| Pages in topic: < [1 2] |
Poll: Are you good at other subjects, besides languages? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
Mario Chavez (X) 
Local time: 18:50
English to Spanish
+ ...
Abdelhalim Zeid wrote: I do not consider "languages" is a "subject" but it is actually a skill. So, I will deal with the question on both sides. First, discussing the skills and secondly the subjects. Writing! I know they are very related or even close but I mean writing from scratch. I am very imaginative and I can write stories out of nowhere. I can also write very organized articles and I have had very successful experiences in the past. If I could get paid better, around 10 years ago for the fact that I am a gifted writer, I think I could go on. But, I still enjoy the translation works I am involved in so much. I also think any translator has some good knowledge at certain subjects not only one subject. The translator who's good in automotive must have enough knowledge in the automotive industries, the one who's good in software, must be a tech-savvy and so on. I have been always a gamer and a sports fan and when I grew older, I have become specialized in both subject fields more than any other subjects because I have got a very cumulative background that has been built in decades. Still, languages is not a subject.  [Edited at 2016-05-16 08:46 GMT]
Very few colleagues stop to think that translation is a writing activity (I'm using broad strokes here to describe it). If we aren't competent writers in one language, how can we expect to achieve competence in other languages?
I agree that languages is not a subject, but it's neither just one skill but several. And these skills interoperate and interact among themselves. Most translators I know write and translate about the topics or areas they feel knowledgeable about and interested in.
| | | |
Katrin Bosse (X)
Germany
Local time: 00:50
Dutch to German
+ ...
Coming from a family of musicians, I played the cello and the piano for decades and I also sang in various choirs. Today, not so much, alas, due to my current situation. But I also have a life-long interest in dance and actually have a degree from a college in Amsterdam as a dancer and performance artist (sounds really pretentious, I know...).
BTW, I have always felt that these artistic talents have informed and nurtured my translation skills, like thinking quick on my feet or intui... See more Coming from a family of musicians, I played the cello and the piano for decades and I also sang in various choirs. Today, not so much, alas, due to my current situation. But I also have a life-long interest in dance and actually have a degree from a college in Amsterdam as a dancer and performance artist (sounds really pretentious, I know...).
BTW, I have always felt that these artistic talents have informed and nurtured my translation skills, like thinking quick on my feet or intuitive grasping of/accurate decision making about tonality, register and style.
Nowadays, I consider myself quite accomplished at parenting, but I guess I'll have to wait for puberty to arrive (my daughter's, mind) for that belief to be tested.
[Bearbeitet am 2016-05-16 17:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 19:50
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I graduated in Accounting and Business Admin, and I worked in-house in these areas for 20 years, above all in beverage and engineering companies.
BTW it is highly advisable to hire translators with experience in the specific fields to be translated. Being acquainted with the jargon of specific areas is something you cannot possibly acquire in a translation or language courses alone. When I finished my translation couse and started translating, I was an average translator. Only 4.5 ... See more I graduated in Accounting and Business Admin, and I worked in-house in these areas for 20 years, above all in beverage and engineering companies.
BTW it is highly advisable to hire translators with experience in the specific fields to be translated. Being acquainted with the jargon of specific areas is something you cannot possibly acquire in a translation or language courses alone. When I finished my translation couse and started translating, I was an average translator. Only 4.5 years later, when I finished college, did I start to learn the business jargon. And only another 11 years later, when I started working for international engineering companies, did I start to learn the technical jargon. The translation course was a very basic foundation to the building. I only started stating I was "specialized" in these areas 25 years after finishing the translation course. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Helen Hagon
Local time: 23:50
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
It depends what is classed as a 'subject', and how you define 'good'. I play the violin. I'm better than some, but not as good as others. I'm not really of a professional standard, but the older I get the more I appreciate the value of music. Playing in an amateur orchestra helps me switch off from the stresses of life and keeps me sane. However, my main job besides translating is being a parent, and I hope I'm pretty good at that, too. I've had a teenager for two years now, and we're both still... See more It depends what is classed as a 'subject', and how you define 'good'. I play the violin. I'm better than some, but not as good as others. I'm not really of a professional standard, but the older I get the more I appreciate the value of music. Playing in an amateur orchestra helps me switch off from the stresses of life and keeps me sane. However, my main job besides translating is being a parent, and I hope I'm pretty good at that, too. I've had a teenager for two years now, and we're both still alive, so I must be doing something right. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 18:50
English to Spanish
+ ...
Katrin Bosse wrote:
Coming from a family of musicians, I played the cello and the piano for decades and I also sang in various choirs. Today, not so much, alas, due to my current situation. But I also have a life-long interest in dance and actually have a degree from a college in Amsterdam as a dancer and performance artist (sounds really pretentious, I know...).
BTW, I have always felt that these artistic talents have informed and nurtured my translation skills, like thinking quick on my feet or intuitive grasping of/accurate decision making about tonality, register and style.
Nowadays, I consider myself quite accomplished at parenting, but I guess I'll have to wait for puberty to arrive (my daughter's, mind) for that belief to be tested.
[Bearbeitet am 2016-05-16 17:27 GMT]
I am no musician but I have sang in a church choir for 8 years. Even before getting my BA in Translation, I instinctively knew that music and language and translation go hand in hand.
I wonder if you, a cellist, ever played Kodály's piece for unaccompanied cello. ♫ ♪
Cheers!
| | | |
Erzsébet Czopyk
Hungary
Local time: 00:50
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
I used to be a jazz singer. Maybe a good cook. But I am a pretty good handyman. Call me if you need to repair your furniture I will singing while working DD
| | | |
| Pages in topic: < [1 2] |
Login to reply/comment 
