Becoming a translator Spanish to English

[cafesandbookshops]

Hola,

I am currently working as a Spanish teacher and I would like to do some translation in the school holidays to earn a bit of extra money but also because I really enjoyed doing it and miss it a bit however I’m not sure how realistic a goal it is.

I’m a native English speaker but I did a Spanish degree and a PGCE and I lived in Spanish speaking countries for 3 years before moving back to the UK. Would this be enough or is it necessary to have a masters in translation? I know some certain areas are in demand and I find medical texts interesting but not sure where to start.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help

Hello. This is your choice.

You're probably better off advertising yourself on the gig economy sites like Fiverr etc.
You'd need a translation qualification to get taken on by an actual company (at least a valid one)

I'd recommend a masters or the CIoL Diploma in Translation if you want to make a career out of it.

You don't necessarily need a specific translation qualification to be taken on by agencies. I'm a German-English translator and only have a language degree, but I receive regular work from about 15 different agencies. However, they will expect you to cite previous experience of translation. You may have some from your previous career?

Proz.com is a great place to go for advice as a newbie, and there will be translators working in your language combination who may well be able to offer more specific pointers.

Bear in mind as well that Spanish-English isn't going to be much of an earner even at technical levels. Because there are lots of them about. (I was musing on this when reading a book by the "world's authority on Norwegian to Korean translation" and thinking blimey, I wonder how you get into something like that!
You could also try something like Appen (check us out on the Earn a tenner a day threads) some of the tasks I've done are for Italian speakers- pay varies from ok to shit, but it's another idea.

I agree with the above poster that Spanish > English is one of those combos that appears to be more saturated than others, but there are still plenty of translators in that language direction making a decent living due to the quality or specialisation that they offer.

I really would recommend approaching some agencies, particularly those that might be a good fit with your past experience. Getting a few 'ins' with agencies and establishing a flow of work may be slow to start with, but once you prove your worth to project managers it is possible to make a successful (and indeed lucrative) full-time career of it. And in the long-term there's a far greater likelihood of being able to do that through agencies or direct clients, rather than sites like Fiverr.

@pantheistsboots

I agree with the above poster that Spanish > English is one of those combos that appears to be more saturated than others, but there are still plenty of translators in that language direction making a decent living due to the quality or specialisation that they offer.

I really would recommend approaching some agencies, particularly those that might be a good fit with your past experience. Getting a few 'ins' with agencies and establishing a flow of work may be slow to start with, but once you prove your worth to project managers it is possible to make a successful (and indeed lucrative) full-time career of it. And in the long-term there's a far greater likelihood of being able to do that through agencies or direct clients, rather than sites like Fiverr.

I agree, I started out that way 10 years or so ago in Spanish to English but ultimately to get better rates and customers, in a crowded market, you need to get a qualification.

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I am going to look into the qualifications that have been suggested. I understand there not being much demand for languages like Spanish in the UK. I’d love to learn polish or Russian to a really good level but it’s finding the time with a full time teaching job!