Poll: Early-career language professionals should focus mostly on ... מפרסם התגובה: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Early-career language professionals should focus mostly on ...".
View the poll results »
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1. Improving language proficiency
2. Learning to use translation tools/software
3. Marketing
4. Deciding on either developing knowledge in a range of subjects or specializing in a specific industry or field
5. Everything in between…
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| ...should focus mostly on... | Jul 28 |
...other sources of income (e.g. becoming a language teacher, being married with a husband with an income sufficient for two persons, focus on a carrier as an interpreter or as a lecturer for future language professionals who better should focus mostly on (see above)...
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... realising they have a made a dreadful mistake, and finding another way to make a living.
There's nothing wrong with having it as part of an ongoing portfolio, of course, but I really don't see anyone in their 20s being able to make enough money solely from translating from now until retirement.
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They have to realize that they're business people, not artists, and that their business is translation.
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Lieven Malaise
בלגיה
Local time: 00:24
חבר (2020)
מצרפתית להולנדית
+ ...
... building up experience through an inhouse position.
And after that:
1) accept as many translations from as many specialization areas as possible.
2) endless repeat.
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There is no one thing you need to be focussing on, you need to focus on all the things if you are going to be successful (if success is even possible any more).
Mostly my advice would be to go and do something with more of a future. Or at least, go and do something else for a while - this will help your translation and give you more options.
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| Based on this site… | 08:49 |
… losing the attitude.
Mind you, I was the same.
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Lieven Malaise
בלגיה
Local time: 00:24
חבר (2020)
מצרפתית להולנדית
+ ...
Provided you've built up a few years of experience inhouse or by starting as a parttime translator (personal opinion: getting straight into the fulltime freelancing business is a terrible idea):
- Ignore these forums
It's a depressing place with advice all over the place, meaning it's mostly worthless for people who are looking for more or less clear answers.
Find your own way. I can only be happy that I didn't get involved with Proz earlier than 4 years ag... See more Provided you've built up a few years of experience inhouse or by starting as a parttime translator (personal opinion: getting straight into the fulltime freelancing business is a terrible idea):
- Ignore these forums
It's a depressing place with advice all over the place, meaning it's mostly worthless for people who are looking for more or less clear answers.
Find your own way. I can only be happy that I didn't get involved with Proz earlier than 4 years ago. If I would have read all this doom and gloom nonsense when I just started out, I would probably have shot myself.
Running a freelance business isn't rocket science: you establish an acceptable rate (use the internet, ask for quotes if you have to) and you start hitting agencies and direct clients at will through the proper channels with the proper, flawless communication (if you need any advice on this, go do something else). Then you deliver quality work again and again. Of course you also need commercial feeling, knowhing how low or how high you can set your rates, knowing how to properly communicate with people in a business environment, etcetera), but that's somehting you already have or never will have.
(Disclaimer: yes, I'm aware of the fact that I just gave advice while stating that any advice on these forums is more or less worthless 😂) ▲ Collapse
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Christopher Schröder wrote:
… losing the attitude.
Mind you, I was the same.
She's priceless. Masters in Basket Weaving but hasn't researched the likely revenue per basket, nor been taught, it now emerges, the tools almost every basketweaver uses, and doesn't know that in many markets, no-one uses baskets any more anyway.
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Luis M. Sosa 
אקוודור
Local time: 17:24
חבר (2018)
מאנגלית לספרדית
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starters/younger members are reading this(these) poll(s).
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