15 Best Ways To Make Money Online Translating
Are you a native speaker who knows a second language and you are looking for jobs to make money online translating? Awesome!
Do you know online translators in the US (native English Speakers with a secondary mother tongue language) earn an average of $78,593 per year according to ZipRecruiter with an average hourly rate of $20.23 based on data from PayScale.
Don’t you think this amounts to a good side job, side hustle, or maybe a full-time job?
So, in this thoroughly researched article, we will share with you 15 best websites where bilinguals can make money translating written documents, books, audios, video clips, and others.
Some languages that have always been in demand in the translation industry are:
- English
- Spanish
- Mandarin Chinese
- Japanese
- Korean
- French
- Russian
- German
- Arabic
- Hindi
And while there are quite a number of translation jobs on the Internet, we’ve only listed platforms that pays their freelance translators on time, and with positive reviews.
We don’t want you wasting time on sketchy sites.
But before we move on, we have a couple of things to highlight.
- As Translators, you are considered independent contractors, so you are not considered an employee (in other words, no background checks and you may not even need a bachelor’s degree);
- No translation work can help you earn good money.
So if you’re also looking for a great way to earn a life-changing income, then we highly recommend that you start an online business instead because there is little risk involved, but the income potential way higher than any jobs combined.
Anyway, on top of making money as a translator, there are other popular online jobs for bilinguals like you.
And with all these things out of the way, let’s take a look at the 15 best sites (in no particular order) for people to get translation jobs online…
Please note that the amount stated varies from language pair you translate. The rates are based on English translations.
| Translation Site | Pay Rate | Payment Methods | Minimum Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blend | $0.05 per translated word | – Wire Transfer – Payoneer – PayPal | $20 |
| Translate.com | $0.01 per translated word | Paypal | $20 |
| Gengo | $0.03 per translated word | – Payoneer – Paypal | – $20 (Payoneer) – $2 (Paypal) |
| Unbabel | $8.00 to $18.00 per hour | – Payoneer – Paypal | – $20 (Payoneer) – $5 (Paypal) |
| Rev | $0.30 to $1.10 per audio/video minute | – Paypal | – $5 (Paypal) |
| TextMaster | $0.05 to $0.10 per translated word | – Payoneer – Paypal | $70 |
| Global Voices | No Data Found | – Bank Transfer – Paypal | No Data Found |
| Stepes | $0.05 to $0.13 per translated word | – Paypal | – $50 (Payoneer) – No Minimum (Paypal) |
| Ubinus On Demand | No Data Found | No Data Found | No Data Found |
| ProZ | $0.05 to $0.11 per translated word | – Bank Transfer – Wise – Payoneer – Skrill – Paypal – ProZ*Pay | Vary with selected payment mode |
| Lionbridge | $0.03 to $0.05 per translated word | – Bank Transfer | $20 |
| Tethras | $0.05 to $0.07 per translated word | – Paypal | No Data Found |
| Fiverr | Varies (Amount Set By You) | – Paypal – Fiverr Revenue Card – Bank Transfer | $5 |
| Freelancer | Varies (Depending On the Project) | – Paypal – Skrill – Freelancer Debit Card | $30 |
| Upwork | Varies (Depending On the Project) | – Bank Transfer (US Only) – Instant Pay (US Only) – Wire Transfer – Paypal – Payoneer – M-Pesa (Kenya Only) | $3 |
1. Blend (Previously One Hour Translation)
- How much can you make: 5 cents per translated word
- Payment methods: Wire Transfer, Payoneer and PayPal
- Payment process: 15th and 30th of month, $20 minimum withdrawal
Blend (previously known as One Hour Translation) is an international web-based human translation platform founded in 2008.
The company has offices in Los Angeles, Shanghai, Bucharest, and Tel Aviv, and claims to have more than 25,000 active translators (they call themselves BLENDers) with translation gigs available for more than 120 languages.
The jobs in Blend is not limited to translation, you can be a bilingual editor, proofreader, content writer, voice over artist and more.
Discover what you can do with your linguistic talent with Blend. The application process is easy.
2. Translate.com
- How much can you make: About 1 cent per translated word
- Payment methods: PayPal
- Payment process: 24/7 payment request, minimum of $20
Translate.com was founded in 2011 and is one of the largest professional translation companies in the world today.
The company has a headquarter in Chicago (USA) and has translation jobs for over 90 languages.
Visit Translate.com to be a paid translator.
3. Gengo
- How much can you make: 3 cents per translated word
- Payment methods: PayPal or Payoneer
- Payment process: Payout every 10th and 25th of the month, minimum of $20 for Payoneer and $2 for PayPal
Gengo is a web-based translation company founded in 2008 and is currently headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
The company claims to have a 97.6% customer satisfaction rating, has already translated over 1 billion words, and currently has over 65,000 customers.
4. Unbabel
- How much can you make: Between $8 to $18 per hour depending on your speed and quality
- Payment methods: PayPal or Payoneer
- Payment process: Weekly payment, minimum of $20 for Payoneer and $5 for PayPal
Unbabel, a translation agency, started operating in 2013 and currently has multiple headquarters located in Lisbon, Portugal, and San Francisco, California.
While most platforms on this list will pay you per project completion, Unbabel will pay you on an hourly basis.
The more time you spend translating on the platform, the more you can earn.
Your standard rate will range from $8 to $18 calculated by an algorithm that analyses your translation speed and work quality.
If you are interested in working with Unbabel, feel free to visit them here.
5. Rev (formerly FoxTranscribe and FoxTranslate)
- How much can you make: $0.30 to $1.10 per audio/video minute
- Payment methods: PayPal
- Payment process: Your earnings will be sent automatically every Monday
Rev is an American speech-to-text company founded in 2010 and offers closed captioning, subtitles, and transcription services to clients all over the world.
The company has a headquarter in Austin and claims to provide regular jobs to more than 50,000 independent transcriptionists.
An average foreign transcriptionist makes about $958 per month but that depends on the target language you are translating.
- Hindi: $1.70
- Spanish: $1.70
- Chinese: $1.80
- Polish: $2.30
- Italian: $2.50
- Russian: $2.50
- Arabic: $2.50
- Dutch: $2.70
- French: $3.30
- Korean: $3.40
To sign up with Rev, feel free to do so here.
So, how do you like the first 5 websites above?
If you haven’t found one yet that piques your interest, don’t worry because we still have 10 more to share with you.
And while you’re still here, you might also want to check out how this program taught thousands of regular people to start an online business and earn a full-time income from home.
Meanwhile, back to making money with online translation jobs…
6. TextMaster
- How much can you make: $0.05 to $0.10 per translated word
- Payment methods: PayPal or Payoneer
- Payment process: Minimum of $70 with a 7 to 14 day clearing period after the request
TextMaster was founded in 2011 but was later acquired by the Acolad group in March of 2018.
It provides professional translation, web content writing and proofreading to various clients worldwide.
The company claims to have more than 10,000 clients and has translation jobs in more than 150 languages.
To find out more, check out TextMaster here.
7. Global Voices
- How much can you make: No Data
- Payment methods: Bank Transfer or PayPal
- Payment process: 24/7 payment request, the minimum payout depends on the payout method you choose
Global Voices was founded in 2004 and provides international translation and interpretation services.
The company claims to currently have a network of over 9,000 linguists, 14 accreditations and offer a range of services in more than 150 languages.
If you have worked with Global Voices, please share with us the approximate amount you can make as new translators with Global Voices. Thank you!
Anyway, here’s the link to sign up as a professional translator.
8. Stepes
- How much can you make: $0.05 to $0.13 per translated word
- Payment methods: PayPal and Stripe
- Payment process: 30 day lock-in period; Once passed, payment is on-demand.
Stepes is a translation service founded in San Francisco, California in December of 2015.
It is powered by TermWiki.com, a multilingual terminology platform with millions of technical terms translated into more than 100 languages.
Become a translator for Stepes here.
9. Ubinus On Demand (Formerly Known as Verbal Ink)
Verbal Ink was founded in 2003 and was later acquired by Ubiqus Reporting, Inc. in December of 2016 – a veteran of the language services industry.
You’ll get more transcription jobs than translation jobs, but from time to time there will be translation jobs available.
This also means that the volume of translation jobs available on the site is low, but it is still worth mentioning though.
You can join Ubiqus here.
10. ProZ.com
- How much can you make: $0.05 to $0.11 per translated word
- Payment methods: Bank Transfer, Transferwise, Payoneer, Skrill, PayPal, and ProZ*Pay
- Payment process: 24/7 payment request, the minimum payout depends on the payout method you choose
ProZ.com is a membership-based website created by a translator for translators way back in 1999.
The platform offers different perks to paying freelancers like training and work tools, but you can totally join for free and find translation jobs.
To know the approximate rates of the different language pairs, you can check it out here.
ProZ currently has offices in the United States, Argentina, and Ukraine.
The company claims to have over 1.1 million registered users with 29 employees.
Find out more about ProZ here.
11. Lionbridge
- How much can you make: $0.03 to $0.05 per translated word (or higher depending on the project)
- Payment methods: Direct Bank Transfer
- Payment Process: Between 10th – 15th of every month. Minimum Payout is $20.
Lionbridge (aka Lionbridge Technologies, Inc) is a very well-known and respected American company founded in 1996.
The company is based in Massachusetts, USA and provides localization services, including translation and various language services.
Once you join the platform, Lionbridge will assign projects to you based on your skills and the information you provided. All project payment rates are communicated prior your acceptance.
Find Translation jobs in Lionbridge here.
12. Tethras
How much can you make: Between $0.05 to $0.07 per translated word
Payment methods: PayPal
Payment process: Weekly
Tethras’ unique focus is helping app developers to translate their apps into different languages.
Professional Translation services for such a focus is growing in demand as mobile apps are growing in popularity.
Which means, there are more jobs available for you.
Here’s how to sign up to Tethras as a translator.
13. Fiverr
- How much can you make: Between $5 to $25 for text translation. You can provide more services like speaking in translated voice for videos which could fetch $100 or more per project. The key is to market your services to businesses in need.
- Payment methods: PayPal, Fiverr Revenue Card, and Bank Transfer (Direct Deposit for the US)
- Payment process: 24/7 payment request, $5 minimum withdrawal with a 14-day clearing period
Fiverr is an online marketplace launched in 2010 where freelancers, including translators, can offer your services to clients all over the world.
You need to create a Fiverr seller account, create a profile with information like your rates and skills, and wait for clients to pick you and offer you a job.
Sell your translation service on Fiverr.
14. Freelancer
- How much can you make: Vary depending on the project
- Payment methods: PayPal, Skrill and Freelancer Debit Card
- Payment process: Every Sunday and Wednesday, $30 minimum amount
Freelancer was founded in 2009 and had a headquarter in Sydney, Australia.
It is another online freelancing platform where you can find plenty of translation jobs, and if you have more skills to offer, they have a job board full of freelancing jobs that matches your skills.
Businesses will list their job requirements and you’ll have to proactively bid and pitch for jobs.
15. Upwork (Formerly Elance-oDesk)
- How much can you make: Vary depending on the project (Similar to Freelancer)
- Payment methods: Direct bank transfers (US only), Wire Transfer, Instant Pay (US only), PayPal, Payoneer, and M-Pesa (Kenya only)
- Payment process: 24/7 payment request, $3 minimum withdrawal with a 10-day clearing period
Upwork is an American freelancing platform that has been around since 1999.
With its long history in the freelancing industry, it’s no wonder why you can find almost all kinds of freelancing jobs in Upwork, including plenty of home translation jobs.
You can browse through the list of translation jobs on Upwork and pick jobs that you want to work with. The key to success with Upwork is to display your expertise while you are creating your profile.
How to get paid more as a translator?
There are many ways to make extra money as an online translator, two of which are working more hours and working with generous clients.
However, its a good idea to become a certified translator, if you want higher rates.
You can find many training and certification programs for translators online, but the most recognized is the one from the American Translators Association (ATA).
Conclusion: Make Money Online Translating
So, which one of the translation sites or job boards above will you get started? Perhaps you’ve had experience working on any of them?
Feel free to leave a comment, question, or suggestion below.
And like we mentioned at the start, there are more sites out there where you can get online translation jobs, but the 15 above is what we think is the best among them.
In case you are looking for something more exciting that pays you more in the long run, we are talking about starting an online business here, you may want to check this out.
It is a proven income method for many, even for complete beginners, to make semi-passive full-time income from home.
Anyways, thank you for reading, and I wish you all the best.