Starting out professionally and working for Active Gaming Media?

[Dwight Matthews]

Hello all,

I have searched through the archives, and I noticed that several people have asked before about Active Gaming Media, AGM.  I realize that there have been people who did not receive payments in a timely fashion, and that does turn me off.  However, I checkout out their website and it looks fairly professional, and they even offer internships.

As a student and freelance worker, should I accept an offer from AGM, or should I keep using sites like Conyac and trying to find local clients through sites like Craigslist?  I do not have high level JLPT certificates, primarily because it is hard to get to a metropolitan area for an exam.  I am roughly at the N2 level, and I would like to start using my skills.

Could anyone provide some advice for me, such as is this offer acceptable, are there alternatives, is there another suitable plan of action, etc...?

Thank you so much.  I appreciate the discussions from this mailing list.

Best,

Dwight Matthews

[Jon LeFlore]

Dear Dwight,

Have you actually received an offer of work from AGM? Or are you still considering registering with them?

Best,

Jon LeFlore

[Steven W. Johnston]

> I am roughly at the N2 level, and I would like to start using my skills...

 

In the opinion of many people, JLPT n2 is far short of what is needed to work as a professional JP-EN translator. Another guideline that is frequently quoted is the amount of words per day. Typically you see people saying that 2,000 words per day is the absolute minimum, with real pros working at 3,000 to 4,000 words per day, day after day. I suggest you review your business records and calculate how many words per day you've been doing. That can probably give you a more realistic idea if you are at the level of a professional translator then simply a JLPT test score. People who start out without being able to put out a professional level of words per day may get a few clients, but eventually such people get dropped by clients since typical deadlines can't be met for typical jobs.

 

 

[Andrew Huntington]

I say it depends on what you're translating. I think you could translate video games at an N2 level, provided you are familiar with general game terms, a little bit of slang, and dialect. Just be prepared to make peanuts for money. Depending on what you get to translate (I'm looking at you, otome games,) it'll be really boring, but really easy.

 

Also, I have to laugh about doing 2,000-4,000 characters per day. I guess that's true if you're translating patients or something. For games, depending on budget/rate, you could be looking at around 10,000/day to be profitable. Last Thursday, I did about 20,000 in a marathon stretch.

 

Sincerely,

Andrew Huntington

 

2013年9月26日木曜日 23時03分10秒 UTC-4 Dwight Matthews: