Can you be a Professional Translator?
The longer I’m around professional translators the more respect I have for them.  A good translator must be very skilled at understanding the rules of both the source language and the target language. Not only do you have to translate the language but you must be able to convey the meaning of a sentence. 

Being bilingual does not automatically mean you can become a professional translator.  Although you may be able to translate the words of one language into another you will need some additional skills.  Professional translators are like artists, it truly takes talent to be a good translator.
If a document is technical in nature, you will also have to learn new terminology.  For example if you were not familiar with the computer industry, you would have no way of knowing that mouse is a computer pointer device instead of a rodent.  Each industry has many terms that are ambiguous with every date general terminology.

A translator must also match the writer’s style during the translation process.  If the original writer is very articulate and professional in his style of writing then the translator must duplicate this in the target language.  A writer might also be very good at taking a complex subject and making it sound very simple and therefore a translator must be careful not to choose words that may be too difficult for the reader.

Translators must also be very good at making the client understand the translation process.  When any client receives a bid for translation services they are usually surprised that the cost only because they do not understand the time and effort it takes to translate a document. 

Any translator will tell you that it is usually a feast or famine business.  One minute, they may be looking for the next translation job, and the next the have too many to handle.

All translators will also agree with the fact that you must be able to work under pressure.  Customers will give you deadlines and sometimes you will find yourself working into the night to meet the demands. Everyone in today’s fast paced business world wants it ‘yesterday’.

The above points are just some of the most obvious to consider before becoming a translator. If they have not scared you completely you should also look at the positive side of being a translator.  Many translators can work with little or no overhead.  It will be helpful to invest in a few software programs to to help you manage your projects but those products can be purchased as you grow your business.

You must remember when a client hires a translator they are at a disadvantage because usually they do not know the target language and therefore rely on the translator completely.  Translators often produce a sample translation to show a client before translating the complete project just to be sure they are happy with the translator’s skills.  This will save both the client and the translator a lot of problems.  The client should get more than one opinion on the translation sample.

If you think your skills are a good fit with the items above, you should definitely explore  doing translations either part time or as a career choice.