Wouldn't it be great if we could get or hands on some sort of operating instructions when we decide on a new career path or are just starting it? What should we be paying attention to in future, what skills do we need to develop, what traps await us, and what obstacles will we have to overcome? Of course, it would not only be great, it would be MARVELLOUS!

Imagine driving for the first time on a very unpredictable route, with a car that you haven't driven before, and there's no sign on the road for that tricky 90-degree bend and the huge pothole in the road just behind it that can swallow you if you don't avoid it, deer that can jump on the road every moment, or any other adventures that can happen to anyone – regardless of their driving experience.

Just reading this doesn’t mean that the journey will not have to be completed – it will be much easier though because you will know what awaits you at least after the first, second, and third bends. It will make everything a lot easier – trust me. 

7 Things a translator would need to know at the beginning of their journey in the translation business

#1 Plan, plan, plan well

Anyone who decides to start a translation journey and intends to start their own business should be an exceptional planner of their time or learn the skill (it can be done!).

If you work for multiple clients, it can quickly happen that three, four orders with a very similar delivery date arrive in the mailbox within minutes. If you want to accept them all and also deliver them on time, you will need to use all your planning skills and adapt the schedule to the projects you want to complete. This is particularly important when it comes to large-scale projects, where poor planning can be the reason for frustration, sleepless nights, dissatisfied clients, and even loss of future orders due to the unreliability and poor quality of the delivered work.

#2 Determine the price you will be happy with

Pricing is a major problem in the world of translation – for both the client and the translator. However, there is only one principal rule: the price you set for your work must be the price that will make you happy at the end of the month when you add all the revenue and subtract all the costs. In doing so, use the tips and guidelines of fellow translator who have been in the industry longer than you as well as the suggestions of the relevant institutions in your industry that determine the official minimum acceptable rates for a particular service – these can be an excellent guideline and help at the beginning of your journey.

However, don’t forget the following: clients will always try to lower the price, they will never simply pay more voluntarily. Therefore, be careful when choosing the price with which you will start your negotiations. You can still lower the price at a later stage – raising it will be more difficult though.

#3 Be aware that there is always someone who knows more than you

Translation is a very special industry where you can never know everything and have to train yourself again and again in the field for which you have specialised. During work, you will meet a number of fellow linguists who will sometimes be more qualified – be it translators, bilingual reviewers, or monolingual proofreaders. Accept their suggestions for improvements and corrections with gratitude and make use of all the knowledge you can get from them, and put your ego where it belongs – somewhere cold where it can’t thrive. 

#4 Consider that there can always be delays

Even a good planner is not immune to unpredictable events that can bring a whole week of carefully planned projects to a collapse – be it your own illness (or your child’s), a car accident that makes you unable to get to your office in time, or simply a good old power outage when your battery on your computer is already begging you to plug it in.

Should this happen, be honest with your client and tell them why there will be a delay and suggest an alternative delivery deadline. It certainly doesn’t harm if you don’t plan on working on the project until the very last minute. 

#5 Learn how to communicate well

In a world where most of the communication takes place online, it is crucial to learn good communication – short and concise, clear and above all polite. To be professional and at the same time relaxed is a far-reaching skill, but make sure not to cross the thin line between relaxed and too casual as you could appear unprofessional.

Good communication also means you can apologise when you make a mistake, miss the deadline, or simply forget to answer a specific e-mail because you have been multitasking. We are all human and we all make mistakes, but let us also be human when we have to apologise.

#6 Be ready for continuous changes and innovations

In the world of technology, innovation is always present and new tools for computer-aided translation grow like mushrooms after the rain. Even if you stick to this one CAT tool that you are already using through thick and thin, you will sooner or later face its new version with new features that you will have to learn. If you do not like technical innovations, such occasions are a great opportunity for growth – as a translator and a human. Accept innovation with a smile – or keep living under a rock. It can’t be that bad – it's just a little more humid, lonely, and boring. 

#7 The schedule will often be unpredictable

If you work with multiple clients, you will surely face overlapping projects, which is why you will have to coordinate your obligations really well so that you do not miss a deadline. An unpredictable schedule can also mean that you will only work 3 hours (great!) on Monday, and on Wednesday, you will need to work 3 hours longer than a full working day (what?!).

But the unpredictability also has its bright side – because, in principle, you make your own schedule, you do not have to ask any superiors because you want to work only until 1 p.m. on Friday to celebrate your daughter’s birthday. Organise your weekly schedule to make up for the hours lost and only accept projects that you will be able to deliver until the time you have to leave the office on Friday. Piece of cake!