found link to a work from home site while cleaning

[oldgreymare]

I have no memory of where I got this link from, but it looks promising.

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/

[Lydia Leftcoast]

(11-05-2011 02:38 PM)oldgreymare Wrote:  I have no memory of where I got this link from, but it looks promising.

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/

As long as they're really giving you ideas for things you can do from home as opposed to saying, "Stuff envelopes for money" or some other scam where you're basically trying to recruit others for the scam, fine.

If you are interested in doing a certain job from home (in my case, translation), find a website or mailing list dealing with that job, not with working from home.

Some translators work full-time for international companies or agencies, but most work from home. However, they all have many of the same concerns (finding the right word, finding words and phrases that aren't in the dictionaries, getting field-specific knowledge so that they can understand what they're translating, getting paid what they're worth, dealing with clients' unreasonable expectations) and the discussions can be either tedious or interesting. I'm on two mailing lists and a Facebook page that are exclusively for translators working between English and Japanese. I'm sure there are similar resources for other jobs.

[oldgreymare]

I remembered where the site came from, after looking more closely at my scribbles below it. Heard it on John Tesh radio program a year ago while driving home from work. The site is legit: it provides links to various kinds of commute from home job sites by job category.

Also from my scribbles I unraveled this link: geteducated.com for teachers looking to teach online. That didn't look terribly active, but there were 2 jobs listed there for any teachers here looking for additional income.

[TheCrone]

(11-05-2011 03:33 PM)Lydia Leftcoast Wrote:  

(11-05-2011 02:38 PM)oldgreymare Wrote:  I have no memory of where I got this link from, but it looks promising.

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/

As long as they're really giving you ideas for things you can do from home as opposed to saying, "Stuff envelopes for money" or some other scam where you're basically trying to recruit others for the scam, fine.

If you are interested in doing a certain job from home (in my case, translation), find a website or mailing list dealing with that job, not with working from home.

Some translators work full-time for international companies or agencies, but most work from home. However, they all have many of the same concerns (finding the right word, finding words and phrases that aren't in the dictionaries, getting field-specific knowledge so that they can understand what they're translating, getting paid what they're worth, dealing with clients' unreasonable expectations) and the discussions can be either tedious or interesting. I'm on two mailing lists and a Facebook page that are exclusively for translators working between English and Japanese. I'm sure there are similar resources for other jobs.

What languages do you translate?

What are your fees? (I know if you are a professional, you probably adjust rates to reflect the depth of material, etc, but a ball park estimate.)

I need things translated from English to German and Spanish. Also need Mandarin, but I think I have that need pegged down.

Give me a PM, if you have the time to take on a project.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

(11-05-2011 04:53 PM)TheCrone Wrote:  

(11-05-2011 03:33 PM)Lydia Leftcoast Wrote:  [quote='oldgreymare' pid='197851' dateline='1320521890']
I have no memory of where I got this link from, but it looks promising.

http://www.ratracerebellion.com/

What languages do you translate?

What are your fees? (I know if you are a professional, you probably adjust rates to reflect the depth of material, etc, but a ball park estimate.)

I need things translated from English to German and Spanish. Also need Mandarin, but I think I have that need pegged down.

Give me a PM, if you have the time to take on a project.

I translate Japanese to English exclusively. Ideally, people should translate only INTO their native language, unless their competence in the second language is equivalent to that of a native speaker who went through the country's educational system. Also you need subject matter knowledge (there are certain subject areas that I won't touch because I don't know them and it would take too long to learn them) and good writing skills in the target language. Having lived in the country where the original language is spoken is useful, too, especially if you're translating something that requires a knowledge of how everyday life plays out in that country.

The rates are usually by the word, either source text or translated text, and lower for European languages than for Asian languages. Sometimes a translator will charge a flat rate for writing that is relatively short but unusually complicated.

Per-word charges can range from 3 cents to 25 cents a word, depending on the language, the translator's level of experience or subject knowledge, and the translator's desperation for work. For example, you'd pay top dollar to get a treatise on small particle physics (a highly technical field) translated into Thai (not many Thais with that knowledge living in the U.S.), but you'd pay a lot less to get the obituary of a movie star (a non-technical field) translated into Spanish (lots of Spanish speakers in the U.S., and movie star bios aren't rocket science).

It's generally assumed that translators can complete 2,000 words a day comfortably.

[Noojaras]

(11-05-2011 05:19 PM)Lydia Leftcoast Wrote:  I translate Japanese to English exclusively. Ideally, people should translate only INTO their native language, unless their competence in the second language is equivalent to that of a native speaker who went through the country's educational system. Also you need subject matter knowledge (there are certain subject areas that I won't touch because I don't know them and it would take too long to learn them) and good writing skills in the target language. Having lived in the country where the original language is spoken is useful, too, especially if you're translating something that requires a knowledge of how everyday life plays out in that country.

Have you ever posted messages on any Japanese language message boards, such as message boards about politics?