Working as a freelance translator: qualifications, orders and rates

Translation is one of the oldest freelance professions: translation agencies and publishers customarily pass orders to external translators, with whom they conclude service or copyright contracts. The work can be done from anywhere, so “remote translation work” is not the exception but the norm.

This part of the guide covers whether a translator in Lithuania needs a licence, who certifies document translations, what kinds of orders there are, how pay is calculated and where to look for work. The legal information was checked in the Law on the Notarial Profession, the Law on Copyright and Related Rights and the European e-Justice Portal.

Does a translator need a licence

In some European countries there is an institution of sworn translators: only a translator entered in a state register can provide a translation with official force. Lithuania has no such system. The European e-Justice Portal states that there is no official database of sworn translators in Lithuania, and that a translator or interpreter can be found individually.

This means that anyone who has registered their activity can translate and be paid for it. The question of qualifications is decided not by the state but by the client: translation agencies often ask for a degree in philology or translation studies, give a test translation, and for specialised texts – legal, medical, technical – look for translators with knowledge of that field.

Who certifies document translations

Institutions – migration offices, universities, courts, registers – often require a certified translation of a document. In practice there are two levels.

The provision of the Law on the Notarial Profession under which notaries attested the authenticity of a translation of documents from one language into another ceased to be in force on 1 September 2022. So today a “notarial translation” means a translator's signature attested by a notary. For the translator this matters because of liability: when you sign a document translation, it is you, not the notary, who answers for its correctness.

If the document is intended for a foreign institution, the requirements are set by that country – in some places only translations by sworn translators registered locally are accepted. This is for the client to find out, but it is worth asking in advance so that the work is not done in vain.

Types of translation work

The last row is a comparatively new kind of work. Some clients first have the text translated by software and pay the translator for editing – often at a lower rate than for translation. Before agreeing, look at a sample of the text: fixing a poor-quality machine translation can take longer than translating from scratch.

How pay is calculated

International agencies often use translation memory software that recognises repeated or previously translated sentences, and pay a smaller share of the rate for them. Such discount grids are a matter for negotiation, so read them before signing a contract.

The rate depends on the language pair, the complexity of the text and the deadline. Translation of rarer languages and specialised texts is paid better than general texts from the most popular languages; a surcharge is customary for urgent work.

Where to look for work

• Translation agencies. The most common route when starting out: you send a CV with your language pairs and specialisation and do a test translation. The agency takes care of the clients and the certification but keeps part of the price.
• Foreign agencies. They need translators whose native language is Lithuanian, and there are fewer competitors here than in the most popular language pairs.
• Publishers. Book translations are long projects under a copyright contract, often paid per author's sheet.
• Freelance platforms. Upwork and Fiverr suit small translations and localisation, but competition there is on price.
• Direct clients. Exporting companies, law firms, online shops expanding into other markets.

Translation and copyright

Among the author's exclusive rights, the Law on Copyright and Related Rights provides for the right to authorise or prohibit the translation of a work. So translating a work of fiction, an article or a script requires the permission of the holder of the rights to the original – this is usually taken care of by the publisher or the client.

The translation itself is also a work, and the translator is its author. A copyright contract is concluded with the publisher, which by law has to be in writing and specify the economic rights transferred, the territory, the term and the remuneration. If the term is not specified, a party to the contract can terminate it by giving written notice one year in advance; if the territory is not specified, the rights are considered to have been transferred only in the territory of Lithuania. Being named as the translator is a moral right, which is not transferable to other persons.

Tools

• Translation memory software. It stores the sentences you have translated and suggests them when the text repeats. Many agencies require you to work with the software they specify.
• Term glossaries. A list of terms compiled by you or the client ensures that the same term is translated the same way throughout the text.
• Machine translation. You can use it only with the client's knowledge: some contracts prohibit uploading the text to public translation systems for reasons of confidentiality.

Form of activity

Translators most often work under a self-employment certificate; copyright contracts are concluded with publishers. The differences between the forms of activity are explained in the ACS.lt article “Self-employment: registration certificate or business certificate”. When working with foreign agencies it is worth finding out the VAT rules in advance – they are discussed in the part of the guide on contracts and prices.

Frequently asked questions