Have you ever dreamed of a job where you could work from home, in your pyjamas, with the freedom to set your own schedule? I did, and that dream became my reality as a freelance translator. I'm a native Norwegian, and I translate texts from Swedish and English into my mother tongue, Norwegian.
Through my four years as a translator, I've worked for some of the biggest brands in the world in the movie, travel, and e-commerce industries. If you want to know how I started earning money by translating and how you can, too, read this blog post!
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Before I tell you my story, let me tell you some basics about working as a translator:
The translation industry is one of the biggest industries in the world! Imagine all the products that are sold and marketed all over the globe every day, and how important translation is for international companies to reach every single market around the world.
Most translators translate from their second language into their native language, not vice versa!
You don't need a degree in translation to land a job with a professional translation agency. Still, you need excellent grammar skills in your native language, you have to be a good writer, and you need to be analytical and thorough.
Machine translation has existed in the industry for years, long before Chat GPT and similar services. However, human translators will still be needed for many years to come. I am not afraid of losing my job anytime soon.
Earning money by translating: A flexible career
For someone like me, who's dealt with health issues ever since being a teenager, finding a career that offered both flexibility and creativity was like hitting the jackpot. Before I quit my part-time retail job right before the pandemic broke out, I dreamed of being a freelancer who worked from home.
My translation career has allowed me to take care of myself while still pursuing my passion for languages and communication. Working part-time is no issue; I've also combined it with other freelancing gigs. Right now, translation is my bread and butter while I build multiple passive income streams and focus on designing digital products, which I write about a lot on this blog.
Small steps
My journey into freelance translation didn't happen overnight. It started with a small step — signing up for a free e-book that promised insights into the world of freelance translation. Little did I know that this small step soon would lead to a giant leap towards a fulfilling part-time career, perfect for my health situation. This free e-book doesn't exist anymore; now, they offer a free course instead, which I recommend to check out if you want to learn more.
This free course offers a lot of knowledge about the industry. It's not one of those free courses that only markets a paid program. However, they do have a paid program, which I decided to purchase back in 2019, as I was hungry for more knowledge and really wanted to quit my job and find a new career path.
Gathering information
I followed the (paid) course meticulously and took notes from every lesson, but I still had a lot of self-doubt. It took me over a year from signing up for the course to actually start taking action. I struggled so much in my day job that I decided to resign without any plan B. Other than that, it was now time to start following my dreams. I put my negative thoughts aside and decided to follow the recipe I had learned in the course, which worked!
Not long after, I landed my dream client, which I had thought I could try to get a few years down the line after gaining some experience. But an agency that works for this client actually contacted me. I passed their translation test and started getting regular jobs from them.
What you can and can't do without a degree in translation
In total, I work for three different agencies. I mainly do marketing translations, but in different sectors. Even though you don't need a degree in translation to get work, you can't do all types of jobs. Some jobs, like for example law, medicine and official documents usually requires a sworn translator.
But! If you dream of doing commercial translation (think websites, product descriptions, marketing campaigns, or email newsletters for big international brands) or subtitle movies and series, you don't need a degree to do so. You do, however, need to be good at translation and prove this by doing well on the agency's tests.
In conclusion, my journey into freelance translation has been pretty amazing. It wasn't always easy, and my income varies from month to month, but it has given me the freedom to craft a career on my own terms, despite life's curveballs. And as I continue to navigate this ever-changing landscape, I'm grateful for the opportunities it's brought my way.
For example, after joining The Translator Academy's course and then signing up for their monthly membership, I actually got a chance to join their team and worked for them for eight months in 2022. As a freelancer, I have often experienced that you never know where your next job comes from or what taking a step in one direction can give you so many new opportunities.
Since my blog is centred around design and passive income, I recommend signing up for TTA's free course if you want to learn more about the translation industry. Inger Lise, the head teacher, has worked as a translator since 2004. She even ran her own agency with over 40 clients from all over the world! It's very valuable to learn from someone with her extensive experience, and from both sides of the table: as a translator, but also as a project manager!