Become a freelance translator: how do you get started?

Translation is a booming profession, attracting more and more young graduates. Many professionals are keen to seize this opportunity, whether they're looking to start a new career or retrain.

The translator 's job involves translating texts from one language into another. Whether it's a novel, a newspaper article, an academic paper or any other form of content, this job requires great rigor and thoroughness in the choice of terms and the meaning given to words.

The profession is full of opportunities, and calls for a wide range of profiles. Many want to work on their own, to gain greater freedom in their choice of assignments and day-to-day organization.

What does a freelance translator do?

The freelance translator's profession is particularly broad, and can cover a wide range of assignments. Translators offer their services to private and public companies, as well as to individuals, to meet a wide variety of needs.

Its missions are varied:

• It translates a text from one language to another, guaranteeing that the translated text is faithful to the original in both form and content.
• Rereads text for grammatical and spelling accuracy
• It converts legal standards, in the case of sworn translation
• It can carry out linguistic research missions, to find a French name for one from another language.
• He can post his own text on the web

What qualifications and training do I need to become a freelance translator?

The profession of translator is not regulated in France. No specific diploma is required to enter the profession. On the other hand, a good level of language skills is a prerequisite for convincing prospects and developing your business.

INALCO, ISIT, ITIRI and ESIT are the most reputable establishments offering translator training recognized on the market.

How do you choose your legal status?

We recommend that you choose one of the following legal forms:

• EIRL (Entreprise individuelle à responsabilité limitée). As the name suggests, the entrepreneur is only liable for the amount of capital he or she has contributed to the company. His or her personal assets are protected in the event of bad business, and cannot be used to recover any debts.
• EURL (Entreprise universelle à responsabilité limitée). It offers the same advantages as the EIRL, but its manager is considered a self-employed worker. They benefit from a specific social protection scheme, which is less effective than that of salaried employees.
• The SASU (Société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle) is particularly flexible. Its day-to-day operation is set out in the articles of association. The Chairman of the SASU is covered by the general social security system.
• Micro-entrepreneur status is particularly easy to set up, manage and wind up. Your social security contributions are calculated on the basis of your gross sales. This is capped at €176,200 for sales and purchases, and €72,500 for services.

Which customers to target?

The type of customer you target depends on your specialization within the profession. There are several types of translator.

Literary translators are in charge of translating works of literature (novels, essays, short stories, cookery books, etc.). A more or less refined knowledge of the language is required to adapt their tone to the target audience. Their clients are mainly publishing houses or private companies.

Technical translators specialize in the translation of official documents (circulars, regulations, diplomatic or medical documents, etc.) and generally work in collaboration with public authorities.

Finally, the sworn translator is able to translate legal texts. Their specific training enables them to translate all types of documents on behalf of the public authorities, including those of strategic importance. This also applies to notarial and civil status documents.

Finally, one detail is all too often overlooked when it comes to winning the trust of prospective customers: display an attractive head office address.

You can :

• Benefit from a prestigious address in the best arrondissements of Paris or major French cities. It also protects your privacy by not publicly displaying the address of your personal home as your headquarters.
• Reduce your day-to-day workload by benefiting from a telephone secretarial service, daily mail management, administrative and legal assistance, meeting room hire, etc.
• Reduce your tax bill by strategically choosing a commune with a low CFE (Contribution Foncière des Entreprises) tax rate.

Thanks to SeDomicilier, you can obtain your certificate of domiciliation in less than 5 minutes, in a 100% online process. It really is the ideal alternative to choosing your own home or renting business premises. What's more, all your services are then available in a personalized and secure virtual office!