For any translator to reach a six figure income, there are some definite non-negotiables.

There’s a very positive trend in the translation industry of freelance translators earning well over $100,000 per year, and these are people whose income is made up directly from translation – we’re not talking about markups on subcontracting. This means that other translators can learn a lot from these highly successful and well-paid translators, including their attitude towards their work.

The first point to make is that some of these translators are charging very high rates; some are working extremely long hours, and some are making efficient use of technology such as speech recognition software and CAT tools. So there’s actually a range of reasons as to why these people are earning such good money – it’s not that these translators are all working in a certain language or living in a certain country.

The next point to make is that, for any translator to reach a six figure income, there are some definite non-negotiables, like –

o          You must be extremely good at your trade;

o          You must be working in a niche language or have a targeted specialization;

o          You must be a businessperson/translator and not a translator/businessperson, and you must be charging higher than average rates.

We might be hard pressed to find a six-figure translator who’s a generalist; if a translator is earning a six-figure income they’re most likely working primarily or exclusively for direct clients. The exception to this rule might be translators who work in languages where there’s only a small pool of translators and people don’t need to specialize. It’s certainly true that the key to attracting direct clients is specialization!

Attitude

Another interesting point is that high achievers in the translation industry seem to really love their work and appreciate the lifestyle their career offers - they don’t appear to be the over-worked stress machines we might imagine. They are fortunate to be in a small group of people who love their work and make a lot of money whilst doing what they truly enjoy.

A great tool for setting and raising translation rates is to be willing to discuss translation rates with colleagues. It’s a great incentive to increase your own rates when you meet a fellow translator who’s never short of work and is charging twice as much as what you charge. Obviously, it takes time and a lot of experience to get your charge-out rate up to the higher figures, but just remember that these same high achievers also had to start at the bottom and work their way up. Translation conferences are ideal places to strike up conversations with successful translators, and you’ll find that, generally, most successful people in any industry are happy to pass on the secrets of their success.

Choose Clients Who Appreciate Value

Because these high achievers love their career in translation, they choose to work with clients who care about the level of service they receive and the quality of their translations. It’s not just about being on budget and being on time, even though these are both vitally important aspects of any translation project. These are translators who are proud of their achievements and their aim is to produce translations that reflect the quality of a company’s services and/or products.