How to make money translating inexperienced texts

Have you ever considered making money translating texts from home? If apart from Spanish you have a good knowledge of English or other languages, working as an online translator (even without having experience), can be a good alternative to generate income on the Internet in a relatively simple way and without investment.

In addition, working as a freelance translator has the great advantage that at no time are you tied to any physical place, since it is a task that can be done from anywhere and with a flexible schedule and adapted to your needs. You just need a computer and an Internet connection and voila, you decide when and how!

However, before you start looking for translator jobs it is important that you know some relevant aspects to start off on the right foot, as well as some tips that will help you improve your performance. So, I invite you to continue reading to discover the keys to this interesting way to earn money online

Working as a translator from home

If I have learned anything in the more than six years that I have been working in different internet businesses, it is that you should not rule out any way to make money from home no matter how simple or unprofitable it may seem. For example, I never imagined that the polling industry (which I initially hated), would give me such good results.

For this reason, if at the moment you have certain doubts about whether the work of online translator is worth it or not,in the following lines it is possible that they dissipated definitively for multiple reasons. First of all, you must bear in mind that we live in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world.

The real opportunities are on the Internet, something that both companies and online entrepreneurs know all too well, who, inexorably, need the services of multiple professionals to grow their projects. One of these services is the translation of texts, something vital to increase your target audience.

On the other hand, as has happened in other work sectors in recent years, the work of translator has become something totally detached from fixed schedules or physical or static workplaces, being currently a job that is done almost 100% remotely.

For that reason, with just a computer and an Internet connection, you can work translating texts for anyone who requests it (multimedia companies, websites of all kinds, online stores, video producers, content creators on blogs or YouTube channels, etc.). What do you think?

However, before you start your journey in this interesting sector, it is important that you take into account some important details. I detail them below

Tips for working as an inexperienced translator

Although the following tips are valid for anyone working in this sector, they are especially useful for inexperienced people who want to start offering their services and /or translation jobs in the best possible way and without making the typical beginner mistakes.

1.- Register as a self-employed worker

As I will show you later, working as an online translator can bring you quite high income, so if you want to avoid problems with the Tax Agency of your country, it is more than advisable to register in the self-employed workers regime before starting.

If you live in Spain, this little guide can help you, although ideally you should contact a good tax advisor.

2.- Take care of your profiles on social networks

If you really want to become a true professional of online translations, you need to have a suitable profile on the most important social networks. Apart from the most popular ones such as Facebook and Twitter, it is important that you have registered a professional profile on Linkedin.

This platform is ideal for other people and companies to get to know you and establish a good network of contacts with other professionals in your sector (or others). Although at first it does not seem so, with this professional social network you can obtain great synergies and commercial relationships over time.

3.- Discover pages and services for freelance translators

On the Internet you will find many platforms where you have the possibility to offer your services as a freelance translator, although you must be careful and choose only those that are really serious and reliable. Unfortunately, there is also fraud and fraud in this sector.

However, in order not to waste time searching for sites, I have prepared a small list with the most popular platforms to make money translating safely and smoothly. A little further down you will find it

4.- Establish a budget

Contrary to what happens with most online professions (where you earn a fixed salary or earn based on the hours worked), the work of translator from home is measured in words,that is, that your fees will be based on the number of words you have translated.

For that reason, it is more than advisable to do a previous investigation of the prices set by other translators and establish your own, which must be competitive and according to your experience and quality when translating.

The best places to make money translating on the Internet

The vast majority of jobs you can do from home do not need a career or university degree to be able to do them, which is a great advantage for people who do not have studies but great skills in a wide variety of fields.

Working as an online translator is no exception in this regard, making it a very attractive profession for hundreds of people with great knowledge and command of several languages but who do not have any academic certification that proves it. If that's your case, congratulations!

On the other hand, you should know that there is a wide variety of sites where you can generate income by translating texts online, although in the following lines I will focus mainly on those that are specifically focused on this type of employment.

1.- Gengo, the best page to work as a translator

In my opinion, Gengo is the best Spanish language platform to make money translating texts online. It is a highly proven site that has been in operation since 2008, being currently a global platform with thousands of projects available daily.

The working interface has ostensibly improved in recent years and it is no longer only possible to work from the computer, but you can do it without any problem from your mobile phone and even the tablet. The work environment is unbeatable and offers a very pleasant experience to both professionals and beginners.

To start working on this platform you have to follow the following steps:

Access the official website and create a 100% free account.
Take the two-part translation test to demonstrate your level in the languages you have indicated.
After a few days, you will receive an email with the approval or denial of your request.
In the case of being accepted, you can start translating from the first moment.

As for the charges for your work, you will receive them immediately in your account balance once you have completed them. From there, you can withdraw the money to your PayPal or Payoneer account. Payments by Gengo are processed on the 10th and 25th of each month.

On the other hand, if you consider that you have enough level to carry out more demanding translation work, you can try to pass the PRO exam and, with it, have access to more elaborate projects and with much higher rates.

2.- Tomedes, online translator work in English

If you want to work as an online translator, mastering the English language is practically mandatory, so a page like Tomedes is undoubtedly another great opportunity to earn income in this sector. Like Gengo, it is another highly reputable site where thousands of freelancers from different countries work.

However, you should keep in mind that this platform is quite demanding when it comes to accepting new translators, since its objective is focused on the highest quality translation to satisfy the more than 75,000 clients it currently has, many of which are companies that are part of the Fortune 500

Also, Tomedes is an official and selected partner of Google and Android, so you can get an idea of the level of the site we are talking about.

3.- One Hour Translation, online translator in full swing

This translation platform has grown dramatically in recent years and currently has more than 25,000 translators (here called BLENDers). If you're a translator, broadcaster, language expert, or content creator, you can join their team by following these steps:

Go to the official website and click on the Become a Translatorsection.
Take the mandatory exam to work as an online translator.
Wait for the web staff to review your exam.
In the case of being accepted, you will receive a certification.
Start working.

The hiring process to recruit new translators is sometimes on hold for some language pairs,so you should be patient if you are not picked the first time. However, you can try as many times as you want.

As for the payment rate, it will depend on the target language and the type of content (general text versus more technical). For example, a Chinese translation → English on a complex subject will always pay much better than a Spanish → English translation of a normal text.

On the other hand, all the information about the profits you will get for each job, you will see reflected in the dashboard of your account, so you will always know how much you are going to earn before you start (something very useful to decide if you should perform a task or not) 😉

As for the payment methods that the platform supports, they are currently PayPal, credit card and bank transfer.

4.- Unbabel, a community for multilingual people

Unbabel is an artificial intelligence-driven language operations platform that allows any agent to communicate in any language. The platform has been running for several years and, among its customers, you can find companies as important as Logitech, Microsoft or Panasonic 😮

The first step to start making money translating texts on this page is to access the registration form for translators. Next, you need to select the languages you master from the drop-down menu. If you can't see your languages there, it's because they're not supported or because they're closed for registration at the time.

The platform operates with what's called language pairs (well, really all platforms operate like that). They do this that way because translation works in one direction, and while it's perfectly possible that you can work with translations the other way around, you'll have to demonstrate it as a separate skill.

For example, if you have the ability to translate from English to Italian, it doesn't necessarily mean you can translate from Italian to English. As for payment rates, they can vary quite a bit depending on your skill and/or experience. For example, if you are a beginner you can earn around 8 dollars per hour.

Payments are received through PayPal and Payoneer starting at as little as $20, so it's relatively easy to start charging within a few days of signing up. As an important fact, if you want to receive the money through PayPal, you must register with an email that is linked to this payment processor.

Finally, Unbabel has its own official mobile application, so you have the option to work comfortably from anywhere with the same features you'll find in the computer version.

5.- Translator Base, jobs for freelance translators

Translatorsbase.com is a translation market where people with translation skills in several languages, can create an online presence, apply for work, share knowledge and collaborate on a multitude of projects for numerous companies and renowned clients.

One of the highlights of this platform is its payout rate, which can reach $0.16 per word in some language pairs, that is, $16 per 100 words. That's more than fine!

It is true that for the most common language pairs (Spanish → English, for example), the rate is much lower ($0.09 per word), something that happens everywhere. On the other hand, within the "Find Work" section you will find all the works available in real time with their respective language pairs.

To be taken into account

As you have seen, to work in the aforementioned companies you will always have to pass a small test to demonstrate your level with the languages you have indicated. However, if you really handle these languages fluently, you will have no problem overcoming it

Other pages to make money translating

The pages I've shown you above are considered the best at the moment, which does not mean by any means that there are no other places where you can take advantage of your skills as an online translator. Some of the most interesting are the following:

• TextMaster: Online translation agency of recognized quality created in 2011 and with support in Spanish.

• Lionbridge: Platform with more than 20 years of experience and present in more than 5,000 cities around the world.

• LanguageLine: Company focused on translation by telephone, so it is a good opportunity if you prefer to work orally instead of written.

• Tethras: Company that provides a mobile application translation service, something increasingly demanded by programmers and app developers.

• Fiverr: Although it is not a specific translation platform (since you can earn income by offering your services in multiple professions), you can also earn money by translating and, in addition, without having to pass any test exam. You can find more information about it here.

• Netflix: Who doesn't know the biggest producer of series and movies of the moment? Due to the incredible growth it has had in recent years, it has launched a service to hire online translators to be able to carry out the work of writing subtitles in the audios of its productions.

As is evident, to have access to this job you will have to pass a rather demanding test, but if you succeed, you will be working for one of the companies with the most future in the entertainment sector. What an opportunity!

How much money can be made by translating?

Obviously, this is very difficult to quantify because it will depend on so many factors. For example, just being a beginner in this world will make your income much lower than those of a professional, especially because of the practice when working on this type of platform.

On the other hand, it is not the same to carry out translation work from Spanish to English (which has more supply than demand), than from English to German (with much more demand than supply). Likewise, the workload you want to bear and the time you are willing to spend,will also mark the income you will receive.

For example, in pages like Gengo you can calculate more or less the profits that you can get through its online calculator, although you should only take it as an estimate and in no case as something definitive.

Anyway, if you are a person who is willing to spend all his time working as a translator from home, you can get a slight idea of the money you can earn taking into account the following considerations:

The average number of words translated in a day is usually around 2,000. At first they will be much less and, as you gain experience, they will be more, but 2,000 is a realistic figure.
The average price charged by most freelancers is $0.10 per word.

From there, if your dedication is going to be full-time (at least 8 hours a day from Monday to Friday), and you are lucky enough to have work available all the time (something difficult at first), you can earn 800 $ per month without any problem.

However, this figure can vary considerably upwards or downwards. For example, if you have never worked as a translator it is complicated (although not impossible) that you reach that figure in the first few months. However, if you take experience and specialize in certain languages, you can reach $ 2,500 per month.

I have not taken this figure out of my sleeve, since it is exactly what a friend of mine who is fully dedicated to online translation earns and who has helped me write this post.

How to make yourself known as a freelance translator

Although the easiest way to work as an online translator is to access the aforementioned pages and offer your services there, you will not always find work because of the wide range of people who, like you, try to enter these sites to start making money translating from their homes.

So, regardless of whether you have managed to enter any of them and if you have started to generate your first income, it is important to take the initiative and publicize your services in the maximum possible means. That way, you will get the companies that require your work, go to you (and not the other way around).

However, before venturing into spamming or any other undesirable practice, it is important that you follow these recommendations to give a serious and professional image 😎

1.- Create a blog or a web page

The best way to publicize your work and your services is through your own blog or website, so, although it is not essential, it is highly recommended that you have it from the beginning. Just follow these steps and in a few minutes you will have it going.

In addition, a blog can offer you another series of advantages that no other means can offer you, such as the empowerment of your personal brand, the exposure of your resume in a striking way and the monetization of all your content.

2.- Check your spelling

As good as you are as a translator, if when it comes to contacting a person or company you make misspellings, you can forget about getting a job. Similarly, if you have a blog or a website, you should carefully review each of your articles and / or texts.

3.- Personalize your messages and do not spam

A very common mistake that almost all online entrepreneurs make, is to send emails and messages everywhere to make themselves known as quickly as possible. This is considered spam by almost everyone and will never give you good results.

So, you should only focus on sending messages to those companies and companies that may really be interested in your services. Similarly, do not leave messages on all social networks as well, but take the time to find people and communities focused on translation.

Also, do not use predefined messages to contact companies through email, but spend a few minutes to find the basic information of the company to, in this way, be able to build a fully personalized message where a true professional interest is intimated.

4.- Do not exaggerate your resume

As I mentioned above, any serious translation company will test you to check your skills with the languages you have indicated, so it makes no sense for you to lie in this aspect with the intention of finding a job.

Rest assured that you will be caught at the first change and, on top of that, you will be bad.

Opinions about making money translating on the Internet

Few skills have the ability to open doors to the world of work as quickly as mastery of multiple languages. In addition, with the advent of globalization, the Internet and social networks, the profession of translator is more booming than ever. Translators are needed everywhere!

Owners of web portals, developers of mobile applications, content creators and companies of all kinds, need the services of someone who translates their texts with a fairly clear objective: to reach a target audience much wider than that of their own country.

In addition, unlike other types of activities much less profitable, the work of online translator is quite well paid. It is clear that in no case are you going to get rich, but a monthly bonus can get you out perfectly and even live from it if you do it full time.

You can also combine the task of translating texts with other forms of monetization such as writing,especially at the beginning, when more than anything you will be gaining experience and the volume of work will not be enough to complete a full working day.

In short, once again it is demonstrated that the Internet is a sea of opportunities to find work and generate income through multiple ways. The one who doesn't find something, it's because he hasn't searched enough, don't you think?

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How to make money translating inexperienced texts

How to make money translating inexperienced texts