If you don’t have a job, do some promotion and training. In your first year as a freelancer you will have quite few orders, it is important to have a clear work schedule from the start and, if you have no orders at the moment, look for and attract clients, advertise yourself, take courses for translators or take part in various translation events.
Offer your services to the right clients. Don’t wait for orders from translation agencies or direct clients who need a jack-of-all-trades. Understand that there is a growing demand for translators with specializations in industries such as law, finance, medicine, IT, and the like. And most direct clients prefer translators who specialize in their industry or field. This is why experts recommend choosing a specialization depending on your interests and market demand. Of course it makes no sense to choose a topic that is very rare, as you will have very little chance of getting a relevant order.
Of course it is possible to learn how to translate on your own, but this way will be difficult, you will lose a large number of clients who could have become regular, but noticing your inexperience, will avoid cooperation with you. Studying online courses for translators will help you get to know the market from within, learn how translation agencies work and how they organize their work, create a template database for yourself, get advice from translators, editors and course instructors who will help you find the right matches, understand how software works that every translator needs to know, and much more. If you are at a crossroads and are trying to decide whether to work for someone or to start a freelance career, ILC Progress online courses are the right place to help you prepare for a successful start and gain the necessary knowledge and experience to avoid disappointment in your profession and to avoid wasting time on self-education.