A common misconception among those who have never encountered the work of a translator is the opinion that a freelance translator can freely manage his time, working as much and when he wants. However, this is not always the case. In their work, a freelance translator often must find a compromise between deadlines and quality. In addition, and this is probably what most translators who receive piecework have been ill with, one always wants to take on as much work as possible. As a result, a freelance translator works on the principle of “sometimes thick, sometimes empty”. On some days you must work 14 hours a day, which in no way can positively affect the quality of the translation and the health of the translator himself. All these problems are ultimately caused by the translator’s inability to properly organize his time. Far from all best certified translators can properly plan their time to have time to submit an order of 250–300 pages, which they took a month ago, by the deadline. Working full-time, the employee knows that he must be at the workplace from 9.00 to 18.00 and follow the instructions of the management. The translator, on the other hand, must plan his own time, which, as practice shows, is not so easy to do.

Here are ten tips for those who have decided to become a professional freelance translator and do not know how to manage their time properly.

  1. Determine in advance what time during the day you will work and how much rest and stick to this schedule. Beginning translators often think that the main thing is to work as hard as possible. Indeed, it is very difficult to stop when in the evening you have one or two pages left to translate, but you need to be able to do it.
  2. Always start and finish work at the same time. The hardest part of being a freelance translator is starting work on a translation in the morning and stopping it in the evening. Make a clear schedule for your workday. For example, always start and finish work at the same time (for example, at 9.00 and 18.00 or at another time depending on your natural schedule). Working from home blurs the boundaries between work and personal life. A clear start and finish time frame will help you keep them. Never return to translation if you have already finished the working day.
  3. Take short breaks throughout the day. Take a walk, do some exercise, make yourself a cup of coffee. Never skip lunch. Working on an empty stomach leads to a loss of concentration. Try not to translate on weekends.
  4. Set short-, medium- and long-term goals and plan time to achieve them. Break each goal into tasks and monitor their implementation. Get yourself a paper or electronic organizer. Check your to-do list every morning, and check completed tasks every evening and add new ones to the list.
  5. Learn how to work with MS Word and other programs to increase your productivity. Be sure to master the blind ten-finger typing method. You will be pleasantly surprised by how much it will speed up your work on written translations.
  6. Try to do only one task at a time. Spreading attention between several tasks significantly reduces labour productivity. Eliminate distractions that distract you while you work. Explain to relatives, friends and loved ones that although you are at home, you are working, and you cannot be distracted during working hours. Try to separate your workspace from those around you. Always keep the door to your office closed. Choose the music you listen to while you work carefully. Earplugs or headphones can often be an indispensable aid.
  7. Keep your workspace in order. The creative mess on the translator’s desktop subconsciously causes inner anxiety. Organize your workspace so that everything is as convenient and comfortable as possible for you, and your phone, printer and scanner are at hand, and not at the other end of the room. The time spent walking to the printer or the phone is wasted.
  8. Don’t try to do all the work yourself. If you were asked to perform layout in addition to translating a file, then it is better to entrust this work to a professional designer. In the end, for the freed time, you will earn much more than you pay your assistant.
  9. Be sure to set aside time for strategic goals. Sign up for continuing education courses. Read specialized literature, go to professional forums and groups on social networks.
  10. Watch your health, go in for sports. The ideal option is yoga or swimming pool 2-3 times a week. The time and money spent by the translator on his health will return to him with a higher tone and increased productivity.

We hope that this selection of tips will help you in the interesting and noble work of a freelance translator.