any freelance translators around?

[ChavGuevara]

I'm a translator interpreter but have let things slide a bit in the last couple of years while I had kids. I still have a couple of good clients I've kept but now I'm back in the market for agency work, I can't get anyone to pay more than 5p per word (French and Spanish into English).

I can't believe I have to take 2p per word less than the going rate when I qualified but yet another agency has contacted me to say they won't give me work till I drop to 5p.

Would love some perspective on the situation, if anyone else is in the same boat.

Yes I'm also a freelance translator, there is definitely less work around than there was in say 2007, which means if you take a break there are more people fighting for the jobs. I used to charge 0,10 euros a word and some would quibble but most would pay it. That's not possible any more. If all the other conditions with that agency are acceptable to you, why not take the work and when you start getting loads, push the rates back up again. It won't take long if they like your work. I now charge around 0,08 euros per word and am always busy. Like anything else you need to build it up again. Good luck!

Hi, wish I'd seen this ages ago! I am a freelance translator & have just decided to take the plunge back in after a break to have DS2 (6 months). So unfortunately no perspective to give on rates front, but glad to have found some fellow translators hopefully to chat to!

If anybody has any tips to share on getting some more work then I would be pleased to hear them!

Hi Chav, I don't work in the UK, but 5p per word does seem rather low. I've never worked with an agency - I'm a partner in a translation collective (a group of translators who share a website, name and costs) and I also do some work independently directly for clients. It's difficult to compare the rate we get because we work per line (55 characters) or per page (1,800 characters) rather than per word, but I once worked out that it must be something like 12 to 14 cents per word.

So I think the key to success is getting away from agencies and applying directly to companies within your specialisation, then relying on word of mouth for more work. Can your existing clients help with recommendations? Do you have your own website? If there is a trade fair for your specialisation you could wander round with flyers or business cards and get talking to potential clients.

There are websites like proz.com and translatorscafe, which I occasionally use for the glossaries or to browse the forum, but the rates for jobs being advertised there are horribly low, and generally the lowest bid wins.

Which language pair/s are you working with? Some countries might offer higher rates for translation than the UK. For instance, we're now getting a lot of clients from Austria and Switzerland, who seem much more prepared to pay decent rates in exchange for good quality work.

If you have the DipTrans you could become a member of the IoL and appear on their list of available translators. I'm a member of the main translation body in Germany and do get some enquiries from my entry on the website there (although not always terribly useful ones).

Hi Chav,
I've ended up in the same boat as you - same languages, took a couple of years off to focus on a baby and a part-time job that wasn't so part-time anymore, then came back to translation this year to find that all my clients had moved on and new ones won't pay as much! I'm slowly wooing my old clients back and building new relationships but it's taken from January to now to get a steady trickle of work (one job/week, two if I'm lucky). Hopefully, it will keep building.

Can you specialise or add another, less common, language - Italian should be fairly easy with Spanish and French? I'm to lazy busy to go down the new language route but it is the regular suggestion from other translator friends.
Probably not much use, but hope it helps in some way :)

testarossa - your story sounds so familiar! You could be me in about 9 months time, hopefully! I too have taken a few years off with DCs & previously part time jobs that ended up being more than part time, and have now started to get back into translation. Am currently trying to build relationships & hoping I have timed it right for the pre-Christmas rush!

Your point about learning another language is an interesting one - I have previously learned Swedish, but it is not really up to scratch at the moment, but could be worth reviving!

Chav, I hope since you wrote the OP that you have had some luck with your endeavours!

Hi all,

Firstly, Chav I hope you have had some luck with this issue. I'm writing on behalf of PeoplePerHour, we endeavour to have quality jobs on our site for Freelancers.

Jenduck, I'm aware that I may well be slightly biased here but I would recommend our site or certainly others like us, this will allow you the freedom to apply/bid for the jobs that are most suited to your skills and experience, at a reasonable rates and you can showcase your work to potential clients by creating a professional profile.

Here's a link to the current translator jobs that we have available: bit.ly/PPHTranslatorjobs

I hope you have better success in the future!

Hi Chav, I am also a freelance translator (English to Spanish). I qualified a few months ago but have worked as a translator (both in-house and freelance) on and off for years until I decided to go fully freelance 4 months ago and I am also struggling to find steady, decently-paid work. I have joined Proz and the IoL but the competition is fierce and it is hard to get a foot in the door.
I've had one big project so far and I am volunteering for an NGO after every speaker at a Translation conference I attended said that this was always a good way to network and gain experience.
Keep plugging away is all I can say...I know it can be disheartening at times so good luck!