How to Find a Qualified Translator

When you write for a living, there will be opportunities to have your work translated into other languages. While you can rely on your editor to find a qualified translator, it sometimes pays to find one yourself. If you are able to interview the translator and see copies of his or her work, you'll probably be more confident in him or her to translate your own material.

Find a Qualified Translator: Look for Native Speakers

Fluency might be sufficient for writing a new article or book in a foreign language, but not for translation. You'll need to look for native speakers of the language in which your work is supposed to be translated in order to get the best results. My advice is to make this a requirement of any translator your hire, regardless of his or her credentials, and you might also want to make sure that your translator has been keeping up with his or her language since moving to America.

Find a Qualified Translator: Conduct a Test Translation

Even if your find a translator who is a native speaker of the language, this does not guarantee that he or she is a good writer. Translations are very rarely literal translations of the original text; some creative license is necessary to ensure that the manuscript is still entertaining and fun. Have several candidates translate a small representative sample of your work, then have another native speaker read it to give you his or her feedback. If a native speaker is impressed, you've found yourself a qualified translator.

Find a Qualified Translator: Ask About Pricing

Unlike other areas of freelance writing, the fees for translation don't waver very much. The typical price for translation into any of the spoken languages is about $0.12 per word, though it could be as little as $0.10 or as much as $0.15. You might also ask about discounts for large amounts of test, such as a novel or non-fiction book, as compared to the translation of an article.

Find a Qualified Translator: Set a Deadline

You're going to be disappointed if you give your translator all the time in the world to complete the project. Before you choose a translator, ask each candidate how long it will take. Keep in mind that translation requires more thought than just replacing English words with those of another language, so it will take some time. An article might take as long as two weeks while a full-length book could be stuck in translation for several months.

Find a Qualified Translator: Stay in Constant Communication

Your translator will likely have questions for you down the road, so make yourself available. Talk about your target audience, any references you make in the work, the meanings for slang words and how they can be translated to make sense. If your full-length book is being translated, your publishing house may have chosen the translator for you. If this is the case, request the contact information for that individual.