Growing up in the Philippines today, I’m sure you’ve noticed that we’re exposed to at least two different languages or dialects every day. My go-to example is English and Tagalog, thanks to our globalized economy. But there are also those who can speak up to three or more different dialects!
If you’re fluent in the languages you know, then someone might have already asked you to consider taking up a job as a translator. It’s easy to see where they’re coming from: the demand for translators, while not as prevalent as the demand for graphic designers or content writers, has always been there.
However, I must establish something necessary before I go any further: just because you’re a bilingual (or multilingual) speaker, doesn’t automatically make you a fluent translator in the languages you can speak. There is a discipline required of translators, a particular knowledge of how the written word represents concepts and ideas. And it gets all more complicated when we remember that, because we developed different cultures and societies, we also developed different ways of representing the same concepts and ideas.
This already presents a problem to aspiring freelance translators with little to no background in this industry. But talking to you about this problem would require a completely different blog article. So if you think you belong to this group of people and you want to learn more about what it will take to start this career, try reading:
Ofer Tirosh’s “How to Get Translation Jobs Without Any Experience” on Tomedes
“The 6 Don’ts of Translation” on Capitatranslationinterpreting
“12 tips for translators to provide quality translations” on pangeanic.com.
Matthew Karsten’s “How To Work As An Online Language Translator” on Expertvagabond
Once you’ve accounted for this problem, and you still think you’re up to the challenge, then let me return to the point I made earlier: translation jobs are virtually everywhere. There are always clients looking for translators to translate English text and captions to other languages or dialects. This is to make sure that their product reaches its desired target markets, wherever they may be in the Philippines or abroad.
A quick Google search could already direct you to different job marketplaces or blogs looking for translators of foreign/local languages to English. But because the internet is a vast place and we can never be too sure which websites to trust, here is a short list of sites that you can start your search in:
Online freelance marketplaces
Many clients put up calls for full-time or project-based translators on marketplaces like rakuboss.com, upwork.com, and kalibrr.com! Simply inputting “Filipino translator” or “English to Filipino translator” is worth a shot.
Tomedes
Tomedes offers professional translation services to its clients that include document translation services, website localization, transcription, and proofreading. They’re also accepting parties interested in signing up to be translators. Feel free to look up their website for more information.
Facebook
There are open groups on Facebook dedicated to connecting clients with translators willing to offer their services. Don’t be afraid to capitalize on social media’s potential to serve as your business network.
If you have any comments or if I missed anything, let me know in the comments section down below!
