Freelance interpreters or translators work on a self-employed basis converting written texts from one language to another or providing verbal translations in live situations, such as conferences, performances, or meetings. They are responsible for making sure the source material stays as close in meaning to the target material as possible while ensuring grammatical correctness and a natural flow to the language.
You might work with several languages, with the minimum being two, obviously. One is often the mother tongue of the translator, and you need to have excellent command over the other languages you use. Localization is likely to be a part of your tasks, which means transforming the text into a locally relevant version with references adjusted to the local culture.
Your clients might expect to work with someone who has a degree in languages, linguistics, or a related area. Getting certified as a translator is always a good idea, as it makes it significantly easier to build a solid body of work references. Once you have the successful working experience to show for, assignments will be flowing. You might find work through a translation agency, online platforms, or your personal network. The money you can make doing this job largely varies based on your experience and your clients, allowing you to earn $20.86 an hour on average.
How to Become a Freelance Interpreter/Translator
What is a Freelance Interpreter/Translator
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Freelance Interpreter/Translator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $21.06 an hour? That's $43,803 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 19% and produce 14,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Freelance Interpreter/Translator Do
There are certain skills that many Freelance Interpreter/Translators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Business skills, Cultural sensitivity and Dexterity.
How To Become a Freelance Interpreter/Translator
If you're interested in becoming a Freelance Interpreter/Translator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 56.4% of Freelance Interpreter/Translators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.2% of Freelance Interpreter/Translators have master's degrees. Even though most Freelance Interpreter/Translators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Freelance Interpreter/Translator. When we researched the most common majors for a Freelance Interpreter/Translator, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Freelance Interpreter/Translator resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Freelance Interpreter/Translator. In fact, many Freelance Interpreter/Translator jobs require experience in a role such as Interpreter. Meanwhile, many Freelance Interpreter/Translators also have previous career experience in roles such as Interpreter And Translator or Teacher.
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Freelance Interpreter/Translator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Medical Interpreter you might progress to a role such as Registered Nurse eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Clinical Manager.
Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Freelance Interpreter/Translator
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5 Freelance Interpreter/Translator Resume Examples
Build a professional freelance interpreter/translator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your freelance interpreter/translator resume.
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Cynthia Howard Freelance Interpreter/Translator |
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Cynthia Howard Freelance Interpreter/Translator Experience Freelance Interpreter/Translator2017 - Present Language Line Holdings•Monterey, CA
Court Interpreter2010 - 2017 CyraCom•Tucson, AZ
Interpretive Program Coordinator2004 - 2010 James Arthur G Cancer Hospital And Research Institute Foundation•Columbus, OH
Skills Court ProceedingsCommunity ServicesExecutive OfficeFederal RegulationsSign LanguageWeb ServicesTranslation ServicesInsurance CompaniesMedical FacilitiesEthics Education Bachelor's Degree English2001 - 2004 Ohio State University•Columbus, OH |
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Learn How To Write a Freelance Interpreter/Translator Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Freelance Interpreter/Translator resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Freelance Interpreter/Translator Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Freelance Interpreter/Translator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Freelance Interpreter/Translator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Freelance Interpreter/Translator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Freelance Interpreter/Translator Demographics
Freelance Interpreter/Translator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among Freelance Interpreter/Translators, 67.5% of them are women, while 32.5% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among Freelance Interpreter/Translators is White, which makes up 50.1% of all Freelance Interpreter/Translators.
- The most common foreign language among Freelance Interpreter/Translators is Spanish at 31.2%.
Find the best Freelance Interpreter/Translator job for you
Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs - $69K and Up
- Entry Level Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs
- Part Time Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs
Top Colleges for Freelance Interpreter/Translators
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
7. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
9. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Find the best Freelance Interpreter/Translator job for you
Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs - $69K and Up
- Entry Level Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs
- Part Time Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Freelance Interpreter/Translator Jobs
Online Courses For Freelance Interpreter/Translator That You May Like
Your guide to earning a living through Translation and Localization - (Updated for COVID-19)...
Step-by-Step guide to Starting a Location-independent Freelance Translation Career without a Translation degree...
This course is primarily aimed at students of conference interpreting, or people who wish to begin studying conference interpreting. It is based on a long-standing lecture course given by the oldest interpreting school in the world, the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting at the University of Geneva. Our course looks at organizations from a viewpoint which very few people ever get to see; international organizations seen from the interpreting booth. You will learn about the history, developm...
Top Skills For a Freelance Interpreter/Translator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 8.5% of Freelance Interpreter/Translators listed Interpretation Services on their resume, but soft skills such as Business skills and Cultural sensitivity are important as well.
How Do Freelance Interpreter/Translator Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
5.0
interpreter • June 2019What do you like the most about working as Freelance Interpreter/Translator?
helping people to communicate Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
people that think that they're superior that other because they speak a language that others don't Show More5.0
5.0
What do you like the most about working as Freelance Interpreter/Translator?
First of all I love my not to say I adore it. We, translators and interpreters are in a continuous learning process. It s an exciting work, but we have to be able to respond to the challenges we are facing in each assignment and in each conference/seminar. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
What is complex in our work is the fact to deliver translations in tight deadlines while the source texts are difficult and very technical. Show More5.0
5.0
Excellent service • April 2019What do you like the most about working as Freelance Interpreter/Translator?
I can work from home and writing intrigues me. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Issues regarding the payments Show MoreFreelance Interpreter/Translator Videos
