To make it simple, think of it this way – the best way to get picked up by an LSP is by standing out from the crowd.

We all know that in the translation industry, along with in-house translators companies also use freelance translators. We as a company receive applications from freelancers on a daily basis. And sometimes it’s hard to muddle through all of the information that every person seems to think is important to be in a CV. To make it simple, think of it this way – the best way to get picked up by an LSP is by standing out from the crowd. And the easiest way to do that is to provide the most important information that would get you noticed.
So getting straight to the point, directly from the people who would read your CV, here are the top 5 things we look for when choosing a freelancer:

#1. Language pairs

First and foremost, tell us the language pairs you work with. Please refer to our previous article, The Do’s and Don’ts for Professional Freelancers When Applying with LSPs. It will get you through the rest of the process with formatting and research so that you don’t waste time sending your CV to companies only to get rejected.

#2. Daily capacity

Yes, we need to know this. Once we decide that we want to assign you a job, we have to tell our client how much time it will take. And as you know, it’s all about deadlines in this business, so it’s very important for us to be very precise about the turnaround time.

#3. Time-zone & working hours

Like most companies, we cover all time-zones—so this information is very important for us to know. The time-zone you live in will be a major determining factor in regards to your work schedule, so it’s very crucial that we’re always on the same page concerning this.

#4. The areas in which you translate

Being proficient in translation is not only about being fluent in the language—we are also highly interested in the topics which you are experienced in. Is it marketing or medical, legal or finance—all of this matters and plays a part when choosing the right resources for the right project. So please be explicit when explaining this.

#5. Certifications

Sometimes experience isn’t enough. So we would like to know if you have any degrees, certificates or other documents that support your background as a translator. The more we know about your certifications the better we’ll know how and where to properly place you concerning projects.

#6. CAT tools you use

And last but certainly not least are the CAT tools you work with. As a company that works with many other companies, we have to know which projects we can assign to you. It’s very essential for both us and our partners to know your capabilities concerning CAT tools. This is a must-know for LSPs and should always be stated when applying for work.

Written by: Joshua Hector & Gergana Toleva
1-StopAsia Marketing Team