Thanks for this complete list of tips 😀 As for myself, I've just completed another translation internship and am now diving entirely into the freelance world in Switzerland. I've just received my official status as freelancer and will start next week working on a big translation job that will occupy me during December and January, and I'll also be working with the Swiss Confederation in the year 2022. So plans and perspectives are looking good, at least for a start, and I'm really looking forward to developing my skills and business 😁 Hopefully your channel will give me many useful tips !
It's very comforting watching this video after having completed all those steps more than a year ago. It was the best decision in my life to start freelancing - I love the freedom and I never want to be an employee again. Also, I had quite a lot of luck. I don't have a business background but everything went perfectly smooth. Also because I translate from 5 source languages. Thanks for you videos 😊
Wow 5 source languages!! That's impressive :) Yes of course, luck is always involved. But I'm convinced that you can force that luck as well to an extent. Keep it going
@@denecheraniayasmine356 Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and English. German is my mother tongue :) I also speak Polish and Spanish but not enough to translate.
Thank you for the video! 🙂 Really helpful! Please do a video about registering and taxes has a freelancer. I am also in The Netherlands and have been pondering doing freelancing translations here and would be helpful to hear the insight of what to expect from a perspective of someone that has already been through this process! 🙏🙂
Another great video! As someone who has only started out in the last couple of years, there is some really valuable advice in here for people about to embark on their journey. Hope you're feeling better!
You are so thorough and give such a great picture of what it is like to be in your industry. As I look into options for myself, this has been gold! Thank you!!
Thanks to you and your advice I feel very confident that I will succeed in my freelance career. I am planning on registering in January, and I am currently working on my portfolio, while offering volunteer translations in order to gain more experience. Thank you for helping us, the freelance beginners!
Thanks for this video!!! I realize I have been overlooking and overthinking the way of how to actually start. So far I have within this 6 months of no income, I have: -created my portfolio/website -signed up for platforms you recommended such as people per hour. -created a better network on LinkedIn by attending free webinar meetings -started using more of my proz account -signed up for newsletters from translation sites -learn from the best UA-camr ever (you) Hopefully by next year I can actually gain clients.
I just decided to set a deadline to start for real in January, thanks to you!:) I didn't dare to set a deadline up until now. I am currently part-time searching for a job in Brussels and part-time trying to start as a freelancer (German and English to Hungarian), after completing a postgraduate programme in translation. I can already check some of those boxes but I still need to work on it a lot. I am struggling the most to find voluntary work to have some references but I decided to invest in a CIOL membership and I hope it will give me a good start. Do you think it is a good idea to start off with the Belgian non-profit organisation Smart instead of an own VAT number (if you know them)?
Amazing, Krisztina!! :) thanks for the comments and good luck! There is a facebook group called Translators in Belgium. They do meet sometimes I think. I haven't joined them yet though. I'm always up for grabbing a coffee though if you want to talk about starting out :) CIOL membership is a great start, that will give you very valuable connections. Uhmm I have met plenty of people that work with SMART, me personally I never did. Apparently it makes sense to start out with SMART until you make like 20K or so a year. Afterwards, the fees are getting way too high. In my opinion, I wouldn't work with them, because it's part of the job to figure all these things out and I don't want to give anyone unnecessary money haha. Also, when I moved to Belgium, my business was already up and running and I was well over this treshhold so it didn't make sense for me. I think it's more worth your time and money to hire your own accountant once you got the ball rolling. If you are on LinkedIn, we can connect there and maybe grab a coffee once. Take care, Adrian
Oh my God, Adrian, your videos touch me so much, I've passed the last following days looking for it. Sometimes I want to give up the freelance translation job because I don't find my count on it But your videos motivate me. But when I'm on a field it's another things, it's not that I don't have clients , I have it, I work with some agencies but they don't provide jobs, I don't know why. I sometimes tell to myself that there's no anymore job in translation because of AI . you know, maybe agencies themselves use AI to gain more and delete the work of translators(linguist), that's why I'm so intrigued to see people like you who live with translation online... Big up to you Adrian, but my question for you will be,... Please how can I do so that the agencies remember about me? How to know if there's a job, because you know, you can't chase something that you don't see. Thank you very much Adrian and best regards.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback!! That's exactly what I'm here for; to motivate :) and to show that you can definitely make a sustainable career out of it. I know that luck is needed, but it can also be forced with clever decisions and approaches. There is definitely still enough jobs next to AI, probably even more through AI-generated jobs :) So don't give up, keep going, keep being creative! With agencies it's really important that you're there when they need you. The easiest way to get in somewhere is when their usual freelancers are busy or are on holiday. That's why it's great to work over christmas and other holidays in the first years. A lot of agencies are struggling to find available personnel in this time, so if you are out there and available, it could be your in. Also don't be afraid to reach out to them and telling them that you will be available during this and this period.
Your video is so interesting. Since last year, I've decided to become a technical translator and I'm actually following a (French) Licence d'anglais métiers de la traduction and this year should be my last one. If everything goes well, in june next year, I should start as a freelance but I'm so afraid. I don't really know where to start.
That's an amazing plan. If you follow the tips from this video, you should be better prepared :) make sure not to wait too long until you start building the groundwork
Hi Adrian, thanks for all your videos and your channel, it's really helping me with getting into the freelance translation world. I am working on a Mac but notice that many programs only work on a Mac, like MemoQ. What's your experience with working on a Mac vs. Windows software? Thank you 😊
Hi Eline, thanks for reaching out. I've never worked with a Mac, one of the reasons has also always been CAT tools and other software I'm using. If you want to be safe, I'd not get a Mac otherwise you'll have to find a workaround.
Hi, thanks for the content. I was wondering, have you got a price letter that you send over with your cv or do you negotiate prices ? I have always negotiated, but I can't help but thinking it would be more professional to have a letter when negotiating? Any thoughts please. Thank you
Hi Beca, I dont have a price letter, I negotiate every single time. Honestly, projects and clients can vary so much, I have different conditions for almlst all of my clients. A price letter wouldnt work.
Yet another great video, both for beginners and for experts who find their ways by shortcuts :) I would like to be able to reach you via email for several questions I have in regards to subtitling. Thank you for bringing such quality videos. Your Albanian virtual friend.
@@Freelanceverse My combination is ES>EN. Do you think this is enough for me to live a comfortable full-time life as a freelance translator or is this combination too saturated?? Currently I am training to be a ESL teacher but eventually I want to do freelance translation and possibly freelance interpreting. New subscriber by the way! 🙃😉
Hello dear I have been following you for a while now, I'm a french linguistics graduate from Morocco I've been trying to get in the freelance translation world but I'm being asked to provide a certificate or degree in the field most of time I can do Arabic, French, and English translation and tend to be more in the IT translation like you I don't know how to figure it out It would be of a great help from you if you can help me out thanks In advance
I would say English and the Nordic languages are probably in most demand for Icelandic translations. They tend to be paid quite highly per job, but maybe there is not enough demand to build a regular stream of work.
Hey Adrian! Great video as always 😊 I have a question regarding digital skills for aspiring translators. What are the essential digital skills a translator should possess in your opinion? I am planning to apply for a Masters in translation in a couple of years and since I don't have any particular digital skills/certifications I was wondering how to remedy that and make myself a better candidate (and of course translator!). For example, is a "basic" certification like ecdl any useful or necessary? Or should I look into something a bit more specialized?
Yes I am very interested if you would be so kind to provide guidance for freelancer. It's a bit complicated 😕, when you are registered in one country, can you work in another? What do you need to make it legal in both countries.... Not starting in 2022 though, I am at university for 2 years before going through this new adventure.
Hi Mel, good question! What you need to make sure is that you are registered as a freelancer in the country where you're "center of living" is. That can be quite vague, but if you - let's say - rent a flat somewhere, it gets pretty obvious that this is your center of living. If you don't have any residence and are a digital nomad, then you can maybe argue that your center of living is at your parents home or a friends home and you register this as your post address. You just always need a way to receive mail. But of course you can work from anywhere you want. I'm registered in Belgium and work from all over the world, as long as I pay my taxes and social security in Belgium, that's no problem.
@@Freelanceverse thank you. I'm a newbie with the legal field. I was used to the old system, working for a company and paying taxes through your country of residence. Basic and easy, now as I am my own boss it is a bit more complicated 😅. I currently live in France, studying in the UK and going to move to Brussels in a few years 🤪 What if I register in France first, can you "export" your status or do you need to start over 🤔 In my case I still pay my taxes in France. I don't want to be stuck between both system.
Thanks for this complete list of tips 😀
As for myself, I've just completed another translation internship and am now diving entirely into the freelance world in Switzerland. I've just received my official status as freelancer and will start next week working on a big translation job that will occupy me during December and January, and I'll also be working with the Swiss Confederation in the year 2022. So plans and perspectives are looking good, at least for a start, and I'm really looking forward to developing my skills and business 😁 Hopefully your channel will give me many useful tips !
Wowww amazing! Congrats! 🤩 What are your language combinations?
It's very comforting watching this video after having completed all those steps more than a year ago. It was the best decision in my life to start freelancing - I love the freedom and I never want to be an employee again. Also, I had quite a lot of luck. I don't have a business background but everything went perfectly smooth. Also because I translate from 5 source languages. Thanks for you videos 😊
Wow 5 source languages!! That's impressive :) Yes of course, luck is always involved. But I'm convinced that you can force that luck as well to an extent. Keep it going
@@Freelanceverse but it's a bit cheating: three of those are Scandinavian ones :D
Thank you, I'll do my best ✌️
Woow ! What languages do you speak?
@@denecheraniayasmine356 Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch and English. German is my mother tongue :) I also speak Polish and Spanish but not enough to translate.
@@TR-qu9ty that's really impressive 👏✨ I speak English and Turkish. Arabic is my mother tongue
Thank you for such a detailed road map. It does seem hectic when you just starting out.
My pleasure!
Thank you for the video! 🙂 Really helpful! Please do a video about registering and taxes has a freelancer. I am also in The Netherlands and have been pondering doing freelancing translations here and would be helpful to hear the insight of what to expect from a perspective of someone that has already been through this process! 🙏🙂
Awesome, will add it to the list :)
Another great video! As someone who has only started out in the last couple of years, there is some really valuable advice in here for people about to embark on their journey. Hope you're feeling better!
Thanks so much, Suzie! Glad I got the points right :)
You are so thorough and give such a great picture of what it is like to be in your industry. As I look into options for myself, this has been gold! Thank you!!
Oh thank you, Morgan, that is so kind!
the hero we all need but the hero we don't deserve 🙌
lol thank you!
This video right here is pure gold
♥️♥️♥️
Thanks to you and your advice I feel very confident that I will succeed in my freelance career. I am planning on registering in January, and I am currently working on my portfolio, while offering volunteer translations in order to gain more experience. Thank you for helping us, the freelance beginners!
Amazing! Sounds like youre doing great, Bianca! Good luck
Hi Bianca!
Where are you volunteering? I also want to volunteer, I’m new to this:(
I'm really enjoying watching your videos
Thank you very much Norah :)
Vielen Dank dafür, sehr hilfreich.
Danke für den Support :)
I WATCHED IT NOW IN 2024 BUT I FEEL THE ADVICES STILL APPLICABLE.
That's great to hear :)
I'd love a video on how to register as a freelancer!!
alright then :) thanks for the feedback!
first time here!! great content!🤝🔥
Welcome and thank you :)
Thanks for watching everyone! :) When will you start your journey?
Thanks for this video!!! I realize I have been overlooking and overthinking the way of how to actually start. So far I have within this 6 months of no income, I have:
-created my portfolio/website
-signed up for platforms you recommended such as people per hour.
-created a better network on LinkedIn by attending free webinar meetings
-started using more of my proz account
-signed up for newsletters from translation sites
-learn from the best UA-camr ever (you)
Hopefully by next year I can actually gain clients.
♥️🏆
I just decided to set a deadline to start for real in January, thanks to you!:) I didn't dare to set a deadline up until now.
I am currently part-time searching for a job in Brussels and part-time trying to start as a freelancer (German and English to Hungarian), after completing a postgraduate programme in translation. I can already check some of those boxes but I still need to work on it a lot. I am struggling the most to find voluntary work to have some references but I decided to invest in a CIOL membership and I hope it will give me a good start. Do you think it is a good idea to start off with the Belgian non-profit organisation Smart instead of an own VAT number (if you know them)?
Also, is there a freelance-translator community here in Belgium that meets on a regular basis?
Amazing, Krisztina!! :) thanks for the comments and good luck! There is a facebook group called Translators in Belgium. They do meet sometimes I think. I haven't joined them yet though. I'm always up for grabbing a coffee though if you want to talk about starting out :) CIOL membership is a great start, that will give you very valuable connections. Uhmm I have met plenty of people that work with SMART, me personally I never did. Apparently it makes sense to start out with SMART until you make like 20K or so a year. Afterwards, the fees are getting way too high. In my opinion, I wouldn't work with them, because it's part of the job to figure all these things out and I don't want to give anyone unnecessary money haha. Also, when I moved to Belgium, my business was already up and running and I was well over this treshhold so it didn't make sense for me. I think it's more worth your time and money to hire your own accountant once you got the ball rolling. If you are on LinkedIn, we can connect there and maybe grab a coffee once. Take care, Adrian
Please make a video about your personal experience as a translator in the Netherlands! It would be incredibly useful 😃
Alright, I'll add it to the list :)
Oh my God, Adrian, your videos touch me so much, I've passed the last following days looking for it. Sometimes I want to give up the freelance translation job because I don't find my count on it But your videos motivate me. But when I'm on a field it's another things, it's not that I don't have clients , I have it, I work with some agencies but they don't provide jobs, I don't know why. I sometimes tell to myself that there's no anymore job in translation because of AI . you know, maybe agencies themselves use AI to gain more and delete the work of translators(linguist), that's why I'm so intrigued to see people like you who live with translation online... Big up to you Adrian, but my question for you will be,... Please how can I do so that the agencies remember about me?
How to know if there's a job, because you know, you can't chase something that you don't see.
Thank you very much Adrian and best regards.
Thanks so much for the positive feedback!! That's exactly what I'm here for; to motivate :) and to show that you can definitely make a sustainable career out of it. I know that luck is needed, but it can also be forced with clever decisions and approaches. There is definitely still enough jobs next to AI, probably even more through AI-generated jobs :) So don't give up, keep going, keep being creative! With agencies it's really important that you're there when they need you. The easiest way to get in somewhere is when their usual freelancers are busy or are on holiday. That's why it's great to work over christmas and other holidays in the first years. A lot of agencies are struggling to find available personnel in this time, so if you are out there and available, it could be your in. Also don't be afraid to reach out to them and telling them that you will be available during this and this period.
Your video is so interesting. Since last year, I've decided to become a technical translator and I'm actually following a (French) Licence d'anglais métiers de la traduction and this year should be my last one. If everything goes well, in june next year, I should start as a freelance but I'm so afraid. I don't really know where to start.
That's an amazing plan. If you follow the tips from this video, you should be better prepared :) make sure not to wait too long until you start building the groundwork
I really like your videos thank's a million your amazing advice.
Thank you Felipe! :)
Merci beaucoup pour tous tes conseils, t'es le meilleur :)
Merci! :)
Thank you so much!!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Hi Adrian, thanks for all your videos and your channel, it's really helping me with getting into the freelance translation world.
I am working on a Mac but notice that many programs only work on a Mac, like MemoQ. What's your experience with working on a Mac vs. Windows software?
Thank you 😊
Hi Eline, thanks for reaching out. I've never worked with a Mac, one of the reasons has also always been CAT tools and other software I'm using. If you want to be safe, I'd not get a Mac otherwise you'll have to find a workaround.
Hi, thanks for the content. I was wondering, have you got a price letter that you send over with your cv or do you negotiate prices ? I have always negotiated, but I can't help but thinking it would be more professional to have a letter when negotiating? Any thoughts please. Thank you
Hi Beca, I dont have a price letter, I negotiate every single time. Honestly, projects and clients can vary so much, I have different conditions for almlst all of my clients. A price letter wouldnt work.
Yet another great video, both for beginners and for experts who find their ways by shortcuts :) I would like to be able to reach you via email for several questions I have in regards to subtitling. Thank you for bringing such quality videos. Your Albanian virtual friend.
Amazing, thank you so much 🏆
Wow, you've given me so much to think about! What did you say your language combination was?
Amazing!! :) EN/FR > DE. What are yours?
@@Freelanceverse My combination is ES>EN. Do you think this is enough for me to live a comfortable full-time life as a freelance translator or is this combination too saturated?? Currently I am training to be a ESL teacher but eventually I want to do freelance translation and possibly freelance interpreting. New subscriber by the way! 🙃😉
Hello dear I have been following you for a while now, I'm a french linguistics graduate from Morocco I've been trying to get in the freelance translation world but I'm being asked to provide a certificate or degree in the field most of time I can do Arabic, French, and English translation and tend to be more in the IT translation like you I don't know how to figure it out It would be of a great help from you if you can help me out thanks In advance
Hi Mohamed, yes a degree would definitely help you to get into it. Is there a way for you to get a degree somehow? Maybe in an online course.
how well paid are portuguese speakers that translate to icelandic? what are the best languages to translate from and to icelandic?
I would say English and the Nordic languages are probably in most demand for Icelandic translations. They tend to be paid quite highly per job, but maybe there is not enough demand to build a regular stream of work.
@@Freelanceverse Thanks for the insightful reply, i apreciate what you are doing!
Hey Adrian! Great video as always 😊 I have a question regarding digital skills for aspiring translators. What are the essential digital skills a translator should possess in your opinion? I am planning to apply for a Masters in translation in a couple of years and since I don't have any particular digital skills/certifications I was wondering how to remedy that and make myself a better candidate (and of course translator!). For example, is a "basic" certification like ecdl any useful or necessary? Or should I look into something a bit more specialized?
Hi there, great question! I'm filming a Q&A this weekend for the channel, do you mind if I use this question for the video and answer it there? :)
Not at all, I will be looking forward to hearing your answer and I hope others find it helpful as well! Thank you 😊
Yes I am very interested if you would be so kind to provide guidance for freelancer.
It's a bit complicated 😕, when you are registered in one country, can you work in another? What do you need to make it legal in both countries....
Not starting in 2022 though, I am at university for 2 years before going through this new adventure.
Hi Mel, good question! What you need to make sure is that you are registered as a freelancer in the country where you're "center of living" is. That can be quite vague, but if you - let's say - rent a flat somewhere, it gets pretty obvious that this is your center of living. If you don't have any residence and are a digital nomad, then you can maybe argue that your center of living is at your parents home or a friends home and you register this as your post address. You just always need a way to receive mail. But of course you can work from anywhere you want. I'm registered in Belgium and work from all over the world, as long as I pay my taxes and social security in Belgium, that's no problem.
@@Freelanceverse thank you.
I'm a newbie with the legal field.
I was used to the old system, working for a company and paying taxes through your country of residence.
Basic and easy, now as I am my own boss it is a bit more complicated 😅.
I currently live in France, studying in the UK and going to move to Brussels in a few years 🤪
What if I register in France first, can you "export" your status or do you need to start over 🤔
In my case I still pay my taxes in France. I don't want to be stuck between both system.
Hey, where can i translate and get paid.
The best way is to find agency and direct clients all around the world :)
Dude I love your stuff and you as a person BUT that sweater has to go bro. 😀
Haha what??? I love this sweater, definitely stays! :D
@@Freelanceverse Aight bro, it looks comfy though. :)
For sure, gives me holiday vibes. Perfect for a hungover Sunday 😅