How much does a translator earn? Experience and scope of work

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In the era of globalization, the profession of translator is becoming more relevant than ever. This article will talk about the types, functions and income of translators.

Types of translation work

What is known about the profession of a translator? Probably, only that this specialist is engaged in high-quality translation of texts, dialogues or various oral statements. However, the profession in question has a fairly wide range of types and subspecies. So, if a person has good knowledge in a particular language, he is able to work in the following areas:

• Working for an organization. This includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, various record companies or film companies. A person who wants to work in this field must have a special education and a good reputation.
• Freelancing. This is work in a free environment. Here it is enough to prove yourself from the best side. Education as such is not required.

The translator is able to perform the following types of work:

• oral;
• work with text;
• working with videos.

How much does a translator earn? The answer to this question will begiven below.

Main responsibilities of an interpreter

Regardless of where exactly the person involved in the translation works, there are certain functions that these specialists must perform.

In many respects, the answer to the question of how much a translator earns depends on the duties. So, what can be highlighted here?

• Working with documents, regulations, texts of speeches, etc. At the same time, the semantic content, style and vocabulary should not be lost.
• Editing texts. Their reduction, modification or correction; again, the translator must fully preserve the original meaning of the text.
• Conducting business correspondence, dialogues, negotiations.
• Accompanying officials at various meetings, conferences, negotiations, etc. Simultaneous translation.

Most Relevant Language

Which language is the most important and relevant today?

Most would say it's English. Of course it is. Surely many would like to know how much English language translators earn. And this is where one important problem arises: translation from English is one of the lowest paid. This is due to many reasons. But the main fact is that more and more people are learning this language, and the need for translators simply disappears. And yet, 67% of vacancies arespecifically into English - that's an interesting paradox!

What other languages are considered important in the labor market? According to statistics, 14% of vacancies are in German. Thus, it is the language of Germany that is in second place after English. The rest is in French (5%), Chinese (4%) and Spanish (2%).

The question of how much a translator earns is a very tricky one. It is difficult to open this topic, because income depends on many factors. And yet you can reveal the most basic points. More on that later.

Freelance translator

There are more and more "free translators" every day. This is due, of course, to the development of Internet technologies and the emergence of new content exchanges. It is worth noting that a freelance translator has much more opportunities than an employee in an official organization. After all, the Internet has a lot of information, content, videos and texts that could be translated and posted for review.

How much does a freelance translator earn? This question cannot be answered in one word. Here everything will depend on the following factors:

• translator workload;
• degree of content relevance for translation;
• number of internet users needing content and more.

It is worth noting, however, that a relatively professional translator can earn up to $1,000 per month (when it comes to content exchanges).

Income levels by language

How muchhow much does a chinese translator earn? And Italian? These are the questions asked by people who believe that income also depends on the translated language. But is it really so? The answer to this question will be given later.

There are special statistics that allow you to estimate the cost of a translator's labor depending on the language direction. Given the fact that the average salary of the specialist in question is approximately 40 thousand rubles, the following data should be taken into account:

• Greek - 85 thousand rubles;
• Arabic language - 61 thousand rubles;
• Japanese language - up to 60 thousand rubles;
• Chinese - 47 thousand rubles;
• Kazakh language - 42 thousand rubles;
• Italian language - 36 thousand rubles.

As you can see, the leading position is occupied by the Greek language. It is the people who speak this language who earn the most money. However, one may wonder where the English language is here. How much do English translators earn? Oddly enough, but professionals who speak this language earn very little - slightly less than translators from Italian.

Education to work as a translator

Do I need to study at various educational institutions to master the profession of a translator? In this case, everything will depend on where exactly the person wants to carry out his labor activity. So, it is unlikely that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a prestigious recording company will take a person who does not have the propereducation. To get into this kind of organization and work there officially, you need to try very hard.

We are talking about getting a diploma in a university in a language speci alty, earning at least a little work experience, participating in various kinds of language competitions, etc.

If a person wants to work as a freelance translator, then he will not have to strain so much. Everything is much simpler here: you just need to send a couple of trial works to the customer and establish yourself as a quality specialist. But sometimes the path of a freelance translator can be difficult and tortuous. After all, in order to prove yourself from the best positions, you need to try very hard.

The level of income depending on the place of work

There are really many official organizations in Russia that need competent translators with higher education. The level of income also depends on the region where the specialist in question works.

How much do translators earn in Russia? This will be discussed further.

Here are the statistics, according to which the average salary varies depending on the region (we are talking about the work of a simultaneous interpreter):

• Moscow region - from 60 to 100 thousand rubles;
• Leningrad region - from 40 to 80 thousand rubles;
• Volgograd, Yekaterinburg and Kazan - from 30 to 45 thousand rubles;
• other large cities - from 27 to 45 thousand rubles.

Howearn more?

There are some tips for people who want to get into translation. If you follow the recommendations below, then all questions like "how much does a translator of Chinese, Italian or Spanish earn" will disappear by themselves. After all, everything depends not so much on the source of work, but on the efforts made.

• It is necessary to constantly improve. So, if it seems that the language has been studied up and down and there is nowhere to go, do not stop. It is necessary to discover new, sometimes even highly specialized facets of the language. The comfort zone is harmful, and you should never stay in it.
• Choosing a prestigious company or organization.
• Choosing a place to live and, accordingly, a job.