Translator jobs and language courses
Discussion
Evening all
Having just returned from a week holiday in Spain, and thinking how straight forward the language 'seems', I'm thinking I'd like to learn the language and maybe do some translating work part time.
Any posters have any similar experience of this sort of thing? Is there much demand for translators? Or is there likely to be with the upcoming Brexit?
Any advice/help would be grateful.
Thanks in advance
Having just returned from a week holiday in Spain, and thinking how straight forward the language 'seems', I'm thinking I'd like to learn the language and maybe do some translating work part time.
Any posters have any similar experience of this sort of thing? Is there much demand for translators? Or is there likely to be with the upcoming Brexit?
Any advice/help would be grateful.
Thanks in advance
Sure, go for it. You can learn the language, and use it to good effect. I have done exactly this and went on to live in France for 2-3 years. Great times. I'm still fluent and have since had contract work in France, writing and training out work instructions in French in a factory.
One word of advice - if you want to be a translator, this is a very specific job and you have to have a REAL ability with languages, far in excess of mine, which if I say so myself is very good indeed.
Go for it, you'll have a ball. You won't be translating unless you are very very skilled indeed, but you may well be using your new language to apply your existing skills, maybe in some interesting bit of Spain. Go for it.
One word of advice - if you want to be a translator, this is a very specific job and you have to have a REAL ability with languages, far in excess of mine, which if I say so myself is very good indeed.
Go for it, you'll have a ball. You won't be translating unless you are very very skilled indeed, but you may well be using your new language to apply your existing skills, maybe in some interesting bit of Spain. Go for it.
Spanish is a fairly straightforward language, has over 3,000 words almost exactly the same in English, and should be easy to learn if you are diligent enough.
However, people's interpretation of 'fluent' is rarely accurate, and to be a translator you have to be absolutely native speaking and take high-level tests. I worked with a French girl who had applied to the UN for a job as a translator (she spoke 'fluent' English and Spanish) and I remember her describing to me the tests they had to do. She had flawless English to be fair but no idea if she ever made it.
It's easier to be a translator for the police, etc. but there is hardly any demand for Spanish in the UK, but would be in some of the tourist areas in Spain. Can't see this being a lucrative or particularly long-term career though.
I'd recommend doing Michel Thomas Method Spanish if you can find it, the way he teaches it builds up nicely and you suddenly find yourself speaking the lingo very quickly. Just be aware that it will take years to be properly fluent and you would need to live in Spain or immerse yourself in the language to really get to the required level.
However, people's interpretation of 'fluent' is rarely accurate, and to be a translator you have to be absolutely native speaking and take high-level tests. I worked with a French girl who had applied to the UN for a job as a translator (she spoke 'fluent' English and Spanish) and I remember her describing to me the tests they had to do. She had flawless English to be fair but no idea if she ever made it.
It's easier to be a translator for the police, etc. but there is hardly any demand for Spanish in the UK, but would be in some of the tourist areas in Spain. Can't see this being a lucrative or particularly long-term career though.
I'd recommend doing Michel Thomas Method Spanish if you can find it, the way he teaches it builds up nicely and you suddenly find yourself speaking the lingo very quickly. Just be aware that it will take years to be properly fluent and you would need to live in Spain or immerse yourself in the language to really get to the required level.
I'm a full-time translator running my own translation company, so I might have some of the answers you're looking for. 
I'll try and keep it brief.
If you don't speak the language yet, don't expect to be up to translating-level fluency for a good couple of years, probably more unless you immerse yourself in the language by living in the country where your language is spoken. Just knowing the translation of a word isn't enough, you have to know its import in context as well. "Native-level fluency" is actually very rare, most translators I know have near-native level fluency but not full bilingual capability (despite what they may claim!). Professional translators always work into their native language, never out of it unless there's a very rare language combination involved (Finnish to English springs to mind...) or they're truly bilingual, often because they spoke both languages with their parents while growing up.
Secondly, there's a difference between translation and interpreting and you need to decide which one to go for. Translators work with the written word, interpreters speak. The two require different skill sets and it's important to know which one you're aiming for. I know a bit about interpreting and I can do it if I have to, but it's not really my field so I always turn down those jobs. Most people know not to ask though.
You also need a superb grasp of your own language (English in this case, I suppose). You need to be able to write text which is grammatically correct and spelt correctly, of course, but you also need to be able to pitch the tone of your text. A newspaper article will be translated differently to a legal contract or a restaurant menu or a film script.
It used to be common for translators to train "on the job" and hone their skills that way, but it's cheaper in the long run to employ freelancers and in-house translation jobs are much rarer now. (And the money has always been terrible in-house!) Many companies like their freelancers to have an MA in Translation, and you may find it difficult to get a foot in the door without one if you're new to the profession. Depends on the clients you work with though.
You don't necessarily have to take tests to become a translator (except the aforementioned MA), but many companies will ask you to translate a free test piece. You need to be careful with these, because some companies just use the opportunity to get a free job out of you and you never hear from them again. There are plenty of translator forums online where you can ask about any companies you're not sure of, though.
I wouldn't say there's hardly any demand for Spanish in the UK - that might be true of interpreters, but Spanish > English translation was alive and well last time I looked. (I can check with some of my contacts if you want to know the current state of the market, Spanish isn't one of my languages.) What I would say, though, is that there are lots of people in the UK doing the Big Four (Spanish, German, French and Italian), and doing them to a very high standard. So if you're planning on working from just Spanish, you might need a backup plan for the times when Spanish goes quiet. Most translators I know offer at least one other foreign language, although it's perfectly possible to make a living from a single language.
The other thing to bear in mind is that you can't be an expert at everything. If you market yourself as doing "general" translations, you'll be competing with lots of people. It's usually best to have some specialist fields to offer - anything that can give you an edge over the competition.
And don't worry about machine translation, it's already quite good at repetitive stuff but I doubt it'll ever be capable of doing some of the mental gymnastics your average translator does on a daily basis. Google Translate can be hilarious at times, and shockingly wrong quite a lot of the time!
There's also the isolation aspect to consider. Freelance translating (which is really the only way to make decent money at translation) is a bit of a solitary job. You might speak to a few people over the course of the day on the phone, but for the most part it's just you and your computer. This lifestyle isn't for everyone. Although that said, you can always sign up for a space in an office somewhere - I've not really looked into it myself because I prefer working alone, but I know other translators club together and rent office premises.
To sum up - if you enjoy writing and language (not just "languages"), translation might well be the job for you. But first you need to get a high-level language behind you. Do that bit first, and if you still love the language when you're good at it, that's when you can consider translation as a career. Because if you don't love the language, you'll hate the job.
Anyway, that's the short version.
If you have any specific questions, please ask - I've barely scratched the surface and there's loads more to go into if there's anything in particular you want to know.
I'll try and keep it brief.If you don't speak the language yet, don't expect to be up to translating-level fluency for a good couple of years, probably more unless you immerse yourself in the language by living in the country where your language is spoken. Just knowing the translation of a word isn't enough, you have to know its import in context as well. "Native-level fluency" is actually very rare, most translators I know have near-native level fluency but not full bilingual capability (despite what they may claim!). Professional translators always work into their native language, never out of it unless there's a very rare language combination involved (Finnish to English springs to mind...) or they're truly bilingual, often because they spoke both languages with their parents while growing up.
Secondly, there's a difference between translation and interpreting and you need to decide which one to go for. Translators work with the written word, interpreters speak. The two require different skill sets and it's important to know which one you're aiming for. I know a bit about interpreting and I can do it if I have to, but it's not really my field so I always turn down those jobs. Most people know not to ask though.
You also need a superb grasp of your own language (English in this case, I suppose). You need to be able to write text which is grammatically correct and spelt correctly, of course, but you also need to be able to pitch the tone of your text. A newspaper article will be translated differently to a legal contract or a restaurant menu or a film script.
It used to be common for translators to train "on the job" and hone their skills that way, but it's cheaper in the long run to employ freelancers and in-house translation jobs are much rarer now. (And the money has always been terrible in-house!) Many companies like their freelancers to have an MA in Translation, and you may find it difficult to get a foot in the door without one if you're new to the profession. Depends on the clients you work with though.
You don't necessarily have to take tests to become a translator (except the aforementioned MA), but many companies will ask you to translate a free test piece. You need to be careful with these, because some companies just use the opportunity to get a free job out of you and you never hear from them again. There are plenty of translator forums online where you can ask about any companies you're not sure of, though.
I wouldn't say there's hardly any demand for Spanish in the UK - that might be true of interpreters, but Spanish > English translation was alive and well last time I looked. (I can check with some of my contacts if you want to know the current state of the market, Spanish isn't one of my languages.) What I would say, though, is that there are lots of people in the UK doing the Big Four (Spanish, German, French and Italian), and doing them to a very high standard. So if you're planning on working from just Spanish, you might need a backup plan for the times when Spanish goes quiet. Most translators I know offer at least one other foreign language, although it's perfectly possible to make a living from a single language.
The other thing to bear in mind is that you can't be an expert at everything. If you market yourself as doing "general" translations, you'll be competing with lots of people. It's usually best to have some specialist fields to offer - anything that can give you an edge over the competition.
And don't worry about machine translation, it's already quite good at repetitive stuff but I doubt it'll ever be capable of doing some of the mental gymnastics your average translator does on a daily basis. Google Translate can be hilarious at times, and shockingly wrong quite a lot of the time!
There's also the isolation aspect to consider. Freelance translating (which is really the only way to make decent money at translation) is a bit of a solitary job. You might speak to a few people over the course of the day on the phone, but for the most part it's just you and your computer. This lifestyle isn't for everyone. Although that said, you can always sign up for a space in an office somewhere - I've not really looked into it myself because I prefer working alone, but I know other translators club together and rent office premises.
To sum up - if you enjoy writing and language (not just "languages"), translation might well be the job for you. But first you need to get a high-level language behind you. Do that bit first, and if you still love the language when you're good at it, that's when you can consider translation as a career. Because if you don't love the language, you'll hate the job.
Anyway, that's the short version.
If you have any specific questions, please ask - I've barely scratched the surface and there's loads more to go into if there's anything in particular you want to know.Edited by SGirl on Wednesday 13th July 09:58
Good advice.
Re: demand, I was just speaking of my experience of interpreting for the police, courts, etc. and in this area the demand for the main European languages is quite low, especially around my way. I was just trying to explain where general language skills can be used on a part-time basis, as can be the case for the judiciary and police matters.
Re: demand, I was just speaking of my experience of interpreting for the police, courts, etc. and in this area the demand for the main European languages is quite low, especially around my way. I was just trying to explain where general language skills can be used on a part-time basis, as can be the case for the judiciary and police matters.
As others have said, don't worry about the mechanical translators. I had a lovely incident with one such.
An utterly vile Director of ours, my immediate boss, was visiting the site in France to which I was contracted, and throwing her (considerable, and unsightly) weight about. Predictably enough nothing was happening fast enough of good enough, so bearing in mind that she had just about enough French to buy cigarettes she decided that anyone could write work instructions. After a couple of hours she plonked a document on my desk and said "Right, that's done, get it signed off and issued"
I looked at it and commented that it wasn't in a state to be issued, that I would have to turn it into comprehensible French.
"It's fine, it's been through Google translate"
"I can see that, the words are French but it's barely comprehensible and full of errors"
"JFDI"
"Right, I can, as you put it, JFDI, but if I do then I need to point out that here, where it says that the operator needs to check for tears, as in rips, in the bag, your document asks him to check for te-ars, as in salty fluid that falls from your eyes. Now are you sure you still want me to JFDI?"
"Just F*ING do what's necessary and get it issued"
"Certainly."
2 hours later the document was acceptable and I issued it. Now I'm not a French native speaker, I'm sure it had a few flaws, but bear in mind that it took me 2 hours to convert a machine translation of a 4 or 5 page document into a working document that the people in the factory could use. That's a decent amount of work.
I've worked overseas and I love foregn languages, but unless you are a true speciailist then you need a core skill besides languages. Also as stated above, an interpreter really IS a special animal. I can only do this one sentence at a time (both ways) and I have to ask people to stop. If I can hear English when I am speaking French (or vice versa) it all falls apart. How the hell anyone does the simultaneous bit defeats me. What defeats me even more is how undervalued the skill is. I know a Chinese woman who can silutaneously translate Mandarin to English and back, without the native speaker pausing. The person she does most of the work for regards her as no mor valuable than an office girl, despite the fact that he can't speak enough Mandarn or Cantonese to buy a coffee.
An utterly vile Director of ours, my immediate boss, was visiting the site in France to which I was contracted, and throwing her (considerable, and unsightly) weight about. Predictably enough nothing was happening fast enough of good enough, so bearing in mind that she had just about enough French to buy cigarettes she decided that anyone could write work instructions. After a couple of hours she plonked a document on my desk and said "Right, that's done, get it signed off and issued"
I looked at it and commented that it wasn't in a state to be issued, that I would have to turn it into comprehensible French.
"It's fine, it's been through Google translate"
"I can see that, the words are French but it's barely comprehensible and full of errors"
"JFDI"
"Right, I can, as you put it, JFDI, but if I do then I need to point out that here, where it says that the operator needs to check for tears, as in rips, in the bag, your document asks him to check for te-ars, as in salty fluid that falls from your eyes. Now are you sure you still want me to JFDI?"
"Just F*ING do what's necessary and get it issued"
"Certainly."
2 hours later the document was acceptable and I issued it. Now I'm not a French native speaker, I'm sure it had a few flaws, but bear in mind that it took me 2 hours to convert a machine translation of a 4 or 5 page document into a working document that the people in the factory could use. That's a decent amount of work.
I've worked overseas and I love foregn languages, but unless you are a true speciailist then you need a core skill besides languages. Also as stated above, an interpreter really IS a special animal. I can only do this one sentence at a time (both ways) and I have to ask people to stop. If I can hear English when I am speaking French (or vice versa) it all falls apart. How the hell anyone does the simultaneous bit defeats me. What defeats me even more is how undervalued the skill is. I know a Chinese woman who can silutaneously translate Mandarin to English and back, without the native speaker pausing. The person she does most of the work for regards her as no mor valuable than an office girl, despite the fact that he can't speak enough Mandarn or Cantonese to buy a coffee.
battered said:
I've worked overseas and I love foregn languages, but unless you are a true speciailist then you need a core skill besides languages. Also as stated above, an interpreter really IS a special animal. I can only do this one sentence at a time (both ways) and I have to ask people to stop. If I can hear English when I am speaking French (or vice versa) it all falls apart. How the hell anyone does the simultaneous bit defeats me. What defeats me even more is how undervalued the skill is. I know a Chinese woman who can silutaneously translate Mandarin to English and back, without the native speaker pausing. The person she does most of the work for regards her as no mor valuable than an office girl, despite the fact that he can't speak enough Mandarn or Cantonese to buy a coffee.
Any language-based job is underestimated. I know of several would-be clients who've given files to translators and asked if they could "just type this up in English", like it's a simple thing to do. Languages are simply undervalued, even by people who are happy to admit they can't learn languages because they're "too hard"! Anyway. For a career in translation, you definitely need some other specialism besides languages - it's not enough to just know a language, you have to know something about other things as well so that you can specialise. Particularly if you're working in a common language combination like Spanish to English. There are plenty of generalists out there offering reasonable translations of letters or news articles or whatever, but specialising in a particular field (or, ideally, several) will open more doors to you and you're more likely to be offered the general stuff by existing clients if you do a good job on the hard texts for them.
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