Advice for starters and beginners in this business... tools, account, rules and regulations... ?
Thread poster: Brigita Marković
Brigita Marković
Brigita Marković
Croatia
Local time: 19:31
Member (2023)
Croatian to German
+ ...
May 14, 2018

Any essential tips and advice for starters and beginners in this business... tools, account, rules and regulations... will be appreciated.

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2018-05-14 16:54 GMT]


 
Angela Malik
Angela Malik  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:31
German to English
+ ...
Lazy questions get lazy answers May 14, 2018

This really is annoying. Maybe start by doing some basic research and then return with specific questions. We aren't here to do your homework for you.

FrankCastle809
 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 14:31
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Read May 14, 2018

https://www.proz.com/translation-articles/

 
Oksana Weiss
Oksana Weiss  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 19:31
Member (2011)
German to English
+ ...
Mentor programme May 15, 2018

You can also look for a mentor in your language pairs in the ProZ Mentorship Program.

 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:31
Member (2008)
Italian to English
My tip May 15, 2018

brihrbri wrote:

Any essential tips and advice for starters and beginners in this business... tools, account, rules and regulations... will be appreciated.

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2018-05-14 16:54 GMT]


Your profile says

Croatian to German
Croatian to English
German to Croatian

This suggests that you are offering your services to translate skilfully and professionally, without mistakes, out of your native language (Croatian) into two foreign languages (German and English). My advice: make sure that's true.


 
Lian Pang
Lian Pang  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 19:31
Member (2018)
English to Chinese
+ ...
Do your own research May 16, 2018

Navigate to the top bar and find "education" there. Join a professional association and look for manuals there. go to eCPD and find some videos... there are numerous resources out there. Don't expect others to these basic things for you.

In short, be diligent, be dedicated and respect your own profession.


 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 19:31
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Read these books May 16, 2018

brihrbri wrote:
Any essential tips and advice for starters and beginners in this business... tools, account, rules and regulations... will be appreciated.


You're going to have to buy some books and read them:

1. "How To Earn $80,000+ Per Year as a Freelance Translator" - Alex Eames (3rd edition, from 2010, is known as "Business Success for Freelance Translators"). This book is the best, but it is also abandonware, so you can't get it.

2. "The Translator's Tool Box" - Jost Zetzsche (updated yearly)
http://www.internationalwriters.com/toolbox/

3. "How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator" - Corinne McKay (3rd edition, 2016)
http://www.thoughtsontranslation.com/book/succeed-freelance-translator/
(her book "Finding and Marketing to Translation Agencies" is basically a long blog post in PDF format, so it may not be worth buying)


[Edited at 2018-05-16 09:41 GMT]


 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
The core intuit May 16, 2018

The problem with newbies is not they cannot find something, but rather they don't know what to look for, because... they are but newbies.

Perhaps, if it's not already done, the ProZ should initiate a student into the elements of the translation profession, yes?


DenizTheSpirit
Abby Huber
Yves Blesdel Djimkouo
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Advice for starters and beginners in this business... tools, account, rules and regulations... ?







Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »