Alumni Testimonial #13 - How To Become a Medical Interpreter: The Ultimate Guide Part 3

If you've ever wondered how to become a Medical Interpreter then you’re in the right place. Welcome to part 4 of the 4 part series on How To Become a Medical Interpreter.

Once you’re done reading this, you’ll know exactly what steps to take if you want to grow your own Freelance Interpreting business from marketing to taxes.

Evelyn Guevara Testimonial

“My career path was not clear to me until my last year in college, when I decided to randomly take an Italian class and a Mandarin class. That is when I realized how much I love languages and the ease I had to learn them! Since then, I have perfected my Spanish, French and English and MITIO has been one more achievement for me to reach my goal of being nationally certified as a Medical Interpreter. I look forward to all the opportunities that this field has to offer”

Marketing your Freelance Interpreting Business

If it's in your interest to take the freelance route, what you must first do is start

marketing, below are some basic recommendations to get the ball rolling.

Direct Mail

Prepare a small, high-quality brochure that includes a list of your key points:

• Education

• Language certifications

• Mother language plus language pairs

• Subject areas

• Extra skills such as interpreting, voice-overs, or desktop publishing

• Professional memberships

• Recommendations from current or past clients (if available)

• Contact information.

Modify your cover letter for each pitch to fit the company or institute that you

would like to work with.

If you don't know the name of the person buying interpretations at any target

client, call and get the name of the translation coordinator.

Generally a good printed pitch will be tucked in a drawer and referred to later

when the company has a need.

Interpreting Groups

Make yourself known by joining interpreting associations. Most prominent in

the United States is the nationally renown International Medical Interpreters

Association.

Members can advertise their services in two different directories and become

certified in some language pairs. 

Membership in a top interpretation association will help validate your 

professionalism and is a good credential to have.

Interpreting Companies

Contact interpreting companies in your state or around the country to ask for work.

Getting jobs through interpreting companies means you don't have to spend

time looking for work, but can spend your time doing interpretations and

making money.

Digital Marketing

Go digital. Set up your own Website. Do social networking. Try interpreting

networking sites. 

A Web presence can be working for you while you're doing interpretations.

Public Sector

The U.S. Department of Commerce helps companies and states run trade

missions and know what companies are selling abroad.

 Call your local office to see if they know of anyone that needs translation work.

Networking

If you network with people whose careers are in foreign languages, including

those in international business, translation and language instruction, you may

get tips or spillover work.
 

Taxes and other small business requirements

Disclaimer: We are not the appropriate firm for providing you information in regards to tax law and the like.

As such, we  do not take any responsibility for what you choose to do with the information provided, we

recommended  that you go to the appropriate institutes when making such decisions.

Small business owners must pay tax on their profits for the year. However,

if you own a small business, the Internal Revenue Service allows you to take

certain itemized deductions to compensate you for business expenses.

Taking such deductions lowers your business's taxable profit and decreases

the amount of tax you owe to the IRS at the end of the year.

Travel Expenses

You can typically deduct transportation costs, meals, lodging, the use of your

personal vehicle and other related expenses incurred during travel for business

purposes.

However, if you travel for business reasons and your family accompanies you,

you can't deduct their expenses.

You can deduct travel and other moving  expenses if you move more than

50 miles from your previous home because of your business.

Business Purchases

If you own a small business, you can deduct the cost of business-related

purchases from your profit. Deductible purchases include software, hardware,

the cost of business entertaining, office supplies, utilities and repairs.

To deduct the cost of software, you must typically depreciate it over a 

three-year period unless it will be obsolete in less than a year or it comes as

part of a computer hardware and software bundle.

You must depreciate hardware purchases over five years unless you purchase

a complete computer system that costs less than $18,000.

To deduct business-entertaining costs, the event must relate to the

business, such as a business meeting, or it must take place directly before

or after an event that relates to the business.

Automobile Expenses

If you own or operate vehicles for business purposes, you can deduct

automobile expenses from your profit.

To claim this deduction, either you can deduct a flat rate for every mile of

business travel or you can deduct the exact amount of vehicle expenses

you paid during the year.

If you use your vehicle for both personal and business purposes, you can

deduct only the portion of expenses that related to business use.

Home Office Deduction

If you have an office in your home, you can deduct the expenses related to

maintaining that space.

To qualify for this deduction, you must use your home office exclusively for

business purposes.

To claim this deduction, you must also determine the exact percentage of

space in your home that accounts for your home office.

You can deduct this percentage off of each allowable expense which include

utilities, insurance, rent, repairs, depreciation, security system costs, real estate

taxes, mortgage insurance premiums, casualty losses and mortgage interest.

Other Deductions

You may also be able to deduct interest you paid on purchases you

financed for your small business; advertising and promotional expenses; 

excise and fuel taxes; property taxes; expenses related to the assessment

of business property for repair or maintenance; charitable contributions;

legal fees; and educational expenses.

You may also be able to deduct the costs related to starting your business

over a period of five years.

Am I Required to File a Form 1099 or Other Information Return?

If you made or received a payment during the calendar year as a 

small business or self-employed (individual), you are most likely required to

file an information return to the IRS.

This is applicable to specific and limited reporting requirements.

Received a Payment and Other Reporting Situations

If, as part of your trade or business, you received any of the following

types of payments, use the link to be directed to information on filing the

appropriate information return.

● You made direct sales of at least $5,000 of consumer products

to a buyer for resale anywhere other than a permanent retail

establishment

Not Required to File Information Returns

You are not required to file information return(s) if any of the following

situations apply:

● You are not engaged in a trade or business.

● You are engaged in a trade or business and

○ The payment was made to another business that is
incorporated, but was not for medical or legal services or

○ The sum of all payments made to the person or unincorporated
business is less than $600 in one tax year

With this, I conclude the 4 part series on How to Become a Medical Interpreter!

I hope it was helpful and beneficial to launching your career as a Medical

Interpreter and earning a living doing what you love.

If you would like to learn more schedule a discovery call today!