There have been quite a few times when people have inquired about what I was "doing" - for a living. I would say, "I am a Translator - and also run a Translation Company!". And their immediate reaction has been, "Okay...great...but what do you actually "do" for a living?!"...I would simply shrug off their reactions, and just leave it at that! :)
Worldwide, "Translation" and it's allied fields is a multi-billion dollar industry. In the Indian context, very few people are aware that there is such good scope to pursue a full time career. These are the primary prerequisites:
Flair for the languages
Have absolute control over at least two language pairs - Mother Tongue and English.
Flair for literature & writing
Being able to be crisp and to the point
Being creative in one's own mother tongue
English Drafting Skills have to be necessarily good - this is so very important for the end clients to be able to relate to you!
Lastly, one should also to be able to market oneself well. This will complement the above well, and you will all be set to move forward!
But all this does not happen overnight. If you think you are potentially good, then just start translating small paragraphs, and get these reviewed by like-minded well-wishers. Once you develop that confidence, you will start off!
~ Kedar Desai