Every job needs some skills, experience, and knowledge to be successful. Not everyone is lucky enough to build an empire or software house without getting a higher education. However, translation is a crucial job. It must be handled comprehensively and precisely. In the wake of the 21st century, the demands of translation have become rapidly popular. Additionally, the global pandemic has intensified the need for remote and online working all over the globe. That is why freelance translator has become the center of attention in the localization world.
They are working in almost every part of the globe. With the help of their advanced and skillful skills, they facilitate the people of different cadres greatly. There remains hardly any field where they are not providing their translation services. Gone are the days when people of one continent were not able to understand the science and innovation of another continent. Now, language service provider platforms with the help of translators have broken down the traditions of the past. In today’s world, the bible is translated into many languages. This is because it is made understandable for every reader. The same case goes with other famous books like Das Kapital, The Prince, etc. This responsibility is carried out by LSPs and translators. So, there are many qualities that should be present in any kind of translator. More precisely, due to the present demand of the online age, let’s discuss some qualities and capabilities of a good freelance translator.
This article has explored the top fifteen qualities of freelance translators in order to provide the best translation services.
The first and foremost quality that a freelance translator should have is an excellent writing experience with a vast command of grammar and various writing styles. They should have a deep command of the native language. They should also keep in mind that their translated content is going to be read by the general public. Along with having command of their own language, the translator’s job is to translate the text into another language all the time. It can only be possible if they know the native language of the target audience. The ability of linguistics lies in how many languages they have command of. Many linguistic software have been developed so far, but freelance human translators can get the best results because of their cultural understanding.
Find a bilingual or multilingual translator in order to upgrade your company’s reputation.
Apart from being bilingual or multilingual, translators should have a proper understanding of cultural knowledge. It is compulsory to find a freelance translator who must be very familiar with various knowledge between the two cultures. Without it, you can not satisfy your clients. If your client needs translation services from Chinese to Japanese. Then your linguist must be familiar with Japanese culture. For example, in Japan, the pink color refers to boys and not girls. During the localization process of any video game or app, if these mistakes happen, they will surely harm the brand’s reputation and offend the relative audience. On the other hand, many translation blunders have come up with disastrous results by not keeping in contact with the local cultural differences in the past. Like during the campaigns of KFC, Pepsi, and Pepsodent in China. These brands didn’t take care of the cultural differences but only did word-for-word translation.
The sign of a good translator is that they have excellent writing skills. They can use all the grammatical and sentence conditions easily and swiftly. Because a translator may have to deal with various kinds of content like legal documentation, historical description, and medical reports. That is why they must have a fluent writing style and expression. Additionally, their writing should not be so dull that it can not attract the attention of the audience. So, if you are a freelance translator then you must refine yourself according to current translation skills. Only then professional localization management platforms like MarsHub and professional translation companies can coordinate with translators to bring out the best translation and localization solution.
With the rising population, demands have also increased. Translation orders can come at unearthly hours. Project managers might find difficulty in responding on time. This delay in response can hurt the image of any translation agency. This problem can be eradicated only by responding to emails continuously and quickly. Freelance translators can work and manage things on their behalf. They make their way via this to the translation agencies.
A good freelance translator must be a good manager. They should have all the management tactics and skills to handle the whole translation process from beginning to end. Their efficient management skills will help them to communicate with clients and project managers. Their strategy of translating the content within the due time makes them distinguish from others. Any professional translation company can rely on that kind of freelancer.
Along with management skills, communication skills are also essential to being a professional remote translator. Your client fan base solely depends on your communication. How you attract customers, how you satisfy them, and how you facilitate your clients in a respectable manner. Without having great communication skills, your skills will never get into the limelight.
Language translators need to be specialized in specific subjects. Every subject and field has its own basic jargon and terminologies. The medical field uses wording like dissection, the legal field uses words like court de cessation, and the political field has terminology like constitutional democracy, etc. so, you should never underestimate the client’s demands. That is why to be a good translator, you need to specialize in any field of your interest along with translation. Because specialization will give you a huge advantage and will reduce your time in researching particular terms.
The relationship between the freelance translator and a professional translation company can be measured by the deadline for the delivery services. Because the final kick of the translation relies on the freelance translator. They have to translate the results or review a project. What if they are unable to provide the project on a deadline, they can ask the project managers to extend the time limitations otherwise, due to the language barrier, your relationship with the industry could be harmed. Because they have placed trust in your words and work. So, it is better to meet the timeline in order to pave the way for organizations.
It is true that translation is a sacred and complicated task. It can only be handled by experts. No freelance translator can deal with every type of genre. If they do, they are unable to generate a productive translation. So, by committing the wrong, translators can increase the barrier between them and any localization management platform. Your honesty will help and it helps the agency to ensure the quality of translation. For instance, if your area of command is business language localization, then your respective company will never assign the medical translation services task to you. Because if given, they may have to face the wrath of customers in the form of complaints.
Freelance translators should double-check their work to avoid any errors. Their routine of spacing, spelling, context, and marks will save the time of proofreaders and project managers. The habit of looking within the documents apart from CAT tools will enhance their intellectual quality to be good translators. Also when you provide the qualitative work error-free, it increases your chances to be permanently hired by any localization management platform.
Your doctor must remain abreast of modern disease, medicine, and treatments. Your pilot has to be constantly in touch with current navigations. The same is the case with translators. Because, due to modern advancement and daily innovations, it is very important to stay in touch with the current happenings. However, professional translators keep doing in-depth research to polish their skills. They are learners who learn by researching in their specialized language and region.
A vigilant freelance translator’s profile is everything. If any localization management platform like MarsHub has to hire freelance translators, they must go for their profile first. Their profile reflects the criteria and experience along with the customer’s review and ratings. The higher the rating, the more they are worth working with.
Their payment method and pricing rate should be defined accordingly. It is a sign of professionalism that the pricing rate should have already been defined. Although urgency and different fields of translation rates can be defined separately. Moreover, the payment method of receiving must be internationalized.
Another vital quality that freelancers should know is the usage of advanced computing technology. Along with writing skills, they must know the usage of advanced equipment and software. By being technology-friendly, they can do advanced research. Any freelance translator learns how to use Microsoft Word, Excel, and software like Grammarly, etc. to enhance their translation quality.
No translation company, enterprise, localization management platform, or regular client will fall for an unprofessional attitude of translators. They have to build their professional image like they ensure that every email is properly addressed and checked on a daily basis. Furthermore, phone calls must be answered on time, and above all the translated content should be completed on time without any relaxation. This outlook will glimpse their professional image and clients or companies will definitely want them.
There is no denying the fact that knowledge in the real form comes with skills. Without the skills and capabilities, only exceptional cases progress in this competitive world. However, to be a professional and vigilant freelance translator, the above article has pointed out some of the fifteen best qualities like having good writing skills, advanced research skills, in-depth cultural knowledge, alongwith having language command. Localization management platforms can hire a translator if these qualities are to be found. The best thing about them is they work freely without time boundaries. Being a freelance translator is the scope and demand in the localization industry. They can enhance their qualities to attract the attention of some multinational professional giants.
