Hi, everyone. I’m 22, European, and my Taiwanese girlfriend is 24. Now we’re doing a LDR, although we meet up quite often. We’ve been together for almost 2 years, when we knew each other during an exchange in France, where she’s living right now.
I am in my 4th year of degree and, in December, I had the idea to apply for a teaching assistant grant in France for 6 months (from October to April); happily, I was selected. The problem though: my GF is searching for jobs following her master and sending résumés like crazy to get her stay in France assured—her student VISA expires on February 2023—but she’s not being lucky so far, so we’re considering moving to Taiwan, as she believes it will be much easier for her to get a job there.
Now, what about me? I’m studying Translation and Interpreting, in a good university.
My languages are Spanish (native), English, French and Arabic. I have a lower command of Arabic than the others, but I think I have quite a good base either way and, as my girlfriend speaks Mandarin, I’m considering starting Chinese as well. Furthermore, since I’ll have a lot of free time (the job is just 12 h/week) I’m thinking too about getting into a course/master degree there on Marketing/Economy/Business.
Incidentally, if borders are open by July, I’ll be visiting there for 2 months to see the ambient a bit.
Do you think I have possibilities to get a job “easily”? Do you think it would be a good option to carry out this idea of the business field for a country like Taiwan?
will not be easy, with out Chinese your language pairs are not useful in Taiwan.
you can work remotely for other clients, but there is always a challenge of getting new clients.
if you are considering teaching, get teaching license, certified teachers have better chances of getting legitimate and relatively high paying jobs. however this too wont be easy, the demand for Spanish / French teachers is low.
Forget about translation in Taiwan. Even with an optimal command of Mandarin (@izzy is right and you will need at least two years of study and practice before getting to that level), the pay for translators/interpreters here is embarrassingly low. There is little to no respect for the profession, which results in bad quality. Just read a random government website or any sign on the road to have an idea.
And @izzy is right again: just create a profile on Upwork, Fiverr, etc. and work remotely. Even as a non-professional “cheap” translator in the languages that you already know you will earn more than in Taiwan with Mandarin. With the bonus point of not having to deal with a Taiwanese boss.
yes, the translation industry in general is suffering world wide, and in taiwan even more. our company pays ~ 30 cents USD per word for translation (cn-en) there are translators that make good money, but they are few and in very specific niches (medical devices, pharmaceutical industry, legal services )
Please don’t use Fiverr or Upwork. The clients there just looking for the cheapest rate they can find. Get active on LinkedIn. Connect with people. Market yourself as a professional. You’ll get clients. And it won’t matter what country you’re living in.
Yeah, but professional really doesn’t mean that much other than getting paid. All the OP needs is a bit of experience and he can market himself as such. Couple different ways to do that. Fiverr and Upwork as you mentioned, but I wouldn’t hang around those sites for long. Volunteering such as Translators Without Borders. Go through a certification program. Do some work for a friend or acquaintance.
I’m not a translator, unless you count English>>Bad English. But the paths to successful freelancing, whether you’re copywriter, designer, translator, etc., are pretty similar.
I don’t know how much do you know about Taiwan? Is rich country with strong, the best semiconductor hub in the world. There is a lot of growth in this sector and many of the job vacancies are open. Your gf will get a job immediately. This is how Taiwan works. Is straightforward to get a first job. Different than Europe.
What you should do it, is take that assisant job, and your gf a job in Taiwan. After it, you should apply for scholarships to study Mandarin. Study for year and get a job in office. Anykind. It will be poor paid, but who cares. Mostly sales office job. You are young and need experiences. Rent place with gf in Taiwan together and from there you can target jobs in EU (outside of France). Once you get a job in EU, move there and can sponsor visa to your gf as long term partner (no need for marriage). This is straight forward.
Getting a visa for France will be much harder. Especially now. After your gf works 2 years in Taiwan, she might be luckier with jobs applications.