Advice on finding translation work in area of social science research
Thread poster: Carys Hughes
Carys Hughes
Carys Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:55
Spanish to English
Jan 24, 2019

Hi all,
Can anyone advise on how to find translation work in the area of social science research?
My language pair is Spanish to English. And I would define my specialisation(s), broadly, as: social research/ qualitative research/ politics/ NGOs/ international development. (I have a PhD in Politics and a background conducting research for NGOs and other civil society organisations, as well as within academia.)
Does anyone know of good routes to finding work in this area? Are
... See more
Hi all,
Can anyone advise on how to find translation work in the area of social science research?
My language pair is Spanish to English. And I would define my specialisation(s), broadly, as: social research/ qualitative research/ politics/ NGOs/ international development. (I have a PhD in Politics and a background conducting research for NGOs and other civil society organisations, as well as within academia.)
Does anyone know of good routes to finding work in this area? Are there translation agencies with this kind of focus? For example, agencies that work with research centres or institutes, or academics? Or other techniques or routes to finding direct clients? I’m signed up with a couple of agencies that do specifically academic translation but am ideally hoping to generate a regular flow of work.
Thanks in advance!
Carys
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Susan Welsh
Susan Welsh  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:55
Russian to English
+ ...
A regular flow of work... Jan 25, 2019

... takes time, effort, and patience. Eventually, word of mouth will be your best friend, but not at the beginning, obviously. Network among your academic colleagues or former associates.

You'll never get any jobs from Proz if you don't have a paid membership with a good, fleshed-out profile, and make your expertise known via Kudoz and other vehicles that the site offers. You can basically ignore mass offers for bids, since these outsourcers are 99% going to go with the lowest bidde
... See more
... takes time, effort, and patience. Eventually, word of mouth will be your best friend, but not at the beginning, obviously. Network among your academic colleagues or former associates.

You'll never get any jobs from Proz if you don't have a paid membership with a good, fleshed-out profile, and make your expertise known via Kudoz and other vehicles that the site offers. You can basically ignore mass offers for bids, since these outsourcers are 99% going to go with the lowest bidder. But after a while you will start getting emails directly to you, from people who are (hopefully) looking for your actual skill-set.

You could also read Chris Durban's book The Prosperous Translator. She's big on getting direct clients and charging big bucks.

Good luck!
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Carys Hughes
Carys Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:55
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! And proz without paid membership? Jan 25, 2019

Hi Susan,

Thanks a lot for this! This sounds like good advice.

Regarding your point about Proz - I wondered if, in your experience, it was worth investing much time in the profile, and the other routes to make yourself known on the site, without ALSO opting for the paid membership? Are you likely to receive the direct emails from clients seeking your specific skill set as an unpaid member? (I'm currently debating the pros and cons of paid membership.)

Grea
... See more
Hi Susan,

Thanks a lot for this! This sounds like good advice.

Regarding your point about Proz - I wondered if, in your experience, it was worth investing much time in the profile, and the other routes to make yourself known on the site, without ALSO opting for the paid membership? Are you likely to receive the direct emails from clients seeking your specific skill set as an unpaid member? (I'm currently debating the pros and cons of paid membership.)

Great book tip also, thank you!!

Cheers,
Carys
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Susan Welsh
Susan Welsh  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:55
Russian to English
+ ...
do a search and see Jan 26, 2019

I did this search on the site for Spanish-English translators with a specialty in social sciences:

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I did this search on the site for Spanish-English translators with a specialty in social sciences:

https://www.proz.com/translator-directory/?sp=directory&to=eng&from=esl&pair_emphasis=8&broad=9&sdl_trados_cert_level=na&sdlx_cert_level=na&field=broad9&latitude=&longitude=&distance=50&keyword_cv_checkbox=on&orderby=&mode=view&from=esl&to=eng&pair_emphasis=1&native=na&field=broad9&type=translation&skill_interpreting=Any&distance=50&location=&latitude=&longitude=&country=&cred=na&software=na&sdl_trados_cert_level=na&sdlx_cert_level=na&avail=na&keyword=&keyword_cv_checkbox=on&wwa=na&profile_last_updated=any&posted_wiwo_within_days=&orderby=

As you will see, there are 13,872 non-members and 394 members. The members display at the top of the queue, in the order of how many Kudoz points they have. You can imagine how frequently a potential client will choose to scroll down 395 names to get to the non-members.

If you get one or two jobs through a paid membership, it pays for itself, so to me it's a no-brainer. It's a better investment than the $400 I spent in 2014 to buy a license for Trados that I never use.
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neilmac
Maria da Glória Teixeira
 
Carys Hughes
Carys Hughes
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:55
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for the help! Jan 27, 2019

Hi again Susan,

Thanks so much for this - this is really helpful! I'm just getting to know this site so this was a really useful pointer!

All the best,
Carys


 
Colleen Roach, PhD
Colleen Roach, PhD  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:55
French to English
+ ...
Susan: great information Jan 27, 2019

Susan: Thanks for this information. Very useful, as I also do Spanish-English translations.

You write: "It's a better investment than the $400 I spent in 2014 to buy a license for Trados that I never use."

I know this is slightly off topic, but do you mind telling me what --if any -- CAT tool you use? Maybe you don't use one? It seems that there are translators here who don't use a CAT tool, but the agencies really seem to demand it, from what I've seen.


Carys Hughes
 


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Advice on finding translation work in area of social science research







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