How Being a Creative Worker Can Pay For Your Travels

creative worker

Do you dream of walking through old European cobblestone streets? Or maybe you would rather relax on a Caribbean beach or climb Mount Fuji? The right job can help you fulfill your dreams. And, if your dream is to wander the world, it’s only natural that the right job for you involves being a creative worker.

Translation as Creative Work

Translation may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think about creative work, but good translators are indeed imaginative people and, significantly, translators are in high demand in many different industries.

Creativity in translation is manifested in many ways. Each translator has their own approach to translation, which can vary depending on the needs of the project. Where appropriate, translators can show more of their own style, which usually becomes more apparent in creative texts such as literary translation.

A Different Definition of Creativity

To achieve the best results, a translator has to connect many dots. To translate a text successfully, without it losing its meaning, one has to possess the ability to read between the lines. In addition to this, the translator also has to have a deep understanding of the cultural context at play.

The true test of creativity in translation is being able to produce accurate translations that sound natural in the target language, within all the many restrictions of the project. Whether it’s reducing a conversation to easily digestible subtitles in audiovisual translation or coming up with an equivalent idiom that works with the given illustrations in a children’s book, translators’ creativity is frequently tested.

Translation in the Travel and Tourism Industry

As a travel lover, concentrating on the travel and tourism sector could be a smart move for you. For many countries tourism is the most lucrative industry and, as translation will always be needed in this field, a translator specialized will have no shortage of job opportunities.

The work of translators is fundamental for tour operators, tourist guides, museums, restaurants, hotels, and airports. Content related to tourism and travel cuts across various formats—signage, flyers, brochures, catalogs, websites—and it all needs to be translated. When searching for information, tourists are becoming increasingly more demanding; they want accurate and trustworthy information in their native language.

The point being—translation jobs in this industry can be found all over the place. A skilled translator who is proficient in languages such as German, Spanish, Arabic, or Chinese, can count on getting hired by travel agencies, global companies, hotels, airlines, or even governments.

Flexible Work That Pays Well

While the aforementioned languages pay well, limited diffusion languages (those that are spoken by fewer people around the globe) can often pay even better, due to the scarcity of professional translators available. So, if you are proficient in such a language, you could be in high demand.

When it comes to hiring translators, different organizations have different tactics and strategies. Whether you work through a professional translation agency or with direct clients, thanks to the advent of digital tools and the gig economy, there are plenty of opportunities for remote work in the industry.

This gives you a chance to travel the world while you are working. In fact, traveling could even improve your translation skills, especially if you travel to a place where your languages are spoken. Being surround by a language and culture day-to-day gives you insight that no textbook ever could, and will give you an advantage over the competition.

Blogging as a Source of Extra Income

If you have a knack for languages, there are other ways you can cash in on your talents and hobbies. Skilled translators are often talented wordsmiths, and they can apply this to other areas to gain more income streams.

One way to branch into blogging is to contribute to an existing successful blog but, if you are a keen traveler and remote translator, you can go one step further and start your own travel blog. A monetized blog is a great way to earn passive income, however, when it comes to travel blogs, the competition is tough. It takes time to build a loyal readership and to translate that into financial success.

For the Best Results, Go Niche

If you want to branch out into the blog-scene but are feeling daunted by the competition, we have a hot tip for you; go niche. By starting a travel blog that is dedicated to a certain topic or destination, you can engage a target audience that is passionate about the same topic and you’ll stand out from the sea of generic blogs out there.

Let’s say you are a traveler who loves hiking and has completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, your blog could be about helping others plan their Camino and offering them advice on how to complete the pilgrimage.

The great thing about blogging is that you can invest as much time and effort into it as you want. This makes it a flexible side gig. When you have built an audience, you can start making money with sponsored posts, direct advertisements, or affiliate marketing.

The Takeaway

If you are a language enthusiast looking for creative work that can help you pay for your travels, becoming a specialized translator and/or a blogger could be just the right move. The ability to speak a second language isn’t just useful when traveling—you can also turn it into a career. It can be a great way to tie in your livelihood with your hobbies and creativity.

When you become a successful freelancer who needs their website translated, or for any other translation requirements you may have, BeTranslated and our team of highly-qualified translators are here for you. Get in touch today for more information or a free, no-obligation quote.