Here are some guidelines in finding a reliable translator:

Look for a Native Speaker
Finding a native speaker of the language in which the work is supposed to be translated in is crucial if one wants to get the best result. A translator who only learned the language might produce work that’s not as good as a work done by a native speaker.

Ask the Price
The typical price for a translation into any language ranges from $0.12 to $0.15 per word. Translators who have been in the business for a longer time can give discounts for large volumes of work, like books or manuals.

Consider the Communication
An experienced translator has a reputation of constantly keeping in touch with his clients. Moreover, before he takes on a job, he will ask the client first about important details, such as the target audience and deadline.

Check if He Meets Deadlines
Having a native translator to do a project will still be useless if he cannot meet deadlines. Before hiring a translator, check his ability to deliver on time by asking his previous clients. Normally, an article will take two weeks to translate, while a whole book will take at least three to six months.

Launching a translation career is no different from starting a career in writing, except that it requires an additional skill. A language translator should know how to write in English, and in a second language.

Primarily, a translator should market himself as a writer. Clients must first see his ability to capture people’s interest through his writing before they trust him with translation jobs. In translating a document, it is not enough to change a document into a new language; it must retain the tone and message of the document.

Someone who is seriously considering a translation career should study the work of successful writers first. This will help him understand the limit of his creative license and the level of work involved in each translation project.

After fully knowing what translation is like, one has the option to be a freelance translator or to take a full-time translation job. In doing freelance, one can place an ad on newspapers or create a personal website to advertise one’s service. In choosing a regular work, however, one has the option to work for a multinational company, a non-profit organization or a government agency.

A translator who decides to do freelance must have a set of payment policies. He must determine whether he will charge per word or per page. Of course, before he can determine his method of pricing, he should check his experience first. If a translator is just starting out his price should be minimum, or even perhaps a little below the minimum. He can jack up his price when he already has a steady client base.

The two terms are clearly worlds apart in definition, but surprisingly, there are still a few who cannot tell their difference.

Translation is the process of converting a text from one language to another; therefore, its focus is on written language. A translator reads and understands a document written in its original language, and then re-writes the document in the target language.

Interpretation, on the other hand, involves verbal communications. It is about listening and understanding a message said in one language, and then expressing it in another language. There are two types of interpretation.

The first one is Simultaneous Interpretation. This type is commonly practiced in meetings, symposiums or other forms of social gathering where the speaker has to deliver a message to an audience that speaks a different language. In simultaneous interpretation, the interpreter converts the message in a manner that appears as if he can anticipate what the speaker is going to say. Normally, simultaneous interpreters already have an idea of the topic, and have high degree of concentration.

The second type is Consecutive Interpretation. Unlike simultaneous interpretation, this one is not instantaneous. The interpreter first listens and understands what the speaker is saying in two to three sentences before converting the message into the target language.