Translation Services

How to start your own language translation agency

By Nikki Wheeler

Starting a business venture in language translation services can be a very lucrative one these days in the growing world of international commerce. If you have a background in languages, and are ready to become your own boss, this may be the business for you.

English translation services and translation companies that offer these services are in high demand due to the changing world of commerce moving from local small businesses to ecommerce on the international playing field. There are many avenues to pursue in the field of document translation services depending on your specialty and the current market.

When planning to start a language translation service you first must:

Take a good look at the market to see how your translation company can stand out.
Analyze your skills to determine if self-employment in professional translation is right for you.
Have a basic understanding of the major languages.

Determine your target market for document transation services

Many industries commonly need document translation. Some of these are books, product labels, websites, legal documents, government documents and medical documents. Determine your specialty according to the area you are most knowledgeable, such as medicine or governmental linguistics.
Try: Find businesses looking for document translation services at ProZ or Translation Directory.

Find work by advertising your document translation services in trade publications

Place ads in magazines that target the areas likely needing translation services. These may include book publishers, insurance companies, import and export companies and medical publications.
Try: Advertise in Editor and Publisher, Health Industry News or Business Law Today.

Use direct mail brochures to tempt potential clients that may need document translation

This can get costly, so be very particular where you send brochures. Consider local hospitals, book publishers or immigration services. Have a brief sample of your work on the brochure, in addition to relevant information and even a price quote if low prices are one of your strongest qualities.
Try: Design and print professional brochures from Overnight Prints, Vista Print or Print Pelican.

Freelance some professional translation work

If you are not fluent in different languages, or if you want to branch out farther than one or two languages, freelance the work out. You can find many translators online for reasonable prices. You may translate Chinese and English for example, but need help with legal terms once in awhile; freelance that out.
Try: Find translation freelancers at Guru.com.

Have a strong online presence

Advertise online so you can get business from a distance as well. Create a professional website that tells about your language translation services and prices. Since so much commerce is done completely online these days, consider having a website that has the capacity for online translation services.
Try: Get help building a good quality website from Logoworks or Heritage Web Design, or design your own through Homestead.com. Have a look at free online translators like AltaVista Babel Fish to get a rough idea of the process.