Translator training programmes have traditionally concentrated on linguistic and translation competence. The business dimensions of the profession have received far less attention in academic curricula. This gap between linguistic expertise and entrepreneurial readiness sits at the core of this paper.
Although the majority of professional translators work as freelancers, the business dimensions of the profession remain largely absent from formal education. Research in the field has concentrated on translation competence, quality, and technology, while comparatively little is known about what actually enables a self-employed translator to build a sustainable career. This is what the present study examines.
The paper is based on a doctoral research study conducted at Ionian University, using a mixed methods design. The study examines the critical factors that affect the business performance of self-employed translators and interpreters, with implications for how training programmes are designed and how professional development is approached in the field.
The qualitative findings reveal something that numbers alone could not have shown. Most translators and interpreters, even those with years of experience as self-employed professionals, do not identify as entrepreneurs. They see themselves as translators, sometimes as artists, but not as business owners. This identity gap is not accidental. It is structural, a direct result of educational programmes that have focused on linguistic competence, without addressing how graduates enter the market or sustain themselves professionally.
Further findings point to patterns that appear across different countries and experience levels. Difficulty negotiating fees, inability to communicate professional value, and lack of strategic positioning. These are not personality traits; they are knowledge gaps that can be addressed through education.
The paper argues that translator education needs to expand beyond linguistic competence. Practical proposals for curriculum design, mentoring structures, and professional development are discussed.
Virginia Katsimpiri is a PhD candidate at the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting, Ionian University – katsimpiri@ionio.gr, supervised by Professor Stefanos Vlachopoulos. Her doctoral research examines the factors that determine the business performance of self-employed translators and interpreters, based on a mixed methods empirical study with translators from different countries. She is a graduate of the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting at Ionian University and holds an Executive MBA with a thesis on client acquisition strategies for language professionals. She has worked as a certified translator and professional mentor for nineteen years. She owns a translation company and is the founder of one of the first business coaching platform created exclusively for translators and interpreters. She has been an invited speaker at international conferences since 2017, presenting on topics related to the translation profession, freelance business development and mentoring. She has contributed to professional development in the field through seminars and workshops at the Department of Foreign Languages, Translation and Interpreting at Ionian University, and in 2016 co-developed the mentoring programme of the Panhellenic Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters. The research combines her academic background in translation studies with nearly two decades of professional experience, addressing a question that the literature in the field has largely overlooked. Her research interests focus on translator entrepreneurship, professional identity and mentoring.
Dr. Naoum Mylonas is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Tourism of the Ionian University in the field "Entrepreneurship in the Creative and Cultural Industries" (1504 / 08-07-2021, vol. C). He holds a PhD from the Department of Economics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) in the field of entrepreneurship. His doctoral dissertation was funded by the NSRF Scholarship Act "Heraclitus II". He also holds the following degrees: BSc in Economics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), MSc in Development Management at the London School of Economics (LSE) and MSc in International and European Economic and European Economic Studies at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). He has taught at the Department of Economics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (PD 407/80), at the Department of Translation and Interpretation of the University of Ioannina (University Fellow), at the Department of Regional Development and at the Department of Tourism of the Ionian University (Academic Fellow NSRF). Since 2018 he has been teaching in the interdepartmental postgraduate programs of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh): "Business Administration and Information Systems" and "Languages, Communication and Administration of Education Services in the modern social, economic and technological environment". Since 2022 he teaches at the DPMS "Digital Technologies in Hospitality and Tourism Management" of the Ionian University. From 2021 he participates in the top management team of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) of the Ionian University. From 2021 he is the Business Developer at the Technology Transfer Office of the Ionian University. Since 2010 to 2017 he was a research associate in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit (MOKE) of AUTh.
