7 Steps for Becoming a Website Translation Provider

Translators have to be flexible when building their translation business. By being flexible, they are able to better adjust to changes in the industry and take advantage of any new opportunities that will arise.

One of the new opportunities that has come up in the last few years is the need that businesses have for website translation. This is a perfect opportunity for translators to take advantage of the (relatively) new technology of the Internet. More and more businesses are looking for ways to globalize, and one of the easiest ways for companies to do that is to have their publicly accessible information translated into other languages. The easiest way to do this is to have their websites translated. That is where you as a translator can come in and take advantage of the situation.

At first, it might be a little intimidating for a translator who has never worked in website translation to add that dimension to their business. However, it isn't as difficult as it may seem.

Here are seven steps (in no particular order) to adding website translation to your list of translation services:

1) Take a class about the Internet
If you don't know anything at all about the Internet, take a class. There are a lot of classes you can take that will give you a brief introduction. A good place to check is your local library.

2) Build and translate your own website.
Nothing will build credibility like showing potential clients that you have your own website and that it is the face of your business online. A business will be less likely to trust a translators that doesn't have a website.

3) Know the difference between text and images.
There is a big difference between translating the textual information on a website and translating words that are part of an image. If a company wants me to translate their website, I will translate the text and then send them translations for the text in the images. Make sure that the client doesn't want you send back the translated images. Doing that goes beyond the price for just translating the information.

4) Get a book on HTML.
When clients want their websites translated, they can either send just the text or the actual HTML files that includes both the content and the code. An HTML book can help you figure out what the code is and what it represents.

5) Start small.
Websites come in all shapes and sizes. Some are thousands of pages while some are only a few. Until you get familiar with the way website translation works, it's best to stay with the smaller websites and then gradually work your way up to more complicated websites.

6) Don?t be afraid to ask questions.
Especially if you're just starting out with website translation, always be willing to ask questions about things you might understand. If you're not comfortable asking the client, there are many translator forums you can visit where people are more than willing to help out other translators.

7) Just go for it.
You'll never be able to take advantage of this new opportunity if you don't go for it. It can provide you with an additional income stream, which is always a good thing.

Clint Tustison is a translator interested in helping other translators improve their businesses. His website, Spanish-translation-help.com is filled with information regarding the translation industry, and his monthly newsletter Translator Techniques is filled with tips and techniques for translators.