Getting started as a freelance interpreter, by Corinne McKay

Interpreting is an exciting and dynamic career, offering the chance to bridge language gaps in real time, help people communicate across cultures, and work in diverse settings – from courtrooms to hospitals to international conferences. But getting started can feel overwhelming. What training do you need? How do you find clients? What can you expect from your first interpreting assignments?

This one-hour session presents practical strategies for launching and running a successful freelance interpreting business, including marketing to agencies, marketing to direct clients, pursuing certification, and deciding how much to charge.

The speaker, Corinne McKay, has experience starting a freelance business from scratch – twice! She’ll talk about the differences between being a “price taker” and a “price maker”, how to balance lucrative work with meaningful work, and how to effectively market your services to higher-paying clients.

Please note: this meeting will not be recorded.

Date: Thursday 11 December 2025
Time: 19:30–20:45
Location: Online via Zoom (we’ll send you the link beforehand)
Cost: Free

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About the speaker

Corinne McKay, CT, MCI
Website: Translatewrite.com
Book: Getting Started as a Freelance Interpreter

Corinne McKay is an ATA-certified French to English translator, a Colorado court-certified French interpreter, and holds a Master of conference interpreting from Glendon College. As well as being a full-time freelancer since 2002, she is the author of How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator, a career guide with over 15,000 copies in print, and the newly published Getting Started as a Freelance Interpreter, a guide to launching and growing a freelance interpreting business. She served on the American Translators Association (ATA) board for seven years, including as ATA president from 2017-2019.