The Business of Translating Official Documents - Part 2

The Business of Translating Official Documents - Part 2

Official document translations generally take less than an hour to complete so they’re very easy to schedule into your program.

• Translating These Types of Documents Can Be Very Satisfying

The second reason is that doing this type of work is very gratifying. When an individual is applying for a marriage license, graduate school, or a Green Card, they’re generally very grateful to finally find someone who has the expertise and is sufficiently experienced to translate their documents.

• It’s Easy to Schedule These Documents into Your Program

The work is easy to schedule into your work program. Official document translations generally take less than an hour to complete so they’re very easy to schedule into your program. Let’s face it, it’s not like you need to juggle your other commitments in order to slot in a 10,000-word translation!

• You Get Paid Upfront!

You’ll be paid in advance for the work you complete, which means there’s less stress involved because there’ll be no follow-up or collection hassles. Translators who work on individual clients’ official documents typically require payment in advance by check or by PayPal so, besides being rewarding work, you’re never required to deal with after-the-fact invoicing.

How to Succeed in Your ‘Official Document Translation’ Business

• Set Your Fees in Advance

Set a Notarised Certification fee and a per-page fee. Having your charge-out rate already established makes life much easier for both you and your clients. In our opinion, the per-page rate is very important for this type of documentation because of the time involved when formatting official documents – particularly when it comes to official certificates and diplomas. And, of course, you’re always going to get inquiries from individuals wanting a quote, so by having an established Scale of Fees it’s easier to set up your web page and include your standard rates, procedures, and turnaround times.

• Ask for Payment in Advance

Always request payment in advance. This is very important with this type of translation work. You simply don’t have time to be chasing an individual who owes you $60, and you’ll find that the majority of official document translation projects are small enough that your clients will be more than happy to pay your account in advance. Many people already have a PayPal account for their online shopping, and the reason we like PayPal is because you receive your money almost immediately. Plus, any difficulties that may arise with the payment process are sorted out between PayPal and your client. Another bonus with PayPal is that you can use their free invoicing tool to create a professional looking invoice template that takes care of all the calculations for you.

• Find a Low-Cost Notary

Do your research and see if you can find a low-cost or free notary. We know that some banks offer free notary services to customers who hold bank accounts at their bank, which means that any Notarization Certification Fee you charge need only reflect the time it takes you to go to the bank to obtain the Certification.

In conclusion, for translators interested in this type of work, there are many opportunities to market your official document translation services. Besides creating a separate page on your website dedicated to this type of translation, your services could probably be used by consulates, international credentials evaluation services, international exchange programs, language schools, and other similar organizations. You may discover that translating official documents for individual clients is a lot more lucrative than you originally thought!

The Business of Translating Official Documents - Part 1

Many translators avoid translation work which involves individual clients’ official documents.

It’s common knowledge that many translators avoid translation work which involves individual clients’ official documents. They’re either not interested in even looking for this type of work, or refuse it when offered. The kinds of documents we’re referring to here include driver’s licenses, diplomas, educational transcripts, birth certificates, and various other personal but official documents. Perhaps experienced translators consider that this type of work should be completed by beginner translators, or maybe they simply feel it’s not worth their time and effort, so they don’t even include this type of work in their range of translation services on offer.

It’s understood that translating official documents will probably never be the largest component of your freelance translation work, particularly if you’re already working for agencies and/or direct clients, but these smaller amounts of money certainly add up, and the work itself can be very satisfying.

Confidentiality with the Translation of Official Documents

At this point, we need to mention confidentiality as related to the translation of official documents. Because we’re talking about private and personal documents, these often contain extremely confidential information. As an example, divorce documents in French often have many pages of very personal details about the reasons behind the breakdown of a marriage, like mental illness, infidelity, lying, and so on. In addition, birth certificates previously produced by former French colonies clearly state when babies were born out of wedlock. Obviously, you’ll be required to translate all the details, including these private matters, but no comment about these details should ever be made to the client, or indeed anyone else. Any comment on wording in any of these documents should only be made if you, as the translator, require a factual clarification.

Below we’ve listed our thoughts on why translators should include translating official documents in their range of services, and how this work can be successfully carried out –

The Translation of Individual Clients’ Official Documents Can Be Rewarding Because –

• The Work Can Be Very Lucrative!

The first reason is because this kind of translation work can actually be quite lucrative! Perhaps not very exciting, but lucrative all the same. It certainly doesn’t require stylistic greatness and it’s definitely not creative work, but the pay can range between .50c and $1 per word because the normal billing unit is ‘per page’. The other bonus is that the official document market is one that agencies are generally not interested in, simply because the size of these projects can’t justify their overhead expenses. This means that the best option for most individual clients is to find themselves a freelance translator.