I speak english and russian fluently. Can i become a translator if i am under 18 years old?

5 Comments

1. RussianTeacher says:

   August 2, 2009 at 9:33 am

   I completely agree with Dani G. To be a translator requires much more than knowing the language fluently. I am a professional Certified English to Russian translator holding BA and MA degrees in applied linguistics, translation and interpretation.

   If you believe you are ready to pursue the path of freelance translating from home, register your profile on "translation workplace" sites, where customers and clients from all over the world post their projects up for bids.

   One of the biggest sites in the industry: http://www.proz.com It really helps you to network, improve your work and expand your business. Translation jobs posted last year cost over $60 million and there are 160,000 registered translators, interpreters and linguists.

   What to know:

   - Create your own profile with lots of details so that potential customers can make an informed decision when they choose a translator.

   - Customers post their job and receive quotes from many translators so they choose the best offer by comparing the bids and the bidders’ skills and experience.

   Here is a list of other websites for translation jobs:
   * Translatorscafe
   * Translatorsbase
   * Gotranslators
   * Translation Town
   * Global Translations
   * Aquarius
   * Trally
   * Linguistfinder
   * Langlance
   * Foreignword
   * Lingualance
   * Traduguide
   * Translatorplanet
   * Translator Search
   * Infomarex
   * Translation directory
   * Translators Town

   Good luck!
2. Super M says:

   August 2, 2009 at 9:33 am

   you can try start searching for job , i do advice you at hospitals place and clinics where is more russian community and that will be very helpful good luck
3. Jhon J says:

   August 2, 2009 at 9:33 am

   You need to learn an important language like spanish or portuguese.
   sorry to tell you but russian isn’t an important language even though millions of people speak it.
4. Dani G says:

   August 2, 2009 at 9:33 am

   To be a translator requires a lot more than simply the ability to speak 2 languages fluently. Speaking the languages is only the first step.

   The problem is that without proper training, anything you translate will read like a translation. Most people translate individual sentences and end-up with paragraphs that look extremely ackward instead of flowing as if they had been written in the 2nd language. This is especially true with languages as different as Russian and English.

   In my profession, I constantly run into people who improvise themselves translators. Their work is invariably amateurish and unprofessional. Take an English text and translate it into Russian, then ask your Russian friends to read it: You’ll see what I mean.

   This is not meant to discourage you, but translation requires A LOT of practice and some training. You are fluent in both languages, that’s a very good start, now go out there and practice, practice, practice.
5. Lita says:

   August 2, 2009 at 9:33 am

   Possibly. Otherwise, you could probably make a lot of money as a Russian or English language tutor.