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Can I Make A Steady Income Doing English Korean Translation Work?

Question: I’m looking for some freelance English Korean translation jobs on a regular basis.
I’ve been living in the U.S. since I was a teenager and my Korean is perfect being that my parents are from South Korea and I grew up speaking both Korean and English.
I need to make a few bucks on the side steadily. Of course the more the merrier.
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Are these jobs ( English to Korean translation and Korean to English translation ) well paid?
Would it be possible for me to get regular work doing English Korean translation online?
And if so do you have any suggestions as to where I can find these jobs?
How do I get started?

Sandy Cho from U.S.

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Answer: Dear Sandy: Thanks for your message. As a translator, you certainly have an advantage from growing up speaking dual languages. It’s an immense skill and huge advantage to be a natural bilingual person in the translation industry where translators’ qualifications vary enormously.

There’s no shortage of clients who are always looking for native speakers to do different levels of translation work.

That being said, I’m not suggesting that finding well-paid English Korean translation jobs is easy. On the contrary, the translation market is extremely competitive. The competition out there in most common language pairs is fierce.

If you fail to stand out from the crowd, you may not be able to get a consistent stream of freelance work. Even if you do get work, the pay you get might fall quite short of what you’ve expected. Quite frankly, some of the pay rates offered by clients you’ll find almost insulting.

Here are a few tips for you if you want to bring in some decent income by taking on English Korean translation jobs. Remember, this is just a guideline. You may want to adjust according to your own situations:

1) Apply to various job sources, but don’t expect too much

You can apply to translation agencies or find freelance English Korean translation jobs from websites such as translatorscafe.com and proz.com etc.. But the pay from those sources is often less than expected. Again you are competing against many other English Korean translators, most with similar aspirations.

2) Attract your target clients and pull them in with a compelling message

Find badly written English or Korean brochures, websites or any literatures from companies and sizable organizations out there. Trust me - you'll find plenty if you try!

Send a letter to that company/person stating how poorly translated copy is going to have a negative impact on their corporate/service image. Make your letter short but to the point.

Always be polite and present real examples, with one corrected suggestion that shows you are capable. Don’t forget to leave your contact information. Then wait for them to contact you... ...

If your letter is well written and they seriously want to improve their presentation, they most likely will contact you with a job request. And if they don’t, move on to the next target.

There’s plenty of poorly translated sources out there. And remember, don’t feel discouraged by a few rejections. Keep a positive mindset and continue exercising your translator muscles! The best thing about this method is that you often get to set your own price. And these companies often become repeat clients.

3) Spread the word out there about your English Korean translation services

Send out a business introduction letter
to all the people you know. Tell them about your business services. Ask for referrals. Do it in a friendly manner. Try to avoid group emails and don’t be afraid to personalize your emails a bit to get a more positive response from the recipients.

Your friends and family are your best allies. Don’t underestimate their willingness to help you and the power of your existing social network.

Don’t forget to send clients a personal thank you letter
when you do get work from them.

4) Get active in your local Korean community, network with the English Korean business groups

The purpose is not only to get English Korean translation jobs from these people, but also to get information and ideas for your business. As you may know, many businesses became ultra successful by taking advantage of new ideas developed along the way. These business ideas are often quite different from the original plan they had when they started.

If you want a sustainable steady stream of revenue, you have to be prepared to change your course of action and adapt as you absorb more information. You may want to just offer Korean translation services as a means to bring in some extra income right now, but what if the market tells you there are growing demands for Korean English bilingual business newsletter services? You might want to adapt to that particular market demand.

Getting connected with people from different groups and communities enhances your chance of being exposed to potential lucrative opportunities.

Hollywood actor Woody Allen says, “80% of the success is just showing up.” I think there’s great truth in this statement. There are opportunities everywhere, but you need to be in the right place at the right time. To be able to achieve that you’ve got to be constantly networking. (read here about what is networking and its 8 rules)

5) create different sources of income

One big mistake translators often make is that they tend to rely too much on one single source of income. Many experienced translators become quite content when they have a few regular clients. So they stop marketing altogether. This could be fatal to your business.

Don’t get fixated on the idea of English Korean translation services. Ultimately you want to make the best use of your knowledge and skills. To bring in a steady stream of income, you should always think about how to create new services and products on demand, how to sell more to your existing client base and how to attract new clients with less effort.

(read more about self employment guide)

warmly,

Joy

www.Translators-Biz-Secret.com

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