Translation - art & business » Money matters »
Realistic prospects of work in language pair DE > EN
Thread poster: Tom_S
Tom_S
Tom_S
United Kingdom
Jan 11, 2023

I'm considering working as a translator in the language pair DE > EN, as I'm knowledgeable about a variety of sectors and studied translation at university.

However, I'm concerned by the apparent lack of work.

I've looked on freelancing websites recently and most of the jobs involving German are EN > DE (and very poorly paid).

Although my German is of a high level, having lived and worked in the country for several years, I would not feel confident transla... See more
I'm considering working as a translator in the language pair DE > EN, as I'm knowledgeable about a variety of sectors and studied translation at university.

However, I'm concerned by the apparent lack of work.

I've looked on freelancing websites recently and most of the jobs involving German are EN > DE (and very poorly paid).

Although my German is of a high level, having lived and worked in the country for several years, I would not feel confident translating into German at this stage.

I wanted to ask translators who work in this language pair, where they find clients and if the prospect of a modest but full-time income in this is realistic.

Do you believe that working in this language pair alone could provide a viable income?

I do not have a background in one of the most sought after professions (legal, medical etc) but I've worked in a variety of sectors and have done extensive research on emerging translation domains, including post-editing and transcreation/copywriting.

Honest opinions will be much appreciated! ▲ Collapse
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 01:00
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Post-editing Jan 11, 2023

Tom_S wrote:

I've worked in a variety of sectors and have done extensive research on emerging translation domains, including post-editing and transcreation/copywriting.


And what does your research say, how much does post-editing pay? There you will find an answer whether a viable income is possible.
 
Joe France
Joe France  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:00
Member (2016)
German to English
+ ...
Entirely possible but not easy Jan 11, 2023

Hi Tom,

I'm a relative newcomer to freelance translation, having started in late 2016, and now work almost exclusively in the DE>EN pair. I occasionally work FR>EN but never in EN>DE. It's entirely possible to make a good living by working in this pair but I suspect you might be looking in the wrong places for work. Looking on "freelancing websites" - I'm assuming you mean platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiver or similar - is probably not the right place to find sustainable, well... See more
Hi Tom,

I'm a relative newcomer to freelance translation, having started in late 2016, and now work almost exclusively in the DE>EN pair. I occasionally work FR>EN but never in EN>DE. It's entirely possible to make a good living by working in this pair but I suspect you might be looking in the wrong places for work. Looking on "freelancing websites" - I'm assuming you mean platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, Fiver or similar - is probably not the right place to find sustainable, well-paid work. They're mainly poorly paid, one-off projects for clients you'll never see again.

Have you tried signing up with translation agencies yet? If so, have you established solid relationships with them? If not, how many other agencies have you contacted? How are you structuring your approach? Do you have any direct clients and, if not, have you considered how you could use your expertise to target clients? Carpet bombing is obviously not going to yield success but I'd be surprised if you achieved a better reply rate than 1 in 5, so putting in the legwork with plenty of applications is key.

Some of my older clients came through applying to agencies. Over time, PMs who have moved on from those agencies have recommended me/contacted me from new agencies. Contacts from previous work and my time at university have also contact me to work for them/their companies directly. I'm not a huge fan of LinkedIn but having a profile and reminding people of your face on there can certainly bring in work.

I won't burden you with tips that have been covered a hundred times on these forum topics because there really is nothing new under the sun. However, I think perseverance and luck (finding the right agency with the right needs at the right time) are key to making a living out of DE>EN freelancing – and completing your ProZ profile certainly wouldn't hurt. Unfortunately, these things take time and some people need months or years to establish a solid client base. Good luck!

[Edited at 2023-01-11 15:57 GMT] ▲ Collapse


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Baran Keki
Wenke Geddert
Kirsty Low
Rachel Waddington
Kevin Fulton
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jorge Rodrigues[Call to this topic]
Andriy Bublikov[Call to this topic]
Rita Pang[Call to this topic]
James Heppe-Smith[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Realistic prospects of work in language pair DE > EN







Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »