Self-employment in Vietnam

asjl Member

Member since 16 December 2014

asjlMember15 November 2016 04:51:14

Dear all,

I have a question that I am strugling to find an answer for.

I am trying to become self-employed here as a translator, but I can't find any information on what the right steps are.

The employment department doesn't have any documents in English that I can access and I was wondering if anyone has done this and can let me know what I have to do to be legally working as a freelance here in Vietnam.

Thank you for your help.

Best,
Alvaro

Mangomountain New member

Member since 14 June 2017

MangomountainNew member19 June 2017 12:58:48

Bumping up this question as I would really like to know the answer to this too

jucketboy Member

Member since 15 September 2016

jucketboyMember19 June 2017 13:11:40

LOL... so take the documents.. and translate them.
Set up -- slam dunk.
Next question.

Mangomountain New member

Member since 14 June 2017

MangomountainNew member19 June 2017 13:18:07

I'm actually still in the UK just starting to research into this. At this point just a heads up to know if it's even possible to do so (and an idea of how straightforward/challenging it is in terms of red tape/restrictions) and any tips or nods in the right direction would be greatly appreciated

VietCanada Serial expat

Member since 09 January 2016

VietCanadaSerial expat19 June 2017 15:01:08

324

There are quite a few bilingual people here. Translating is a specific skill. It's not just about being bilingual. The first thing to do if you're considering a business is determining if there is a market for it.

I have seen no evidence of a market for a self-employed translator. Quite the opposite as anyone who speaks a bit of English here takes pride in making their own signs and whatnot. If not then they probably know or can connect with an EFL teacher who'd help them for free.

Ciambella ViP

Member since 19 April 2017

CiambellaViP19 June 2017 19:29:45

3482

VietCanada wrote:
There are quite a few bilingual people here. Translating is a specific skill. It's not just about being bilingual. The first thing to do if you're considering a business is determining if there is a market for it.

Ditto. My niece is a certified medical interpreter (English-German-Vietnamese) although she doesn't work as such since she's busy enough running her German partner's medical practice. The certification is mostly being used when they have foreign visiting physicians.

@ Asjl and Mango: There are so many translation services already existed in Vietnam as well as plenty of multilingual speakers among both native and expats. You may find an odd job translating here and there, but to rely on that skill for a living wouldn't be a very wise decision. A few months ago, I was strongly recommended to take the exam to be a certified general translator (English-French-Italian-Vietnamese) but declined.

As for the procedures, my niece took both oral interview and written exam in front of a panel of medical personnel who judged her level of competence. The panel then submitted their verdict to governmental agency for her certification, and she paid a fee to receive it.