Start a Freelance Translation Business

If you are bi- or multi-lingual, then you may have an excellent opportunity to start your own business without even knowing it! Car dealerships, telemarketing firms, advertising agencies and other types of businesses are always looking for bilingual or multilingual employees, but you could start your own business simply because you know how to speak and write in more than one language. Freelance translation businesses are skyrocketing says Entrepreneur.com, which means that you could easily start a freelance translation business and have immediate interest in your services.

A freelance translation business is a self-owned company in which you translate text and audio files into other languages. Some freelance translation businesses are owned and operated by just one person while others employ several different writers, editors and specialists. How you set up your freelance translation business is entirely up to you, but know that the profits can be high.

According to the 2007 edition of Writer's Market, freelance translators can expect to make between $0.50 and $1.40 per word for business translation and between $5,000 and $10,000 per project for fiction translation. That's an incredible profit potential! Because the diversity of languages in the United States, businesses are consistently looking for qualified translators to convert their advertising and print media into other languages. Publishing houses often outsource their translating needs to freelancers, which is another hot market.

One of the best reasons to start a freelance translation business is that you don't have to be a professional writer in order to get clients. Most freelancers -- such as copywriters and ghostwriters -- must own a significant portfolio of work before they can target high-paying clients. Freelance translators, however, need only be able to successfully translate from one language to another; there aren't any true writing skills required. Once you've established yourself in the translation arena, you can either move on to more creative pursuits or remain in the translation business; the choice is yours.