Being a translator could be a lucrative and exciting career choice. The translation industry is booming right now and there doesn’t appear to be a time in which it will slow down. There are probably a few reasons in which you decided to become a translator; you have a passion for all languages, and you have a want to make money for your knowledge in these languages.
The only way to make good money in the translation business is to be really good at your job; it’s not the kind of job for the lazy because you will be expected to produce high-quality work.
The Languages You Choose to Learn Will Affect the Money You Make
Let’s have a frank conversation about languages because when it comes to dollar signs, they aren’t all created equal. It will depend on the languages that you choose to learn because some languages will be in more demand than others. You could end up choosing poor language choices and find that they aren’t in very high demand, that could be catastrophic.
Prospects for Translators
Before we look at the best language choices for you, let’s take a quick peek into the job prospects available to you.
In 2012 alone, over 60,000 people in the United States were employed as a translator. That number is constantly increasing, and it’s expected to just 46% by the year 2020.
The Salary of a Translator
What Are the Top Paid Languages for Translators?
If you are marketing yourself appropriately and approaching clients with the utmost respect while producing high-quality documents, then making a lot of money shouldn’t be hard.
Just remember that not all languages are created equally so you need to choose wisely when it comes to preparing for your career as a translator. Some languages earn more than other, almost $0.10 more than most. That can really add up depending on the word count.
You could possibly earn $300 per 3000-word document, but if you choose a popular language, you could be earning $0.20 per word on the same document. You have now earned double the amount for the same document just because the language is in high demand.
What you earn in translation is dependent on two things:
Your Competition
You have to remember your competition at all times. The more translators know a specific language, the less you will earn. The scarcer the language you know, the more you can earn because there just aren’t that many people that can do your job. You can also charge more per word if you are the only one capable of translating a language.
Demand for The Language You Know
If you know how to translate unique combinations such as Chinese to Spanish, then you will be in more high demand than other translators, plus you can charge more per word.
Top Languages for Translators
