Freelance Translator vs In-house Translator

A freelance translator is a self-employed professional who translates written content from one language to another. As a freelance translator you will work independently and you can take on projects from various clients whether they are individuals, businesses, or organizations.

On the other hand, an in-house translator is a professional who works for a specific company or organization as a full-time employee. As an in-house translator, you are typically part of a translation team and work on projects related to the company’s specific needs.

Freelance Vs In-house Translator: Characteristics

What Does it Mean to Work Freelance?

Flexibility: As a freelancer translator you can remotely and are likely to enjoy the freedom to set your working hours.
Autonomy: You have control over the projects you accept and can decline those that don’t align with your interests or expertise.
Potential for Higher Earnings: As a freelancer, your higher earning potentials remain open as opposed to in-house roles.
Isolation: Freelancing can be isolating. You may have to work longer periods without meaningful human interactions with your colleagues.
Ownership: Freelancers are responsible for all aspects of their business, including accounting, marketing, and client management.

What Does it Mean to Work as an In-House Expert?

Structure: In-house positions offer a more structured work environment. You have fixed working hours, a predefined workflow as well as you are also tied to an office either physically or remotely.
You Don’t Control What You Work on: You don’t choose what type of text or what domain of text you translate on a day to day basis. Of course, you have a wide range of terms of reference when you join but you cannot choose on a daily basis or a per project basis.
Steady Income: In-house translators typically have a more consistent income. You are stable in terms of getting a fixed income every month.
Support: You often have access to resources and support from colleagues.
Limited Flexibility: You may have less control over your workload and hours.
Lower Pay: In-house translators generally earn less than freelancers.
Employee Benefits: You enjoy professional development opportunities and employee benefits like paid annual leave, parenting leave, yearly bonus, yearly increment, and so on.

Freelance Vs In-house: Responsibilities

Key Activities of a Freelance Translator

The key activity of a translator is to translate. The amount of words or hours you work on actual translation is your actual productive hours for which you can bill. But as a freelance translator you will be doing a lot of non-translation tasks that help you run your business. These are the most frequent activities you will engage on a daily basis:

Translation: You take written content and convert them from one language to another. Translation can include a range of services e.g. localization (= adapting a text to another culture), transcreation (= creative adaptation of the text), proofreading/ editing (= grammatical, syntactic, and semantic review).

Research: Conducting research is critical to a freelance translator’s success. You will often need to conduct heavy research to understand the specific terminology and context of a particular subject or industry.
Management & Communication: As a freelance translator, you have to in-charge of communicating with clients, managing projects, and fulfilling client expectations. From the beginning of a project to the successful closing of the project, you are the one to clarify requirements, discuss project timelines, and address any questions or concerns.
Business Development: As a freelance translator, you need to consistently acquire new clients, manage relationships, and position and market yourself as a brand. Activities may include, market research, client outreach, setting pricing strategy, maintaining a website, managing social media, networking, etc.

Key Activities of an In-house Translator

The core activities of an in-house translator does not vary much from a freelance translator. The major difference is that you are not responsible for client acquisition and business development. Your monthly salary is taken care of by the employer and you focus solely on translation and the related tasks. You are likely to work on a wide range of language services tasks that are not limited to translation, localization or proofreading:

Terminology Management: Maintaining and updating the company’s terminology databases.
Collaboration: Working with other team members, such as project managers, designers, and marketing specialists.
Project Management: Managing translation projects, including scheduling, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Client Communication: Interacting with clients to clarify requirements and address any concerns.

Freelance Vs In-house: Benefits

Benefits of Freelance Translator Roles:

Flexibility: You can set your own schedule and work-life balance.
Variety: Work on diverse projects, from technical manuals to creative writing.
High Earning Potential: Successful freelancers can earn significant income, especially in specialized areas.
Independence: You’re your own boss, making decisions about your career.
Remote Work: Work from anywhere with an internet connection.
Continuous Learning: Exposure to various subjects and cultures.

Benefits of In-House Linguist Roles:

Stable Income: In-house positions offer a fixed salary and regular paychecks, providing financial security.
Benefits Packages: Many companies offer comprehensive benefits packages, including health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and sick leave. These benefits can significantly enhance overall compensation and job satisfaction.
Collaborative Work: In-house linguists often work as part of a team, collaborating with other professionals such as project managers, editors, and subject matter experts.
Career Advancement: In-house linguists have opportunities for career progression, such as promotions to team lead or project management roles.
Leadership Opportunities: In-house linguists with strong project management skills may have the opportunity to lead projects, manage teams, and take on additional responsibilities.
Skill Enhancement: Companies often provide resources and training to help linguists develop new skills, such as localization, machine translation, or terminology management.
Strategic Planning: In-house positions often involve strategic planning and decision-making, which can be a valuable experience for career advancement.
Regular Work Hours: In-house positions typically offer regular work hours.
Reduced Stress: Unlike freelance work, in-house positions often have a more stable workload and less pressure to find new clients.

Freelance Vs In-house: Challenges

Challenges of Freelance Translators Roles

Income Instability: Fluctuating workload can lead to unpredictable income.
Isolation: Working alone can be isolating, especially for those new to freelancing.
Administrative Tasks: Managing finances, taxes, and marketing can be time-consuming.
Constant Client Acquisition: The need to continually seek new clients and projects.
Time Management: Juggling deadlines for multiple projects can be demanding.
Technical Challenges: Dealing with different software, file formats, and translation tools.
Ethical Dilemmas: Navigating issues like plagiarism, confidentiality, and copyright infringement.
Competition: The increasing competition from both human and AI translators.

Challenges of In-House Linguist Roles:

Limited control over workload and project selection.
Potential for repetitive tasks depending on LSP specialization.
Adapting to a corporate environment and workflows.
Less flexibility compared to freelancing.

Freelance Vs In-house: Finding Jobs

Finding In-House Linguist Positions:

LSP company websites with career sections.
Online job boards dedicated to translation and localization.
Networking with colleagues and industry professionals.
Professional translator associations and their job boards.

Finding Freelance Translation Jobs

Online Freelance Platforms e.g. Upwork, Freelancer, PeoplePerHour, etc.
Online Job Boards e.g. Proz
Translation Agencies
Referrals from your existing network.

Is it Better to be a Freelancer or an Employee?

The answer depends on your individual circumstances and preferences. I personally find freelance work more rewarding than in-house positions. The opportunity cost of in-house roles seems higher to me than freelance roles.

Ultimately, both freelancing and traditional employment have their own unique set of trade-offs. However, my strategy is to charge higher rates for longer-term commitments, regardless of whether the role is freelance or in-house. While it’s true that clients often offer lower rates for longer-term projects, I believe it’s important to consider the opportunity cost of your time and expertise.

However, it’s important to balance this strategy with the risk of having no work at all. Sometimes, it might be more beneficial to accept a lower rate for a guaranteed project than to risk being unemployed.

What is the difference between freelance and work from home?

The difference is obvious. Freelancing indicates your relationship with the client. As a freelancer you are self-employed, you work with different clients and on different projects.

Usually you will work from home, or you can be a digital nomad. On rare occasions, it is possible you provide on-site freelance translation services.

Work from home doesn’t necessarily indicator what relationship you have with your client. You can be an in-house translator and work from home. It indicates the location from where you are doing your work, whether you do it as self-employed or as an employee.

Why do Freelancers Get Paid More?

Freelancers often possess niche skills or expertise that companies may not have in-house. Therefore, freelance translators are charged higher for their specialized skills.

By hiring freelancers, companies can save on costs like office space, equipment, and benefits by hiring freelancers.

Besides, freelancers often get paid more on an hourly basis because they are responsible for their own taxes, insurance, and benefits.