Translation Services

In a Nutshell

Many businesses require translations for anything from books to short brochures. Clients usually send in printed matter or computer files and expect to get the finished product both in file and inprinted format.

The Longer Version

If you are bilingual, fluent in a second language other than English, and enjoy writing, than a translation job maybe right for you.

You don't necessarily have to be literary oriented. Translation jobs vary and cover anything from translating literature and poetry, medical translation, legal translation, business translation or other professional niches. In fact, if you are bilingual, with a good knowledge of writing in both languages, you can probably find your niche and become an expert in it.


Setting up your home business of translation services can be a great way to make some extra cash. Depending on your marketing skills, you may be able to develop it down the road, even hiring more translators and outsourcing some of the work.


What you need to start is a computer with internet connection (most of your clients will send you work via email), a fax machine and, most importantly, a quiet home office where you can concentrate on your translation projects.


How much money you can make depends on the language you'll be working in, your professional niche, your geographical location (or rather the location of your clients) and your marketing abilities. Rates are usually per word (although they can be by the hour) and can be anything from 5 cents to 50 cents per word and more.


As with any home business, you can start small and grow your business down the road. You can find odd freelance translation work either by advertising in local newspapers or by visiting freelancers' boards online. If you like the work, you can always put more effort into marketing campaigns to bring you more clients. And if you're good, word-of-mouth alone can be a huge growth factor in this business.

What Do You Need?

You may want to look up freelance projects in online market place sites. Registering to some of those sites could cost you money, though many of them require payment based only on projects that you get signed up for.

So... How Much will I Make?

Depending on which language you work with and what kind of material, you can make anything from a few hundreds to a few thousands of dollars a month.