16 Oct What’s It like to be a freelance trans-interpreter?

Being a freelance trans-interpreter has its own challenges but also many rewards. The most important element to consider for becoming a freelancer is related to your lifestyle. You need to be passionate, dedicated and self motivated.

The advantages of a freelance trans-interpreter

Being a freelance trans-interpreter implies becoming a small business and you will have to deal with all the levels of it on your own. For instance, you will have to manage the marketing strategy and attract new clients, negotiate and write contracts, prepare and send invoices, control taxes and all the other tasks that are usually completed by other employees but at larger scale for bigger businesses. It might be overwhelming at the beginning but as time goes by and you gain experience, it becomes easier. As you do not have a boss, you need to have a strong sense of discipline. Time management skills are essential and solely you will be in charge to control and direct the results and conditions of your work.

With all these responsibilities also come the rewards. First of all you may start your practice without having to make a big investment; a phone and a laptop is just enough. Possibilities to find clients around the world are endless and the remote interpreting business is growing every year.

You may also find jobs and clients in other countries, which give you the opportunity to travel, enjoy and get familiar with new cultures. As a freelancer you will also be able to arrange your own agenda and choose the assignments and work load as well as negotiate your fees. It can be a lonely activity sometimes but sense of freedom is priceless and you can even this feeling with your personal life.

Being a freelance trans-interpreter at Live Document Translation also comes with the above advantages. You can work from the comfort of your home, you are able to accept or reject any job that comes your way and you get a nice pay with every job you get from us. As for disadvantages, you really need to be fast to accept jobs as the competition is fierce and others might take the job before you have the time to see it. Therefore it is important to keep your e-mail account open and as soon as you see a new job from us have a quick look and accept it.

As with anything else in business, the fastest one gets the job. While there is nothing we can do about that, we are working hard to attract more and more customers and we’re happy to see good results coming from our efforts. The client database almost doubled in the last two months, which means more jobs for our freelance trans-interpreters.

Being a freelancer is always a better choice and if you learn to balance your work and personal life well you will have the best experience at it and earn money in the process.