I had considered the tuition thing but was concerned that I'd need to have experience with the curriculum and that it would take time to build a clientbase but will check out the platforms that have been listed here.
❤️

Public sector translation work maybe? Remember French is a first language of a lot of disaspora communtities in UK cities - a lot of African and North African communities.

Similarltly as French is an internarional diplomatic language could there be work with charities that work with the UN?

Can you commute easily to London? It might be worth looking in to work with Eurostar or Le Shuttle? As well as on baoed crew, they operate a customer call centre sin French, Dutch and English and I expect they will have translation work for all of their technical, staff and passenger materials.

It's years ago now but but I had a friend who spoke German and Italian and she worked at a credit card companies call centre offering help international customers.

Should say democratic!

Academic tutoring in the 2 languages you speak?

Tourism or hotel trade? Language skills will really make your CV stand out.

Good luck. I really feel for you.

I am not saying this to be patronising or to lecture you, I just don't want you to find yourself in my situation later down the line.
We all know the writing is on the wall, and I knew this could very well end up happening about two years ago. But when you're in the moment, getting solid projects from recurring clients, it's easy to think you'll somehow find a way through.
I have translator/copywriter/design friends who started crashing and burning as a result of AI about three or four years ago, but somehow you feel slightly untouchable. But as you know, it can happen so fast. All it takes is your two biggest clients to pull the plug and you're screwed.
I actually translate literature as well as my commercial work, but the payment time lags and unpredictability of book contracts mean commercial work was always my bread and butter. Many literary translators would disagree with me, but my own instinct is that there will come a time, possibly in four or five years, where they will simply translate novels by machine.
As for MTPE or AIPE as we are increasingly seeing: you're right that that work does exist, and I do some myself, but again I 100% believe that this pipeline will dry up too. Personally I give it two years max.

I am not trying to scare you or be condescending, I'm just saying maybe "get your ducks in a row" while times are good.
It's very depressing, you're right. It's depressing that the art/craft you trained to excel in is now seen as utterly valueless. I wish you the best of luck with everything 💐

I know you're right, as I say, I'm actively applying for jobs but still slogging on in medical translating while I'm looking. It's a difficult job market though so I've been looking for a while sadly.

Police custody translator. There’s a certain standard you have to be, which I am sure you are.
It’s lucrative, but you have to be ready to go to custody at short notice.

What??! That’s a cool job. I never knew it existed.

Do you have a spare room? Get a lodger ?

Waiting for background checks and training and 4 weeks until next wage, that would be 8 weeks maybe

University administration. Lots of churn.

Good idea. Op could also start some beginner language groups for adults.

Sorry I haven't read all posts so I'm unsure if this has been suggested. But what about becoming a nanny? Seems to be quite a lot of demand, especially for after school hours / etc as a more part time. You might be able to look at that for local family / families and then perhaps see if you can hold on to something in your industry for the other hours? Or tutoring?

If you have experience translating books, are you on Reedsy? That's where i go to look for my book translators. Currently only German but moving into French soon too. What do you charge per word from scratch? How about per word for post AI translation clean-up? I really feel for you and would like to offer you at least some short term work if you're desperate and I can afford you!

Lots of universities are on hiring freezes and making redundancies. Especially admin and support staff. Higher education is really struggling right now.