Chapter 1.3 of The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Freelance Translator Start Your Translation Career How Much to Budget When Getting Started

1. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
TO BECOMING A
FREELANCE
TRANSLATOR
CHAPTER 1 – START YOUR TRANSLATION CAREER
PART 3 – HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING
STARTED

2. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
Putting a budget plan together for your beginning as a freelance
translator will help you secure the basics you need to get started
with the right foot. In this chapter you will learn the main first
investments and the usual monthly expenses as well. At the end of
the chapter you will find a link to download a free budget
spreadsheet you can user as a start point for your own budget.

3. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
First Investments:
• Commercial-grade computer $1,000
• Desktop computers are great computers for translators. They are trustworthy,
affordable and come with many of the features a freelance translator will
need. Laptops should be considered as a second option. As you evolve your
career, you should be able to purchase multiple computers (e.g.: a desktop for
your home-office and a laptop when you decide to take a trip while still
working on a project)
• The brands we recommend: Lenovo, Dell and HP. Try to select a
commercial line whenever you can (e.g.: "Thinkpad" is the commercial line
from Lenovo)

4. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
• Software $ 1,000
• Main software for a translator would be MS Windows, MS Office, a CAT tool
(translator support software), backup software and an accounting software.
• Some vendors are now offering an option for a monthly rental instead of a
purchase. For MS Office, for instance, you can pay a monthly fee around $
10.00 a month instead of making a single upfront payment of $ 200.00

5. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
• Commercial-grade Laser printer $350
• You will end up printing large quantities of documents, even when you are
concerned with the nature. Settle for a laser and you will save time and
money in ink cartridges. The toner and drum for a laser printer is costlier than
ink cartridge, but the cost per printed page is much lower.
• Backup hardware $200
• External drives with 1TB and up are recommended. A well-known option for
external backup is OneTouch Maxtor
• An alternative for external drives is using a cloud-based backup. The main
ones today are: Google Drive, Skydrive and Dropbox

6. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
• Professional desk $500
• The larger and heavier the better. Some translation jobs will involve several
hardcopy dictionaries, hardcopies of the text, etc. You should be able to
accommodate everything you need in your reach, so you don't need to waste
time and energy leaving your post every 5 minutes
• File cabinets $120
• Although you should keep a digital copy of everything you do, the old paper
may be your savior when computers and hardware do not work the way they
were supposed to

7. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
• Bookcase $350
• A few dictionaries, translation theory books and other materials will easily occupy an entire
bookcase
• Printer table $100
• A separate table for printing will help you keep things organized
• Office Equipment $250
• Stapler, organizers, etc. There is an infinitude of accessories that may make your profession easier.
• Mail Box $120
• It is good to keep a separation of your home and business addresses.
• Miscellaneous $500
• –––––––––––––
Total: $4,490

8. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
• Many people will start with some existing equipment, postponing
part of this first investment. It may not be possible to start with a
professional grade computer, but once the translator has reached
the conditions for that they should immediately buy one.
• The quality and processing speed of a computer has a great impact
in the production of a translator. In the long run, most
investments in Information technology will bring a high return in
production and income. It is worthy to remember that a single
crash may cause a lost of a full day of work.

9. HOW MUCH TO BUDGET WHEN GETTING STARTED
• Monthly Translation Expenses
• Taking the US cost of living as standard. Translators living in lower cost of living countries may pay a
fraction of theses costs.
• Room dedicated for business $ 300 to $ 800 a month
• A new computer every other year $ 500 a year or $ 41.67/month
• Software upgrading every other year $ 500 a year or $ 41.67/month
• Telephone / Internet / FAX bundle $ 120 a month
• Accounting $ 150 a month
• Mailing $ 100 a month
• Association fees distributed $ 20 a month
• Paper, toner, etc.distributed $ 30 a month
• Others $ 100
• ___________________
Total: $ 903.34 to 1,403.34

10. THE BEGINNING IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE
Instructions to Follow
• Make your own budget using our Free Freelance Translator
Budget Google Sheet
• Go read our next chapter 1.4 Know the Different Jobs in the
Translation Industry
• Or see index for the Ultimate Guide for Becoming a Freelance
Translator