What is the best way to become a freelance translator?

Dear Samar, if you ask about becoming a freelance translator so I suppose you have passion for this profession. Passion, is a great start for any work. Then, you need to practice, translate any document, especially those challenging translations which make you gain more experience.

You have to have a daily schedule, working hours and full respect for deadlines. Begin with low prices until you make your "name" on the market.

If you think you are good in legal translation for example, focus on this field, practice as much as you can. 

Wish you all the best, have a nice day,

Eslam

Below are tips on how to become a freelance translator:

• Be realistic. When you're looking for a full-time job, all you need is one offer. To work full-time or close to it as a translator, you need a sizeable list of regular clients. Unless you have very marketable skills in an in-demand language pair, it may take a year or more until you are working full time. In my case, I contacted about400 translation agencies (not a typo) over the course of my first year in business, and it was about18 months until I was earning an amount equivalent to my previous full time job.
• Never quit marketing. Once you have steady work, it's tempting to think that agencies will keep contacting you, freeing you from the hassle of contacting new prospective clients and touching base with previous contacts. However, this is a bad assumption. Work flows go up and down, agencies go out of business, the project manager who loves you quits and is replaced by someone who brings in his/her own person, etc. Plus, you never know when an "out of nowhere" project offer will be perfect for you, and/or allow you to raise your rates. Even though I usually have about as much work as I can handle, I still send my resume to3-5 new agencies per week just to keep the ball rolling. Recently, one of these agencies (in Europe) contacted me with a multi-thousand dollar project because I was the only U.S.-based French to English translator in their database, and a client wanted a project translated into U.S. English.
• Don't ignore the local market, especially if you present yourself better in person than on paper. My first clients, who I still work for today, were local agencies who I contacted and offered to meet with to show them a portfolio of my work. Check the yellow pages or Internet under "translators and interpreters." Even if the agencies say that they don't hire beginners or don't have work in your language pair, go visit them anyway and find out what they do. You'll understand more about what your potential clients want, and they'll know you for when your skills are more in line with their needs.
• Join some associations. The American Translators Association and its local chapters (a list is available on the ATA website, or Google "translators your state," replacing "your state" with your actual state) are a great way to establish your seriousness as a translator, and to meet other translators.
• Ask for advice. While it's somewhat risky to contact a translator in your own language pair for risk of sounding like you're trying to swoop in on his/her clients, most translators enjoy their work and like to talk about their jobs and how they got started. A freelancers group I'm in (for women only) has a tradition called "Take a successful woman to lunch," where an aspiring translator/writer/web designer/artist, etc. offers to buy lunch for a more experienced person in exchange for a conversation about the profession.
• Orient your resume toward translation. Especially for people who are native speakers of a language other than English and have specialized professional skills, this is key. Highlight specific skills right away, such as "Spanish-bilingual software specialist," "Native speaker of Arabic with mechanical engineering background," etc. rather than expecting the agency or client to see that you have these capabilities.
• Offer services that more experienced translators probably don't. The translation industry is booming, and many experienced translators with a full house of regular clients don't have a financial need to work nights, weekends, rush jobs, etc. Make it clear to prospective clients that you can fill in in a pinch, and be willing to actually do this!
• Get certified. Certification by the American Translators Association isn't a must, but can lead to a big increase in business as the credential becomes more recognized. In my case this happened when, shortly after I passed the certification exam in French to English, an agency I work with was requested by a major client to use only certified translators on certain projects.
• Be realistic about your earning potential. While translation is definitely well-paying as compared with other careers that allow you to work from home in your pajamas on projects that are often very interesting, remember that25-40% of your income as a freelancer will go to things that your employer normally pays for when you have a full time job. Most people count in the biggies- taxes, health insurance, retirement plan contributions and vacation/personal/sick time, but over the years other expenses like dictionaries, office equipment, continuing education and professional travel add up too. Over the course of the8 years I worked full time, my employer paid for tens of thousands of dollars of "extra" stuff like this, including half the tuition for my M.A. degree, a laptop computer and two trips to France. These days, I spend about a thousand dollars a year just to attend the annual conference of the American Translators Association, plus various other workshops. Remember also that the time it takes to do non-translation activities like marketing, networking, accounting, collections, billing, updating computer systems, even cleaning your office, is "off the clock." For all of these reasons, even if you work40 hours a week, it may be more realistic to plan on billing no more than25 hours a week.
• Find the economic advantages to freelancing. As a corollary to the tip above, freelancing is far from all bad news when it comes to earnings. You may be able to take significant tax deductions for business related expenses, unlike when you have a salaried job (talk to a tax professional about this). Furthermore, if you work from home you won't be paying commuting expenses, lunch out, work clothes, etc. Depending on your particular situation, there may be even bigger hidden benefits. In my case, I have a small child; if I worked30 hours a week at an employer's office, I would need at least35 hours of child care to cover work and commute time, and the preschool my daughter attends charges $9 an hour. As a freelancer, I'm able to work about30 hours a week with15 hours of child care by making up the rest of the time at night or when my child is with my husband or a friend. Even if I needed to pay for more child care, working from home opens up the option of using a less expensive option, for example a teenager who can play outside with my child while I work inside. This savings alone, plus the additional time to spend with the family, makes freelancing a very attractive option if you have small kids.
• Keep in touch. As you apply to agencies, keep a file of the person you talked to or e-mailed with, and what his or her response was to your inquiry. As you get more experience, periodically contact these people again to let them know a) you're still there and b) you have some new projects to tell them about.
• Show an interest in the profession. Once you explore the tip of the translation iceberg, you'll be amazed at the number of translation-related websites, magazines and newsletters out there. Contributing to them allows you to both educate yourself and present yourself as someone who's really passionate about the industry, not just someone who likes to work in your pajamas!
• Never (never) take on work you can't handle. Especially in a small community of translators and translation consumers, the surest way to sabotage your emerging freelance business is to take on something that's too technical, too long, or too complex. Clients will appreciate your honesty and use you for projects that you can handle. Sometimes this involves protecting clients from hiring you for work that *they* think that you can do, such as translating into your second (third, etc) language. Politely explain that this work is best handled by a native speaker of that language and offer a referral.
• Keep your clients happy. While this could be an article in itself (when I have time!) it's worthy of mention. Finish every project on time and on budget, and NEVER miss a deadline without notifying a client as soon as you realize that despite your good planning, the project won't be done on time. Return all phone calls and e-mails as soon as you can, always within one business day. When you're not available, help solve the client's problem by referring them to a colleague. In all of your dealings with your clients, remain professional. When you encounter a problem, it hurts to have your skills or qualifications questioned, but remember that the client is already in high-anxiety mode if they're not happy with your work, and you need to remain calm rather than making the client more upset. Probably one of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is "don't hold onto your clients by charging less, hold onto your clients by charging more and proving that you're worth it." Of course there are some agencies and direct clients who only care about getting the work done for one cent per word cheaper than the last translator they used, but most clients care just as much about quality as they do about price. Keeping a good relationship with the client and doing outstanding work proves to them that often, you get the level of service you pay for.

I need help with that too.

It might be easy to assume that if you can speak two languages you can be a translator, but of course, it’s never that simple! You have to be able to write as well. Have a look at our section on freelance copywriting and you’ll see what we mean when it comes to writing properly. As a translator you can’t just translate ‘word for word’ as what you end up with might make no sense at all. You have to look at the meaning of the text and to make changes where necessary, so that it reads well, but still says what the original writer meant it to say.

On top of that, if you’re translating documents which are very industry-specific – for example something IT-related - you have to have knowledge of that particular industry if you’re going to make a good job of it. If you don't know the finer detail of Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Lines (ADSL) and Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) in English, you don’t stand much chance in a foreign language!

To become a freelance translator you’ll need a significant amount of translation experience, excellent language skills and ideally a degree in translation as well. So, assuming that you have all of this, what comes next? 

Many translators start off doing a little freelance work in their spare time whilst still holding onto a full time job. If you’re doing this or thinking of doing this it’s probably a good idea to have a chat with an accountant as there may be tax implications you should be considering and maybe also allowances you aren’t taking advantage of.

It's depended because it's translation but how can I find your project.  

I like Adeeb Haddad's plan. I would add that you should create profiles on websites for translators such as Translator's Cafe, Proz and the Arab Translators Network.

Participate in the forums and when you do not know something, do not be afraid to ask. Remember, it is healthy when there are differences in opinion; and there is always someone better than you out there. That being said, make sure you do not get caught up in discussions that are not translation related. Just as easy as it is to make friends, it is easy to make enemies.

Finally, I have learned a lot more practicing translation and consulting my online colleagues, than what I studied in the faculty. Cherish them and help them when they need you because, and believe me, you will need them.

I hope this helps!

One of the most appealing things about becoming a freelance translator is the freedom and flexibility that comes with it. Of course, freelancing has its own set of challenges, time managementbeing one of them, but we thought it might be wise to backtrack a bit and provide some food for thought to those who are interested in becoming freelance translators, but haven’t yet taken the plunge.

1. Don’t quit your day job just yet

2. Put together an informal business plan

Don’t let “business plan” intimidate you. Yours doesn’t have to be complicated. Just keep in mind that freelance translating is a business venture, so it’s best to think of yourself as a business owner—not simply a linguistic athlete.

For example: Say you want to be a court interpreter. The first thing you need to do is determine the supply and demand of the market and then compare that potential revenue stream to your immediate (and long-term) financial needs. 

3. Find an accountant

This is the most important step, finding your first accounts, getting good reviews from clients. (Forming good reputation as a translator)

4. How Much are You (and Your Translations) Worth?

Start low tehn go up with your pricings!

5. “How Long Should a Translation Project Take Me?”

Of course this should depend on you and your skill, and your sense of managing your projects!Note: You can start taking

If you are a translator, being a freelance translator isn't a problem. You can send an application for all employers who has a  vacancy of freelance translator!. On the other hand, you can contact the translation offices and apply for them for a freelance translator position, I am sure sooner or later they would contact you .

Best of luck :)