Language Services Assistance - Portuguese Native Speaker - Literary Background

Posted 4 days ago

I am a freelance writer, editor, and translator seeking someone who can assist with language services, especially Portuguese < > English and Spanish < > English translation as a co-translator and as a proofreader for work that I am able to subcontract.

Additionally, I am specifically interested in someone who might wish to co-translate poetry and who has the skills, knowledge, and talent to do so. I recently applied to the Pen/Heim Fund Grant and have been working on several different projects in Brazilian and Portuguese poetry during the past five years, though I have yet to actually secure the rights and publish my work. I imagine the work will be enhanced through partnership with a native speaker as a co-translator and am hopeful that someone might be interested in joining in on this more entrepreneurial quest.

There is no guarantee of there being any pay on the poetry front (and I am five years in through pure volunteer work), but I also work in legal, academic, and general translation for which I anticipate requiring more proofreading and co-translation support. Sometimes there will be three weeks without a significant assignment and then a month's worth of work is due in three days (only a slight hyperbole), so the position requires flexibility and grit. I anticipate an increase in the workload when my ATA certifications are approved and I am also juggling a full-time job (a temporary contract in NYC). As such, I might receive assignments I am not able to cover alone.

The mission is mostly to find someone who will be a truly exceptional fit and I am in no rush to hire anyone. Additionally, most of the work at this time will be on the poetry front. That said, I can commit to pay a few hours a week for assistance. At this time, the majority of it cannot be legally subcontracted as it is through agencies, but I am working to build relationships with direct clients, especially law firms. The position is probably ideal for a recent graduate interested in gaining exposure to language services and literary translation work. I started that way too, with a simple freelance assignment translating a book of sociological research after graduation.

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Requirements:

-Portuguese native speaker
-Fluent in English and Spanish
-Literary knowledge, especially within the Lusophone world
-Ability to work flexibly and rapidly when necessary
-Proficient in the fine details of Microsoft Word formatting and page layout.
-Talented poet

Compensation depends on the project. The poetry is unpaid volunteer work, but the other stuff is pretty much always > $20 an hour for qualified individuals. I can guarantee 3 hours a week at $20/hr. Everything else is project-based and I negotiate each project individually with the client. It’s volatile in terms of volume and sometimes there might be a lot of work at higher than $20 when there are same-day and rush premiums.

How to Apply