Have you ever wondered what you need to start a freelance translator career?
Apart from perfectly mastering at least two languages and having great research skills, there’s not much you actually need. In fact, there are exactly four essential things that come to my mind.
A notebook to do your actual translation projects, manage your emails, website (if you have one) and social media accounts, and to procrastinate effectively. Naturally, it should be loaded with all the necessary software and apps and connected to the Internet.
A smartphone to keep in touch with your clients and business partners on the go and, of course, to procrastinate some more.
A work uniform, that is, a comfy pyjama or maybe a sweatsuit because translating may sometimes call for blood, sweat and tears. At some other times, it may make you want to crawl back to your bed and hide from the ugly world, so you better be always ready.
The last thing you need, but surely the very first one you set your hands to in the morning, is a high-performance coffeemaker to kickstart your brain, and to add some fuel to your procrastination throughout the day.
And that’s it, basically. Now you’re all set to become a genuine human translator just like me.
Oh, wait! Now that I think of it, I forgot to include one more thing you can’t do without if you want to keep your sanity. Beer.