Are you bi-lingual or tri-lingual? If so, becoming a translator could be the perfect portable income opportunity (PIO) for you.

You may believe that translators are only used in the world of international relations such as the United Nations. Nothing could be further from the truth! People who are fluent in two – or more – languages can use their language skills in all types of business situations. You could become involved with interpreting, online teaching, or bilingual telephone calls.

The possibility of working as an online translator has become more realistic and you can probably find something that fits with your schedule and your skills. The only tools you will need are a computer and a reliable internet connection. Some translation jobs may also require you to have access to a reliable phone connection.

Native-level language proficiency is preferred for most translation jobs. Your high school language skills, Duolingo, and Babbel may be great for extended conversations and native interactions while traveling abroad, but they are probably not sufficient for a translation position where you need easy familiarity with colloquialisms and everyday use of the language. If you are not “natively fluent”, it would be best for you to translate from another language into your native language where you can easily determine correct language usage.

Be prepared to take a fluency exam if you apply for translator positions with an agency. Agencies need to be able to assure their clients that the translators they hire can perform all the required assignments accurately.

For information on how to become a Certified Translation Profession, visit the Certified Translation Professional Program site for a free guide.

Best Online Translation Companies:

Translate.com: Some translations need a human touch. Translate.com has a thriving community of paid translators that provide highly accurate human translations. Are you multilingual? Sign up and get started today! Work any place, any time. Log in to our translation portal wherever and whenever to start translating. Be your own boss. Work as much as you like. Translate all day or in your downtime. Translate blog articles, social media posts, support tickets, and more! No bidding for work. Every task is first-come, first-serve. No more bidding or waiting for translations. Make good money. Translate.com offers competitive compensation, paid by the word. Cash out your earnings anytime, directly to your Paypal® account.

Unbabel: Work anytime, anywhere. Join 50,000 Unbabelers who earn money powering the world’s most trustworthy translations at scale. Unbabelers love language, have excellent writing skills and attention to detail. We serve translators tasks where you see both the original text and suggested translations produced by our artificial intelligence technology. Starting at a base rate per hour, you can work your way up to higher rates, depending on your skills and the pace at which you translate paid tasks. No need to wait for the end of the month; we pay our translators on a weekly basis via PayPal and Payoneer.

One Hour Translation: One Hour Translation Ltd. provides high-quality professional human translation of 100+ languages and over 3200 language pairs. We are able to provide high-quality translations around the clock, any day, any time thanks to a community of over 25,000 Professional Translators from over 100 different countries. One Hour Translation Ltd. specializes in providing business translations in different fields including legal, technical, websites, applications and software, marketing and more. We are considered the fastest professional translation service in the world. Once a translator starts working on the translation, a countdown timer shows when the translation is going to be ready. Translation of one, 200 words, page takes about an hour.

Rev: Rev works with only the highest quality professional translators from around the globe. We are very selective, choosing only a very small fraction of applicants to join the Rev team of professional linguists and translators. Our clients value fast turnaround time for their Certified Translation and business document translation. While turnaround times vary by language, we generally can return a short document within a few hours. We aim to create long-term relationships with our clients. We understand that our clients value their privacy, particularly when it comes to personal or confidential business documents.

Tethras: Our vision is to fulfill all the localization needs of app development companies. Before we release languages back to you, our production team give them one last check to make sure everything is in order. We will notify you by email once your languages have been released. Once your files are back from translation we give them one final check to make sure everything is localized to the highest standard. Once we are happy with the quality of your translations we will notify you via Email or the Tethras iOS app. You can then download the translations, build them into your app and start selling!

TextMaster: TextMaster is the leading professional translation agency that’s available 100% online. Order your translations in just a few clicks and TextMaster will handle the rest all while ensuring the highest quality and optimal turnaround times. Textmaster features a network of translators which specializes in more than 50 languages and provides translation for: Marketing materials, Legal documents, Technical specifications. Websites Tourism, Ecommerce, Mobile Apps, Blogs, Press Releases, and Video games.

Lionbridge: You need to reach your customers—all your customers—in their native languages. With 100,000+ language experts across 15 industries aided by best-in-class AI, we speed and style your market entry with ease. We retain the integrity and spirit of your original message and infuse it with local flair, making your company feel at home in every market. You want to transcend cultural differences to forge a positive emotional connection with customers worldwide. Our global network of in-market experts and creative production specialists brings your creative content to life, recreating it for targeted languages, and markets while preserving its emotional appeal. When you need to bridge language barriers in real-time, we can help. Our carefully-selected team delivers highest-quality language interpretation services in 350+ languages and for multiple industries—from government and legal to medical and financial—on-site, over the phone, or via video. You need to ensure language quality every time. We are your quality guardian, through impartial translation evaluation services, monitoring, and reporting.

Acclaro: Acclaro is a language translation services agency that helps the world’s top brands succeed across cultures through a fine-tuned process, top industry talent, and long-term investment in your global reputation. From localizing products to transcreating global ad campaigns, we bring a personal touch to help you open new markets and gain a competitive edge in over 100 languages worldwide. More than just providing translation services, we enable you to communicate in your brand voice and style. Acclaro’s time-tested systems, wide-ranging technological expertise and dedicated teams provide consistent results including: unified brand message across all content, in all languages, translations that “sound like” you, brand positioning that resonates with the real-life culture of your target market, on-time delivery with responsive communication at every step.

Aberdeen Language Services Ltd.: The professional translators at Aberdeen Languages Services possess the skills to meet the most exacting translation requirements. Aberdeen employs native translators who work with any language combinations you require. Our translations are tailored to the specific vocabulary demanded by different industries. We have expertise in a wide range of industries, from accounting and financial to legal, medical, scientific and other technical fields. We work with translators from around the world. This diversity enables us to offer translation services for an extensive range of languages. We are committed to timely delivery and the absolute confidentiality of your materials.

American Journal Experts: American Journal Experts (AJE) is a division of Research Square founded in 2004 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Since then, our team has edited over half a million papers in 447 areas of study, and we have helped thousands of international researchers to eliminate language barriers and get their work published in the best journals in the world. We are a network and team of former academics and publishing professionals determined to change the world. Our mission is improving the way discoveries are shared by the international research community — by identifying areas for improvement within the ongoing cycle of research, publishing, and discovery.

Andovar: Andovar is a global provider of multilingual content solutions. Our services range from text translation and content creation, through audio and video recording, to turnkey localization of websites, software, eLearning, video and games. We are headquartered in Singapore and have offices in Ireland, Thailand, Colombia, India, USA, and the UK. Andovar focuses on emerging markets and technologies, such as websites, mobile, gaming, multimedia, and cloud software. Emerging markets are the new frontier in localization and where others struggle with complex scripts and lack of standards, Andovar has the expertise to succeed. We are a medium-sized company that is small enough to be agile and adaptable, yet big enough to handle projects of any size. While others try to automate everything and make localization a numbers game, Andovar creates customized solutions for each client to meet their needs and budgets. Andovar is employee-owned, and everyone has a stake in our clients’ success. We do not sell any software solutions and we use the latest technology ourselves, which allows us to give impartial advice to our clients. A wide range of professional talent from across the world coupled with our own audio studios means we are a one-stop-shop for all localization projects regardless of size, type and languages required.

Certified Languages International: Certified Languages International (CLI) prides itself on offering only the best interpreters in the industry. We are always seeking to contract with experienced linguists to provide interpreting services from home. These independent contract positions offer flexible scheduling, competitive pay, and the opportunity to help Limited English Proficient communities. If you live in the U.S., fluently speak English and other languages, have proven interpreting experience, and are committed to providing excellent customer service, you might be qualified to join our interpreting team. Qualified candidates must also have access to a dedicated landline telephone. CLI also prioritizes contracting with interpreters who have completed professional interpreter training programs and who hold national certifications.

Interpreters and Translators, Inc.:  iTi is an award-winning multicultural language solution provider for a variety of industries which includes: healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, education, government, legal, marketing, and corporations. From document translation services to in-person interpreter services, iTi’s team prides themselves on quick response time, flexible and custom solutions, personal service with a smile and a ‘can do’ attitude. We work with a variety of industries specializing in each by creating dedicated groups of linguistic teams and personal account management. Through our years of experience, iTi has developed streamlined processes for scheduling interpreter encounters and translation projects that include an elite level of quality control. Since each organization we do business with has unique systems and procedures, we take a customized approach and develop workflows that suit each client while maintaining efficiency and accuracy. We are constantly searching for exceptional interpreters and translators to join our team. If you aspire to facilitate communication between people and businesses across the globe and have a dedication to customer service, then iTi may be the perfect fit for you!

Language Services Associates: Language Services Associates (LSA) offers a full suite of language interpretation solutions to help optimize the experience of limited English proficient customers and patients. Providing native language support improves the efficiency and productivity of staff, raises customer satisfaction levels, and builds loyalty. For more than 2,000 clients worldwide, in more than 200 languages, LSA provides a competitive differentiator in the healthcare, government, financial, insurance, banking, entertainment, hospitality, and manufacturing industries. Founded in 1991, LSA has a strong reputation for helping our clients build relationships, ensure accuracy, and make trusted connections with their limited English proficient customers and patients. As one of the largest and fastest-growing professional language services companies in the world, LSA’s passion for helping others drives our award-winning culture of service excellence. LSA’s services include Interpreting by Telephone, Face-to-Face Interpreting, Video Remote Interpreting, American Sign Language, Translation and Localization, and Language Assessments. Do you have a passion for languages?  Are you interested in helping millions of non-English speakers get the support they need to survive and thrive?  Do you approach every situation with passion, purpose and a positive, can-do attitude?  All LSA full-time employees are eligible for a number of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k, flexible spending accounts, PTO, vacation and paid holidays.

Verbal Ink: Translation isn’t just a skill – it’s actually a finely tuned craft. Whether it’s from English to another language, or from another language to English, Verbal Ink appreciates the need for accurate, high-quality translation. Verbal Ink’s translation services team can handle just about any project imaginable: websites, marketing materials, guides, manuals, and contracts to name just a few. Getting every word just right is crucial in providing an accurate meaning in any language. We are more than just your average language company. We have some of the most highly screened linguists in the industry. Not only that, but we get to know our clients and look forward to building a relationship that can maximize our value.

VerbalizeIt: VerbalizeIt enables better universal communication for businesses and individuals. We measure our success by this fact. Communication is an essential aspect of life, and language barriers should never be an impediment to quality communication. VerbalizeIt uses its technology platform to connect those in need of translation with a global community of human translators. We increase your capabilities by allowing you to focus on your own goals, from creating the most effective global marketing campaign to asking for the best local gelato flavor in an Italian town. All of this is done on our world-class translation platform. Our translator community is a collaborative ecosystem. By uniting the global interpreter community, we have created a dynamic network that is constantly refining itself into the most reliable translation community.