First, this might seem very obvious, but make sure to use good headphones. You don’t have to splurge on headphones that people in the music industry might use, but a good pair of headphones can make all the difference even if you are not an audiophile. The types of audio files you will receive from your client will differ in quality. Sometimes they will be pristine quality, but sometimes you will have trouble hearing what some people are saying. This is where having a good pair of headphones will come in handy. The extra money you pay for headphones can be the difference between you trying to listen to a part over and over again and make out what is being said.

Next, make sure that you are in a comfortable environment where you will not be easily distracted or hear any kind of extra sounds. If you buy a pair of noise cancelling headphones, you might not have to worry about extra sounds bothering you, but it is still advisable to work in a place where you will not be disturbed.

You can also try to automate the job. While in the past, this might have not been a viable option, in the present day, there are a variety of tools out there that you can use to automatically catch the words for you and write them down. Of course, these kinds of programs are not without their flaws. There are tools like Zoom that can automatically transcribe meetings as long as you tell it to while the meeting is happening and other tools like Express Scribe that help you to ensure that the job gets done with integrated controls that help you control the recording while still typing.

Also be sure to sample the audio before you begin. This will help you figure out what you are dealing with as well as let you gauge how easy or difficult it will be to get through the audio. If you have to tweak the audio on your side so that you can make out what people are saying, then be sure to let the client know that it will take you about 1 hour to transcribe fifteen minutes. Both you and your client will be grateful if you take the time to go through the audio and make sure that you have an accurate assessment of how long it will take.

Overall, transcription can be a lengthy job that takes specific skills to do well. But this doesn’t mean that you will not be able to do the job well. As long as you have the right equipment and the enthusiasm, you will be able to get transcription done to a level that will be satisfactory to both you and your client.

First, it’s good to have a presence on major professional websites or social media. When hiring someone, it is common for managers or recruiters to look at the potential candidate online. It’s a way to get a preliminary look at a candidate and really get to know them better before deciding on whether or not to proceed with the hiring process.

Next, it is good to keep yourself familiar with a variety of different skills. If you have many different skills and are adept at all of them, then you can market yourself as someone who can work in a lot of different fields. However, it’s important if you could commit everything to one field and then promote yourself that way, as someone who is highly experienced in the specific field. Sometimes, recruiters look for people who have the most experience in the field, so if you show that you have more experience than other people in the field, you will be more attractive as a prospective translator or interpreter.

Also, it is important to maintain good connections with the people you work with. Make sure to be as courteous as possible and project yourself as a professional translator or interpreter. Also be sure to make friends in the industry. If you have a network of colleagues, then you can help each other find work. There are a lot of times when translators or interpreters might be too busy with an assignment they are currently working on to take any new client requests. In this situation, they try to refer a colleague, and you might be able to be that colleague that they refer. If that happens, you will establish a connection with a new client, and maybe be able to connect with even more clients afterwards.

Growing your presence as an interpreter or translator is not something that you can just do overnight, it takes time and effort. But if you are able to grow your presence, then it will benefit you in ways that you might not expect. You will reach many new clients, and build your own network of clients that know who you are and would love to work with you on future assignments.

Monterey Language Services is offering a full-time project management position, to manage translation and interpretation projects in a large number of languages.

We are looking for a MATURE, ENERGETIC, SELF-MOTIVATED, AND RESPONSIBLE person with the following experience/requirements:

• At least one year of experience handling multilingual projects in the TRANSLATION & INTERPRETATION business
• Has a great sense of responsibility and passion about working as Project Manager
• Able to cooperate with others as well as work independently
• Good English communication skills – both written and verbal
• Experience using SDL Trados or similar as a Project Manager
• Experience using interpreter scheduling software is welcomed
• Likes working with technology and tools

If you are interested, please email your COVER LETTER, Resume and recent salary history to Mei-Ling Chen, Director of Translation, at mei-ling@montereylanguages.com

Monterey Language Services
www.montereylanguages.com