How I landed my dream career as a freelance translator and content writer

I’ve always been attracted to the idea of a non-conventional career – one that allows me the freedom to be my own boss, live on my own terms and pursue professional ambitions at my own pace. 

Although it’s easy to romanticise the freelance lifestyle, it definitely has its drawbacks, as I discussed in this post on common misconceptions about freelancers. With that said, I’m still thriving four years after setting up my translation and content writing business. If you’re curious to learn how I did it, I encourage you to read on.

Born in Liverpool and raised in Valencia, I originally dreamed of becoming a ballet or contemporary dancer and touring the world’s most iconic stages. At 13, with the encouragement of my wonderful ballet teacher María José and the support of my parents, I began auditioning for full-time ballet schools, hoping to realise my ambition of becoming the next Darcey Bussel. Eventually, at 16, I was accepted into a vocational ballet boarding school in Scotland, where I trained to pre-professional level until the age of 19. After then completing a year-long apprenticeship with a contemporary dance company in Budapest, I realised the dance world was no longer the right path for me, so I returned to the UK to reflect and consider my next move.

Growing up between cultures sparked a deep love of languages that I decided to turn into a career. Although my background was in dance, my bilingual upbringing allowed me to pursue a master’s degree in Translation Studies at the University of Manchester. Having left formal education at 16, it was a steep learning curve – but with a lot of perseverance, I graduated with Distinction amid the pandemic. I then spent six months building my freelance business from the ground up, sending out dozens of emails every day until I finally landed my first client. From there, the work snowballed. I’ve since had the chance to work on an incredibly diverse range of projects, and many of the agencies I started out with continue to collaborate with me today.

Freelancing appealed to me not only because I thrive in solitude, but also because it offered the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege of living and working in Spain, Sweden, Romania, Turkey, Japan and Korea – and the list keeps growing! As passionate about travel as I am, I consider myself extremely lucky to have a job that grants me the flexibility to set up my office in nearly any country I choose.

Moreover, although I’m generally kept very busy by my work and the admin tasks involved with running a business, the time and energy I save on commuting enables me to focus on other pursuits, such as photography and language learning. I’m currently studying Korean and am committed to refining my German skills, with my goal being to work in at least one of these languages soon.