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Translator jobs: work as a professional translator for FÜD Austria.
Want to work as a translator — employed or freelance, native-speaker, with a real subject field rather than as an all-rounder? FÜD Austria works with professional translators across over 70 languages. This page explains what we look for, how career entry and lateral entry work, and how to make your application count — honestly, without empty promises.
No advertised vacancies — speculative applications are expressly welcome · native speaker + subject field · employed or freelance · a reply on working days usually within 60 minutes
Apply as a translator or editor
Work as a professional translator for FÜD Austria.
We are not looking for “language talent” — we are looking for professional translators. People who translate into their target language at native level, who genuinely command at least one subject field — law, medicine, technology or finance — and who work cleanly with terminology. Whether you would like to work employed or freelance, we work that out with you individually.
We do not currently 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, practical experience, and — for official documents — court-sworn authorisation and certification. Everything else is set out below and in our FAQ.
What we look for
Working as a translator — what FÜD Austria looks for.
Professional translation is skilled work. What counts is not the number of languages but the reliable combination of native-level competence, 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 professional translation.
One real subject field
The most reliable demand lies where mistakes are expensive: law & contracts, medicine and medical devices, technology, IT and business & 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 — 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 Austrian authorities, court-sworn and certified translator status is required. Section 14 SDG names court-sworn and certified translators for this purpose expressly. More under sworn, authorised 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 — employed or freelance — in a network that values clean craft. We say more about what that looks like in practice under freelance reality below.
Roles & profiles
Professional translator, reviser, interpreter: the profiles.
The profession has several forms. A large share of professional translation is produced freelance in the network; around project management, revision and proofreading there are roles that tend to be organised as employment. This is how the profiles fit together.
| Profile | Task | Typical collaboration | What counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional translator | Written translation into the native language, within a subject field | employed or freelance | subject knowledge, terminology, care |
| Court-sworn & certified translator | Certified translations for authorities and courts | freelance, with court-sworn authorisation | authorisation, legal accuracy |
| Reviser & proofreader | Proofreading and revision under the four-eyes principle | employed or freelance | 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 practical experience or first assignments | entry-level, then expansion | willingness to learn, language base, subject interest |
Employed roles
A permanent position — for example in project management, revision or proofreading — offers predictable income, onboarding and a team behind you. A good route for starters who want to learn processes and quality assurance from the inside.
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.
Career entry
Career entry & the route into the profession.
There is not one single way into the profession — and you do not need to bring everything at once. These three building blocks move you forward, whether you are studying, changing careers, or aiming to translate official documents.
Build a qualification
Via a degree, the state examination — or as a lateral entrant with real subject knowledge from law, medicine, technology or business, plus language training.
Gain practice
Practical experience or first assignments shorten the learning curve enormously. This is where you learn terminology work, revision and the tools of the trade on real texts — not from a video.
Work towards authorisation
Anyone who wants to translate official documents takes the route to court-sworn and certified translator status via the competent Regional or Higher Regional Court. FÜD does not carry out the swearing-in itself, but advises on the way there.
For students & career starters
Still at the start? Write to us briefly which subject field and which languages you bring. Our German-language pages on becoming a translator and the internship at FÜD go into more depth (German only for now) — after that, a speculative application via the form below is enough.
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.
How collaboration works
Freelance and remote collaboration — the honest version.
A network only works when the terms are fair, and freelance translation has real pressure points — payment delays, isolation, and rate pressure from machine translation. We keep the collaboration transparent from the first assignment: clear scope, agreed rates and reliable payment.
Agreed rates, no fantasy fees
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 rate. We do not promise fantasy fees — we promise fair ones, agreed before you start.
Prompt, reliable payment
Every assignment comes with a clear brief before you start, and we pay to agreed terms. No chasing invoices, no unpaid “test” work disguised as a real assignment — late payment is a common complaint in this industry, and it is not how we work.
Remote by default, revision as partnership
Most collaboration happens remotely, across languages and locations — that is the nature of a network spanning 70+ languages. The independent revision under the four-eyes principle is a second pair of eyes, not a blame game; 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 of other work, no unpaid work. You stay free to work for others, to decline an assignment and to set your own capacity. What we ask in return is clean, on-time delivery and consistent terminology.
Quality process
DIN EN ISO 17100 and the four-eyes principle.
Quality at FÜD Austria 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 assignments.
As a translator in the network you work inside this process, not around it: maintained terminology, documented decisions and clear responsibilities. FÜD is certified by 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 reality. 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 no Austrian authority accepts 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 FÜD Austria.
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 CV
- Language directions: native language and working languages
- Your subject fields (e.g. law, medicine, technology, business)
- Proof of qualification (degree, state examination)
- Where applicable, proof of court-sworn authorisation and certification
- Tools (e.g. Trados, memoQ) and reference projects
- Whether you would like to work employed or freelance
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, employed or freelance.
Ready to apply speculatively?
Send your documents directly via the form below and tell us your field, language directions and preferred form of collaboration. Go to the application form →
I started as a lateral entrant — from the pharmaceutical 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 FÜD network for over five years · lateral entry from the pharmaceutical industry
Want to join the network?
FÜD Austria works with a network of qualified professional translators in over 70 languages. Whether experienced or just starting out: describe your field and your languages briefly — we will get back to you. Apply now →
New to the profession?
Not there yet? Two clear routes in.
You do not have to bring everything at once. Whether you are still studying, changing careers or aiming to translate official documents — build a qualification, gain practice, and, if you want, work towards court-sworn authorisation and certification.
The route in
Becoming a translator
Degree, state examination, or lateral entry with real subject knowledge — plus the way to court-sworn and certified translator status. Programmes, requirements and what to expect, without marketing promises.
Read the guide (DE) →First practice
Internship at FÜD Austria
Students and career starters get a structured insight: terminology work, revision and the tools of the trade on real texts — not from a video. The fastest way to shorten the learning curve.
See the internship (DE) →FAQ
Translator jobs — frequently asked questions.
What do I need for a job as a professional translator?
Can I apply as a career starter or lateral entrant?
Do I work employed or freelance at FÜD Austria?
What belongs in a speculative application as a translator?
Do I need court-sworn authorisation to translate for FÜD Austria?
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