Find your niche

The tranlsation world can be highly competitive just like any other business.  It is essential to have specialty areas that you work in.  If you are not part of the group of legal, financial, engineering or medical translators out there, (which actually might be beneficial since there could be less competition), what is your specialty?  What do you know?  What is your passion?  Do you know a lot about fishing? cooking? sword fighting? Do you volunteer behind the scenes of a theatre or at the APL? In the competitve world of translation you must find your niche. There are definitely clients out there searching for the translator that is familiar with a not-so-common area.  This might mean fewer projects, but it could also mean bigger projects since clients will be much more apt to give them to you, as well as any related material, and hopefully continue to use you for future work (related to your specialty or not).