• Translation Services
  • Story and Bio
  • Translation FAQ
  • Let's Talk About It
  • Translation Services
  • Story and Bio
  • Translation FAQ
  • Let's Talk About It
BROOKE A. COCHRAN
  • Translation Services
  • Story and Bio
  • Translation FAQ
  • Let's Talk About It

Talking Translation
& Medical Science

Back to Blog

Translating Tamed Me Into a Responsible Adult

10/5/2020

 
Picture
Working for myself as a freelance translator has been a key factor to my becoming a responsible adult.

When I left home at 18, I just wanted to show I could hold down a job, pay my bills, and take care of my own needs. I never dreamt I’d be responsible enough to operate a one-woman business. Yet, here I stand!

My 20s were about impulsive living. I chose to live an artist’s life and move across the country to a city where I knew no one and take any work that I could find. It was great! I had colorful experiences and minimal responsibility. I simply followed the schedule managers set for me - coffee shops and restaurants and theaters - and occasionally asked for a weekend off two weeks in advance.

By 30, though, I realized I needed steady and long-term work. That was when I got my masters and honed my French skills. After that, I taught French, while I studied translation at Bellevue College. Then, when I started translating, I dove into it like any other job, only this time I created my own schedule and took work when it was available.

It only recently occurred to me that this career gave me a lot of responsibility!

  • I have to wake up and look for work because it’s not automatically there 30-40 hours a week.
  • I have to advertise my services, so clients know I’m reliable and professional and will work with me.
  • I have to generate invoices, calculate and pay taxes, buy office equipment, then be sure I spend money prudently since paychecks do not come in on a fixed schedule.

If you’re thinking of being a translator, or even a freelancer in general, know that only you will make it work, no one else will do it for you. You must have determination, drive, and a good head on your shoulders. It will be worth it and will even make you a better person capable of inspiring others.

read more

Comments are closed.
Home
Cochran Language Services, LLC
​© COPYRIGHT 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.