How long did it take you to build your freelance career?

linguistceviri

Rushing into a business could end up badly. So I think most of us analyzing the business before engage in, at least doing research. With its pros and cons any one make a decision of whether starting up bussiness or not. But long or short, a preparation period is needed to brace ourselves for business. For example skills and knowledge to be developed, gaining a clear understanding for business take some time. It took about one year for me. I have specified three main focal points and got started to focus on these points. These vital points were; deciding my area(s) of expertise according to my knowledge and experience and studying at these areas, learning to use MT Technologies, being well-known in translation community. These were my initial goals and musts. And what’s your story on the way to become a freelance translator.
All my best.

eleonorang

linguistceviri Thanks for sharing your experience, Sertaç!
I've got to admit I didn't have all these vital points 100% cleared up when I started. I did choose which areas and clients to focus on, but actually, some of the jobs and clients and experiences I've encountered on my path also shaped the way I went ? After my first year as a freelancer I was more confident and better informed and for a while now I, and not fate, have been the one making decisions here ?

linguistceviri

That is an another way of learning eleonorang. Learning through experiences. I am sure this kind of learning leaves a lasting impact and has got an accelerator effect on learning. That's better since someone learns right and wrong cases by practising.

ninadepalma

Hmm... Personally, I invested one academic year in a graduate program that taught me a lot about translation but ultimately didn't prepare me at all for freelancing. So I wasn't able to make as good use of that year as I'd hoped.

Still, since I've graduated in May I've made loads of progress. Do I feel established or comfortable? No, not at all. Am I making enough to pay the bills? Erm, sort of. ?

What I did do a few months after graduating was sign up for an online course about establishing yourself as a freelance translator. It was worth the investment (it was one of the less-expensive options out there). It got me to check some daunting things off my to-do list: creating a website, giving my business a name, emailing hundreds of agencies, deciding what my target rates are...

I guess this response has been kind of ramble-y. That's probably because I'm still in my first year of freelancing and don't feel very established yet!