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Freelance translator jobs: work as a professional translator for termbase.

Want to work as a translator — freelance, into your native language, with a real subject field rather than as an all-rounder? termbase collaborates with a network of native-speaker professional translators across over 70 languages. This page explains who we hire, how the freelance collaboration works, and how to make your application stand out — honestly, and without empty promises.

Native-speaker principleinto your mother tongue
Four-eyes principleindependent revision
One real subject fieldlaw, medicine, tech, finance
4.6 · Trustpilot

Apply now What we look for Germany +49 30 2023 5227 0 Austria +43 1 3050 647 Switzerland +41 44 586 82 97

No advertised vacancies — speculative applications are expressly welcome · native speaker + subject field · a reply on working days usually within 60 minutes

Native-speaker principletranslation into your mother tongue

Four-eyes principletranslation + independent revision

over 70 languagesfreelance collaboration

DIN EN ISO 17100registered · Reg. 7U517

In short

Work as a freelance professional translator for termbase.

Reviewed by specialists · termbase editorial team

We are not looking for “language talents” but for professional translators. People who translate into their native language, who genuinely command at least one subject field — law, medicine, technology or finance — and who work cleanly with terminology. Most of our professional translation is produced by freelance colleagues in an established network.

We do not advertise individual vacancies — instead, speculative applications are welcome at any time. If you are at the start of the profession, the way in runs through a degree or examination, hands-on practice and — for official documents — a court authorisation. Everything else is set out below and in our FAQ.

What we look for

Working as a translator — what termbase looks for.

Professional translation is skilled work. What counts is not the number of languages but the reliable combination of native language, subject knowledge and a clean process. The points below describe what we pay attention to in a collaboration.

Native-speaker principle

You translate into your native language. That is how idiomatic, natural-sounding target texts arise — the basis of every professional translation.

One real subject field

The most reliable demand lies where mistakes are expensive: law & contracts, medicine and medical devices, technology, IT and finance. Anyone who masters a field is more sought-after than the all-rounder.

Terminology & tools

Professionals work with maintained terminology and CAT tools (Trados, memoQ). They do not translate for you, but they secure consistency and speed — a core craft of professional translation.

Four-eyes principle

Every professional translation passes an independent revision. You do not work in isolation but within a process that secures quality — to DIN EN ISO 17100.

Authorisation for documents

For certified translations before authorities, a court authorisation is required, granted under the law of the relevant federal state (Land law); Section 142 (3) ZPO governs the certification effect of such a translation before German civil courts. More under court-authorised (sworn) translator.

Care & confidentiality

Numbers, names and technical terms must be right; documents stay confidential. These are not extras but a professional duty — and part of how we work with every translator in the network.

Honestly said

We do not promise fantasy fees or guarantees. What we offer is reliable, fair collaboration in a network that values clean craft, with rates that follow the market for German ⇄ English specialist translation.

Roles & profiles

Professional translator, reviser, interpreter: the profiles.

The profession has several forms. Most professional translation is produced freelance in the network; around project management, revision and proofreading there are roles that tend to be organised in employment. This is how the profiles fit together.

Profiles and forms of collaboration for translators, revisers and interpreters at termbase
Profile	Task	Typical collaboration	What counts
Professional translator	Written translation into the native language, within a subject field	mostly freelance	subject knowledge, terminology, care
Court-authorised (sworn) translator	Certified translations for authorities and courts	freelance, with court authorisation	authorisation, legal accuracy
Reviser & proofreader	Proofreading and revision under the four-eyes principle	freelance or employed	feel for language, subject eye, consistency
Interpreter	Spoken rendering — consecutive or simultaneous	project- and assignment-based	real time, resilience, specialist vocabulary
Career starter	Contributing and onboarding via hands-on practice or first commissions	gradual expansion	willingness to learn, language base, subject interest

Freelance collaboration

As a freelance professional translator you have more freedom over fields, languages and workload. That calls for self-organisation and costing — in return you decide on your specialisation yourself. This is how most of our network works.

Employed roles

A few roles — in project management, revision or proofreading — are organised in employment, offering predictable income and onboarding. A good route for starters who want to learn processes and quality assurance from the inside.

How collaboration works

The freelance collaboration model — fair rates, prompt payment.

A network only works when the terms are fair. We keep the collaboration transparent from the first commission: clear scope, agreed rates and reliable payment. No portal, no unpaid “test volumes” disguised as real work.

Agreed rates

You bill by line, word or project, depending on field and language pair. As a rule of thumb: the scarcer and more demanding the field–language combination, the higher the achievable fee.

Prompt, reliable payment

Every commission comes with a clear purchase order before you start, and we pay to agreed terms — no payment delays, no chasing invoices. Fair treatment of freelancers is not a perk; it is the basis of a network that lasts.

Revision as partnership

The independent revision under the four-eyes principle is a second pair of eyes, not a blame game. Feedback flows both ways, terminology decisions are documented, and you keep your voice in the final text.

What we do not do

No fantasy fees, no exclusivity that starves you, no unpaid work. You stay free to work for others, to decline a commission and to set your own capacity. What we ask in return is clean, on-time delivery and consistent terminology.

Knowing a language is the start — not the profession.

You become a professional translator only through subject knowledge, clean terminology, a checked process and responsibility for every word.

Quality process

DIN EN ISO 17100 and the revision principle.

Quality at termbase is not a promise but a process. Every professional translation is produced under the four-eyes principle and to the requirements of DIN EN ISO 17100.

The native-speaker principle and an independent revision are the two load-bearing pillars: you translate into your mother tongue, and a second qualified specialist checks the result against the source — for accuracy, terminology and consistency. That is exactly where career starters learn the most, because the feedback is concrete and comes from real commissions.

As a translator in the network you work inside this process, not around it: maintained terminology, documented decisions and clear responsibilities. termbase — Fachübersetzungsdienst GmbH — is registered with DIN CERTCO for translation services under DIN EN ISO 17100 (DIN CERTCO, Reg. 7U517) — the standard that defines competences, the revision step and process requirements for translation services.

Why this matters for you

A defined process protects your work as much as the client's: numbers, negations and technical terms are caught before they reach an authority. Revision and proofreading are part of the craft, not a verdict on it.

Future of the profession

AI, post-editing and what stays human.

The profession today needs an honest answer to the AI question. It is this: machine translation changes the work — but in the demanding areas it does not replace it.

Machine translation (MT) is everyday. It shifts above all simple, repetitive texts increasingly into post-editing (MTPE): specialists check raw translations, correct them and lift them to publication level. That is not lesser work but different work — it calls for professional judgement, especially with numbers, negations and technical terms, where MT makes its typical mistakes.

Human specialist work, by contrast, remains the texts with liability: certified, legal and medical translations. Here a person is answerable for every word, and an authority accepts no unchecked machine output. For applicants that means: those who are specialised and can judge MT critically have good prospects — the pure assembly-line translator comes under pressure.

Our stance

We use technology where it helps — but not where law, health or official recognition are at stake. We secure quality through the four-eyes principle and processes to DIN EN ISO 17100, not through unchecked automation.

How to apply

How to apply to termbase.

Because we do not advertise individual roles, the way in is the speculative application. The more clearly you describe your profile, the better we can place you. These details help us most.

What belongs in your application

A short tabular CV
Language directions: native language and working languages
Your subject fields (e.g. law, medicine, technology, finance)
Proof of qualification (degree, state or Chamber examination)
Where applicable, proof of court authorisation
Tools (e.g. Trados, memoQ) and reference projects
That you would like to work freelance (or employed, for revision/PM roles)

How it works

1 · Send your documents. Send your application via the form below — with one line on field and languages.

2 · We review. We check profile, qualification and subject fit. On working days we usually reply within 60 minutes.

3 · Intro & sample. If it fits in principle, a conversation follows and — as is customary in the industry — a small sample translation in your field.

4 · Collaboration. Then we agree terms and onboarding, freelance or employed.

Ready to apply speculatively?

Send your documents directly via the form below and tell us your field, language directions and preferred form of collaboration. Questions about the profession are answered in our FAQ.

I started as a lateral entrant — from the pharma industry into medical professional translation. What helped me most was working under the four-eyes principle: my translations were checked by a subject specialist, and I learned more from that than from any course. Today I mentor career starters myself.

Medical professional translator · freelance in the termbase network for over five years · lateral entry from the pharma industry

Want to join the network?

termbase works with a network of qualified professional translators in over 70 languages. Whether experienced or just starting: describe your field and your languages briefly — we will get back to you.

FAQ

Freelance translator jobs — frequently asked questions.

What do I need to work as a professional translator?

termbase works with native-speaker professional translators who translate into their native language and reliably command at least one subject field — such as law, medicine, technology or finance. We expect a relevant qualification (a degree, the state or Chamber examination, or demonstrable subject knowledge from a lateral entry), clean terminology work and reliability. For certified translations a court authorisation is additionally required, granted under the law of the relevant federal state (Land law); Section 142 (3) ZPO governs the certification effect of the translation before German civil courts.

Can I apply as a career starter or lateral entrant?

Yes. Career starters and lateral entrants are welcome — “translator” is not a protected job title in Germany; what counts is demonstrable quality. Anyone coming from law, medicine, technology or business who commands a language at a high level often brings exactly the subject knowledge that specialist texts demand. A structured way in is via hands-on practice, a speculative application and the route to court authorisation.

Do I work freelance or employed at termbase?

Most professional translation is produced by a network of freelance professional translators; alongside this there are roles in project management, revision and proofreading that tend to be organised in employment. Which form of collaboration fits we clarify individually — tell us in your speculative application what you are looking for.

What belongs in a speculative application as a translator?

A short tabular CV, your language directions (native and working languages), your subject fields, proof of qualification and — where available — of court authorisation, plus a note on whether you would like to work freelance or employed. Relevant tools (CAT tools such as Trados or memoQ) and reference projects help us place you. Send your documents via the form above or the contact page.

Do I need a court authorisation to translate for termbase?

Not for every commission. Professional translations without an official certification statement can be produced without authorisation. But anyone who wants to produce certified translations for authorities, courts or registry offices needs a court authorisation, granted under the law of the relevant federal state. termbase does not issue authorisation itself.

Does AI make the translator's job obsolete?

No, but the job is changing. Machine translation is shifting simple, repetitive texts increasingly into post-editing (MTPE), where specialists check raw translations and lift them to publication level. Certified, legal and medical texts with liability remain human specialist work — precisely with numbers, negations and technical terms, professional judgement decides. What is in demand is therefore specialisation and the ability to judge MT critically.

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