So You Want To Be A Freelance Translator?

Hannah Lawrence is a freelance French to English translator and copywriter. After eight years living in London, she’s now based back home in New Zealand.

We asked Hannah about how she got into being a translator, the best and worst thing about being freelance, and the advice she’d give to someone starting out as a freelance translator.

What does a translator do?

A translator translates texts from one language into another. (Not to be confused with an interpreter, who deals with the spoken word). Rather than simply swapping out one word for another, it’s a case of understanding the message of the French and coming up with a way of getting that across in natural English.

How did you get into being a translator and how long have you been doing it?

Translation seemed like the perfect fit with my skills and interests. And being in the UK, with France just across the ditch, it actually seemed like a genuine career. So I dusted off my French and headed back to uni. I finished my Masters in translation in summer 2019 and launched myself into freelance life right away, combining my marketing knowledge and copywriting skills with translation work.

It’s now been two years. It hasn't been easy but I’ve given it my all. And I even won the Institute of Translation and Interpreting Best Newcomer – Freelancing Award, so I must be doing something right! And I just love that I’m paid to grapple with words and language every day.

Who was your first client and how did you get them?

My first translation client was a UK-based translation agency and I landed them after taking part in a competition they ran on Twitter. That brought me to their attention and that very afternoon they contacted me about a job.

How do you market yourself?

Through social media, my website (including a portfolio and blog), and networking and training events through industry bodies like the Institute of Translation and Interpreting. I also have a profile on various websites such as ProCopywriters.

Several of my direct clients have found me through LinkedIn or Google, or have listed a job on LinkedIn which I’ve applied to. The wonderful community of copywriters and translators I’ve got to know through social media has also proved a great place to find or pass on work or clients.

What are the best things about freelancing?

Being able to choose which projects I work on, and which clients I work with. Being able to choose my own hours. Oh, and being able to just go ahead and create and publish my own content without it needing to go through various rounds of approval.

What are the worst things about freelancing?

Not being able to switch off. Feeling the need to be at the top of your game all the time.

How do you keep the love for what you do?

Sometimes, like when I’m trying to get to the bottom of what an especially vague French text is actually saying, I do have to remind myself that I chose this career! In those times, I guess I try to remember the fun projects I’ve worked on. Or how great that eureka moment feels, when I’ve come up with the perfect way of putting something in English. Along with any opportunity to use puns.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting out as a translator?

Do it. It’s not easy. But if you love working with words and across cultures, it’s incredibly rewarding. Don’t be put off by the doomsayers who say machine translation, AI, or Brexit mean there will be less need for human translation.

There is work out there and with the amount of content being published continuing to rise, it’s not going anywhere. The key is positioning yourself in areas that will see increased demand. For me, this means SEO translation, transcreation, and marketing translation.

Find Hannah at hannahtranslates.com.