| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Tips for a 21-year old? Thread poster: myles
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| A degree is not all... you're in the right path :) | Nov 18, 2003 |
Well, hello, Myles, and welcome! 
I have to say I agree 100% with Michelle, Susana and Gareth. Their advice is excellent.
About a degree:
I don't particularly endorse the "must have a translation degree" mentality. I got started in this business about six or seven years ago, almost accidentally, because I was working at the time as an administrative assistant for an international corporation, and ... See more Well, hello, Myles, and welcome!
I have to say I agree 100% with Michelle, Susana and Gareth. Their advice is excellent.
About a degree:
I don't particularly endorse the "must have a translation degree" mentality. I got started in this business about six or seven years ago, almost accidentally, because I was working at the time as an administrative assistant for an international corporation, and I translated and proofread technical documents from time to time. One day, the director at the agency for which I do freelance work nowadays, gave me my first break, i.e. he gave me some tests and he agreed to have me on his freelance translators pool. The fact that I did not have a degree (I still don't) didn't matter, as at the agency they were who ultimately proofread my work and delivered it to their clients. I'm forever indebted to this person, because he believed in me and encouraged me to continue improving my translating skills. As I realized that at last I'd found something at which I was good, I enrolled at a local university, where in a few months I will obtain my B.A. in English with a Major in Translation. I got my license to practice as a translator about three years ago (in my country, it is not required to have translation studies to obtain a license), and I'm currently employed as a full-time in-house technical translator at another international corporation. I also continue to do freelance work, and just last week, this particular agency called me to work at a United Nations-related conference that is going to be held here in the city!
My point is, experience and studies come hand in hand. Just because someone is bilingual, it does not necessarily make him a good translator, but the opposite is also true: just because someone has a translation degree does NOT necessarily make him a good translator. Believe me, I know: I've met several translators who do have a degree but lack the required background/cultural/language skills, so their work is merely acceptable, but never remarkable. I've also met people who are fully bilingual (I live in Panama, where [American] English is very much a part of our cultural background [whether we like it or not, but I won't get into that! ]), and who grasp hidden meanings and can translate/interpret much better than those so-called translators who do have a degree (I'm talking about specific people here, I'm sorry if I offend anyone, I surely don't mean to discredit those who have studied very hard).
You have a lot going for you, the fact that you have been exposed to several languages and lived in several countries is, in my humble opinion, the first step, and a step in the right direction
About KudoZ:
All I can do is rave about KudoZ! Sure there are unpleasant surprises now and then, people who do not graciously accept being turned down, and so on and so forth (there's no point in my getting into that), but my advice is to simply ignore that, and learn, learn, learn all you can from the many, many more Prozers out there who really give it all their worth.
And last, but not least --> read, read, read!! The only way you can acquire excellent writing skills and a good grasp of slang and specialized terminology is through reading.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | sukung
Local time: 10:44
English to Thai
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| Yes! "Concentrate and build on what you know already " | Nov 19, 2003 |
Dear Myles,
I am an engineer who is working as a technical translator. I would like to confirm that Gareth's suggestion is veritable for me.
"How can you translate a technical manual for a chemical storage plant if you have no experience of chemical storage?
You can only translate what you know about!
Just replacing the words is not only naive- it can be downright dangerous."
Good luck!!
| | | | ckatsidonis 
Belgium
Local time: 05:44
English to French
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| read, translate & study... for yourself | Nov 20, 2003 |
Maria Teresa Taylor Oliver wrote: And last, but not least --> read, read, read!! The only way you can acquire excellent writing skills and a good grasp of slang and specialized terminology is through reading. Good luck!
Yes, indeed, read a lot about things you like and specialize... It will improve all your skills. But try also to write a bit, translate just for the sake of translating, compare texts, read linguistics essays, etc... this really helps.
Concerning the translation degree: Well, I'm right in the middle of the debate as I didn't finish my translation studies and stopped in the middle of the third year (four years to get a degree in Belgium with an intermediary diploma after two years). I consequently decided to study something else, by myself and mainly for myself. I specialize in IT because I have experience in IT. I worked in the field, struggled with the machine, programmed and created software and played with wires (and with games as I fell into computers at age 7)…. So I understand quite a bit about all that. I surely didn’t learn about that during my translation studies. Translation studies are like philosophy of translation. It’s like saying why we, as translators, are so important to the world… A whole bunch of bull**** in my opinion or not too critical stuff to actually work in this field. Get a degree in medical sciences, engineering or in law, whatever (or don't) but specialize.
That’s all folks,
Charalambos
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