First and the foremost, one should
understand, that there's a HUGE amount of freelance contractors on
Upwork, surfing in search of ANY kind of job, willing to work at ANY
hourly rate and providing the lowest quality output you probably ever
met. Unfortunately, this is hardly an exaggeration. Many people,
especially those, viewing from outside of the market, do not
distinctively draw a demarcation line between a native speaker and a
professional translator. The difference is crucial though. Being a
good housewife or a talented driver from Russia, does not mean being
a linguist, who is able to understand and use the differences between
not even two separate languages, but also between two separate
worlds! Of course, you'll see their tempting rates and maybe even
more tempting appearance...but, believe me, what you won't ever see
is a good quality of your task being done. So the first rule shall
be:
Never
hire a native speaker with no educational linguistic background
Or you'll end up like that girl, who
never succeeded in her job search, with her Linkedin badly
translated profile. Now that all non-professionals have been sorted
out, we can see a big crowd of low-rate students, with approximate
rates of 7-14 dollars per hour. These guys are much more smarter than
native speaking housewives and drivers, but again, they aren't enough
smart for translating, let's say, complicated international sales
contract, the language quality of which will drastically influence
not only your business, but maybe your life! So, the second rule
would be:
Choose
a professional English Russian translator, qualifying your task
Surely,
if you just need some simple letter to be translated, most of that
students will do, but if you require a business proposal to be set in
a very sophisticated manner, than no. No way. Go find a pro, someone
working exactly in the field of your interests. How can I do it, you
may ask? You'll be surprised to know, it's quite simple on Upwork.
Not only should you go thoroughly through the cover letters, but you
should also visit profile pages of the applicants, whose cover
letters sound most appealing to you. Professional English Russian
translators,
compliant
with your requirements, are right there. Hourly rates are of course
higher, but you can be sure – you'll have your job done on time and
the way you need it. Take a look at portfolio items, positive (or
negative) feedback, compare it to your task. Does this freelancer
qualify for it? Has he got positive feedback concerning particularly
this kind of job? Or, at least, do his portfolio and areas of
practice comply with your needs? These are the utmost questions you
should raise.
Finally, you've happily chosen
several candidates for your job and appointed the interview. That's
where fun begins. All of a sudden, you discover that some of the
applicants are not that professional, as their profile and cover
letter describe them. Yes, it happens very often, we live in the
world of marketing. The bad news is that many freelancers pay money
to profile and letter writers in order to get more attractive in the
eyes of employer. You wouldn't believe, but there are dozens of such
offers on other platforms, advertising this service for a couple of
dollars. So don't be cheated by the first impression. The third rule:
Organize
Skype or Upwork video interview to check the skills of English
Russian translator. Be smart to stay away from con artists or simply
non-professionals.
There's
also one good old tip you should listen to. Avoid generalists in
translation. A real English Russian translator is keeping his niche.
He grows inside of it. If you were looking for a legal translation
pro, choose someone with appropriate skill. I've been more than 15
years in translation, and I have never met a pro, covering all
practical niches. That's just nonsense! Someone trying to convince
you otherwise is just a big fat liar, unless he's a long-living
vampire, born probably 300 years ago or something. Life is short, we
have to stick to some edge of knowledge and master our skill.
Remember that jacks of all trades are masters of none. So here's the
fourth rule:
Choose
English Russian translator working in appropriate niche.
And last, but not least, the simplest
way to determine, whether to hire a person or not, is to ask for
recommendation. A guy (or a girl) with 5 star feedback would
definitely have long-term clients, willing to share their opinion
with you. In the meanwhile, you can ask them some tricky questions,
which you wouldn't ask the applicant, for example, about freelancer's
attitude towards the deadline or whatever you like.
The
Conclusion
My article was meant for Upwork fresh
clients. Of course, sophisticated clients already know how to hire a
good English Russian translator, but fresh blood, brought in to
Upwork platform, faces a tough challenge of choice. Some are
reluctant to learn and fail. Some are smart enough to go further and
achieve success. Be smart. Take what's yours.
Hire me on Upwork
My Upwork profile: https://www.upwork.com/fl/yurkovskiphilipp
E-mail: agent007157@mail.ru
Skype: arturius4591
