Throughout their careers as language service specialists, translators often consider how best to pursue their profession. This question arises as early as the training period (both at university and elsewhere) but that, given the high theoretical component of teaching programs, it is only briefly addressed. This means that students and future translators find themselves at the start of their careers in the translation industry immersed in a sea of doubt. That is why, in this article we will compare the advantages and disadvantages of two different types: freelance translation and in-house translation for agencies. Of course, the aim of this article is not to reach a clear-cut conclusion of which option is the best and which has more advantages. Each professional’s experience is unique, allowing them to form an opinion, but this experience is not necessarily the same in each case and is certainly subject to changing conditions. So, objectively speaking, what are the advantages and disadvantages of these two types?
On the one hand, there is the option of joining the in-house team at a company. By doing this, translation professionals do not need to deal with all the processes that make up the language service chain. In general, it will be the agency that takes on the task of client acquisition, consulting, billing, receipt and management of projects, delivery and post-delivery follow-up after. The fact that these functions fall to the contracting company means that translators can focus solely on the (inter)linguistic activities for which they were hired. In other words, in-house translators generally provide regular translation, reviewing and correction services, among many other tasks that depend on the requirements of the project. Of course, becoming a cog in such as complex machine brings with it certain formal requirements. These include adapting to fixed standard working hours (currently, not so much due to the mere obligation of meeting a schedule, but because it is more effective to work within a window of time when we know that other colleagues will be available). By contrast, the advantage is that there is an unchanging and guaranteed vacation period in which to disconnect from work. Likewise, from a practical point of view, working for an agency brings greater economic stability since professionals with this type of employment receive a minimum salary (generally monthly) regardless of productivity, with the possibility of the monthly salary increasing in line with the latter. Moreover, working at an agency provides the opportunity to be part of a team, complete projects collaboratively with other professionals (who are available for consultation and among whom tasks are shared), which provides socialization opportunities (whether in-person or online), moving away from the perceived solitary nature of this profession and discussing sector-related topics with peers. Lastly, many in-house workers take a positive view on specialization, and a constant flow of work in certain topic areas enables them to become familiar with a range of fields and text types, meaning that it is relatively easy to branch out in several directions.
On the other hand, there is the option of becoming a freelancer. Naturally, this option poses an initial challenge: universities and other training centers do not usually provide information about the bureaucratic processes in order to independently exercise this profession. This makes it essential to fully research the requirements and obligations before starting out. Likewise, the tasks mainly taken on by the agency now fall to the professional, who must build a client portfolio, manage projects from receipt to delivery, perform subsequent follow-up and carry out accounting and marketing tasks. Although this may seem to be a disadvantage, managing one’s own rates and not relying on intermediaries means that freelance translators can reach greater economic returns compared to in-house translators. Likewise, this type provides greater freedom, although “being your own boss” sometimes means going against this. While we can decide what, how and where to work, it is true that we will be subject to the amount of work we receive and our clients’ deadlines, for example, what would we do if we received a work order from our main client the week we are on vacaction? Agencies have several teams and human resources, but being at the head of your own business entails more commitment to availability. However, as freelance translators we can grow in the direction we choose or follow the knowledge we already have, since working in this way makes it possible to select the projects we want to work on and those that we do not (whether due to knowledge, interest, time, etc.), while there is not as much flexibility at agencies. In freelance work, there is also a wide professional community. Freelance translators tend to attend a large number of seminars and conventions to stay up to date with developments in the language service sector.
This article is clearly a general introduction to both routes to working the translation world, so we recommend that you get in touch with different professionals and ask them about their particular experiences and this will allow you to make an informed decision. Similarly, this decision is in no way definitive, and translation professionals can alternate between freelancing and in-house employment throughout their careers.
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