| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] > | How to get started as a translator Thread poster: Lucas Pocis
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| Take-all-jobs approach | Dec 13, 2022 |
Whatever floats your boat, Lieven 
Personally, I had spent six or seven months reading up on oil exploration, production, and processing before I started mailing out my resume offering translations involving these topics. Eventually, I found two clients catering to major oil and gas corporations, such as British Petroleum, and started working on Sakhalin III and IV projects (2007-2013). Our relationship stopped when I... See more Whatever floats your boat, Lieven
Personally, I had spent six or seven months reading up on oil exploration, production, and processing before I started mailing out my resume offering translations involving these topics. Eventually, I found two clients catering to major oil and gas corporations, such as British Petroleum, and started working on Sakhalin III and IV projects (2007-2013). Our relationship stopped when I joined a major international law firm in 2013. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 13:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Vladimir Pochinov wrote: Whatever floats your boat, Lieven Personally, I had spent six or seven months reading up on oil exploration, production, and processing before I started mailing out my resume offering translations involving these topics. Eventually, I found two clients catering to major oil and gas corporations, such as British Petroleum, and started working on Sakhalin III and IV projects (2007-2013). Our relationship stopped when I joined a major international law firm in 2013.
If I had targeted end clients from te beginning, like you are obviously doing, I probably wouldn't have had a lot of success with my approach. You have to 'sell' yourself more. I'm only asked 'Can you do it?'. Then I say 'Yes'. Big difference.
| | | | | My approach works with agencies as well | Dec 13, 2022 |
Lieven Malaise wrote: Vladimir Pochinov wrote:
Personally, I had spent six or seven months reading up on oil exploration, production, and processing before I started mailing out my resume offering translations involving these topics. Eventually, I found two clients catering to major oil and gas corporations, such as British Petroleum, and started working on Sakhalin III and IV projects (2007-2013). Our relationship stopped when I joined a major international law firm in 2013. If I had targeted end clients from the beginning, like you are obviously doing, I probably wouldn't have had a lot of success with my approach.
Please re-read my posting: "... I found two clients catering to major oil and gas corporations, such as British Petroleum ..." I didn't refer to end clients. One client was a women-run translation agency in Houston, TX.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 13:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Vladimir Pochinov wrote:
Please re-read my posting: "... I found two clients catering to major oil and gas corporations, such as British Petroleum ..." I didn't refer to end clients. One client was a women-run translation agency in Houston, TX.
Sorry, I misunderstood that. In any case, it seems obvious that your approach also works well with agencies. It just doesn't seem a necessity. I worked my first year almost exclusively for the agency that kicked me out as an inhouse translator, and if I was asked by potential clients to provide some specialist fields I named a few, adding that I actually accept work from every specialist field. And as a matter of fact I still do the same today.
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| We will have to agree to disagree | Dec 13, 2022 |
Lieven Malaise wrote: Rachel Waddington wrote:
I strongly disagree with this. You might feel that you are delivering near-perfect medical translations but how can you possibly be sure if you don't even understand the basics of the field? You could be making beautifully written mistakes that put someone's life at risk. Research is all well and good but it won't help if you are completely out of your depth. Who says that I don't understand the basics ? If I come across a concept or term that I don't immediately understand, I look it up to learn how it works or what it means. And how I know if I deliver good work ? I've received enough positive feedback the past 22 years to know that. Even recently I received positive feedback from the end client for my translation of some implant surgical procedures, another one of my 'specialist fields'. I can tell you I didn't know the first thing about implant components and how they are supposed to be implanted in a human body. But the internet is a treasure for anyone who is able to avoid the many traps it contains.
I wouldn't like to work like that, personally. And it seems a little incongruous to claim that translators are being unprofessional if they tackle languages they haven't studied at university but are totally fine to dive into completely unfamiliar subject areas like law or medicine.
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 13:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Nothing new. | Dec 13, 2022 |
Rachel Waddington wrote:
I wouldn't like to work like that, personally. And it seems a little incongruous to claim that translators are being unprofessional if they tackle languages they haven't studied at university but are totally fine to dive into completely unfamiliar subject areas like law or medicine.
It's a wide-spread accepted principle in the translation industry that quality translations are supposed to be produced by translators that translate into their mother tongue. That's not something I've invented. You will probably find it on the vast majority of translation agency websites. Apart from that it's also very logical. It's already difficult enough to translate properly in your own language, let alone in another one.
As far as unfamiliar subjects are concerned: clients don't give a damn as long as I deliver quality. And I think that's the way it's supposed to be. You can read a hundred books about a specific subject and still deliver mediocre or even bad translations.
| | | | | My last two cents in this thread ... | Dec 13, 2022 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
... if I was asked by potential clients to provide some specialist fields I named a few, adding that I actually accept work from every specialist field. And as a matter of fact I still do the same today.
Like Rachel has just pointed out it's strange that you argue that a degree in translation or in languages is a must, while the requirement to have thorough knowledge of another specialist field is a "fraud".
And like I said, whatever floats your boat, Lieven OK, time to get back to my translation business now ...
[Edited at 2022-12-13 14:03 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 13:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| I don't see the problem. | Dec 13, 2022 |
Vladimir Pochinov wrote:
Like Rachel has just pointed out it's strange that you argue that a degree in translation or in languages is a must, while the requirement to have thorough knowledge of another specialist field is a "fraud".
I don't see the problem. I think we can agree that you need a thorough understanding of the source language in the first place. If a text is well written, then it doesn't really matter what it's about. I wouldn't know why I wouldn't be able to translate a well-written text about quantum physics (another subject I don't know the first thing about, but with information sources in all possible languages all over the internet).
Perhaps you should try it some time. I'm convinced a good, experienced translator is able to translate almost everything (apart from literature and literature-like texts; now THAT's a specialist field).
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| My last 2 cents | Dec 13, 2022 |
Lieven Malaise wrote: Vladimir Pochinov wrote:
Like Rachel has just pointed out it's strange that you argue that a degree in translation or in languages is a must, while the requirement to have thorough knowledge of another specialist field is a "fraud". I don't see the problem. I think we can agree that you need a thorough understanding of the source language in the first place. If a text is well written, then it doesn't really matter what it's about. I wouldn't know why I wouldn't be able to translate a well-written text about quantum physics (another subject I don't know the first thing about, but with information sources in all possible languages all over the internet). Perhaps you should try it some time. I'm convinced a good, experienced translator is able to translate almost everything (apart from literature and literature-like texts; now THAT's a specialist field).
I'm not going to be trying that. But I think this is getting a bit off the original topic so I'm going to get back to work now too.
| | | | Dan Lucas 
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:23
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Your target language is supposed to be your mother tongue and I hope you have had a little more education in that mother tongue than whatever degree course. Or are you referring to target languages that aren't your mother tongue ? In that case you are right, but that is exactly the reason why in my opinion a professional translator shouldn't translate into languages other than his mother tongue.
I believe that writing is a skill and that nearly every skill can be taught, but that without a certain measure of the elusive quality usually referred to as "talent", you will not be able to break into the 10% or 5% of the competence in question.
I believe that, even in non-literary translation, being able to find le mot juste in your own (target) language more frequently than most is a major determinant of output quality, and that this is becoming more rather than less important now that MT is on the scene.
I believe that if you can write really well, you will probably be aware of this by the time you leave school because the difference between the language you create and that your peers will have been remarked upon by others for years.
I believe that a well-designed writing course, perhaps of the kind incorporated into a translation degree (?) could, at best, help you eliminate most of your bad habits, but that is not the same as being able to write well and with inspiration.
I believe that it is relatively easy to generate language that is grammatically unexceptionable but that is also flat, awkward or just plain odd. (I see this a lot with native speakers of JA translating from EN to JA. It is actually often difficult and time-consuming to explain exactly why a sentence translated by such a person does not sound natural to a native speaker.)
In summary, I don't believe a degree in translation can make you an excellent writer in your own (target) language, so unless you are confident that you are already such a writer you should not begin a translation degree.
Is Lucas, the OP, an excellent writer in his own language? I don't know, but he should consider the point carefully and strive to be honest with himself on this point in particular.
Regards,
Dan
PS your other points about the cost of degrees, and indeed whether degrees are something that a majority of students should even attempt, are worthy of (and vulnerable to) argument but I think would derail the thread even further
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 13:23
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
| Didn't say that. | Dec 13, 2022 |
Dan Lucas wrote:
In summary, I don't believe a degree in translation can make you an excellent writer in your own (target) language, so unless you are confident that you are already such a writer you should not begin a translation degree.
Where did I say that a translation degree makes you a good writer? Being a good or acceptable writer is basically a talent. If you choose to get a translation or language degree, you do that because you already know that languages are your thing, not the other way around. A translation or language degree helps you to master at least two and sometimes three languages (my case) that are not your mother tongue. Apart from that you are introduced into translation aids and numerous tips and trics.
There is quite litterally nothing you are saying that could lead to the conclusion that a translation or language degree is barely useful.
Talent isn't enough. I see it often when I edit translations: people with a nice style... and way too many serious spelling and interpretation errors. They can write, but they are not fit for the job, simply.because they lack education.
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If a translator can translate any subject if they do a bit of research, surely they can also translate any language with a bit of research?
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| Some language pairs seem more streamlined than others | Dec 13, 2022 |
That is, if you have similar bodies of knowledge on different subjects in both languages and it's easy to find connections between them (because the languages talk about similar things similarly), this can definitely streamline translation work a lot. I already wrote about it in other threads. The subject areas in which I've been working definitely require specialization because they are full of really hard translation problems. And each area is big and difficult, I keep encountering bits of tex... See more That is, if you have similar bodies of knowledge on different subjects in both languages and it's easy to find connections between them (because the languages talk about similar things similarly), this can definitely streamline translation work a lot. I already wrote about it in other threads. The subject areas in which I've been working definitely require specialization because they are full of really hard translation problems. And each area is big and difficult, I keep encountering bits of text for which I have to design my own translation ways. I believe the biggest dictionary in existence exists in my language pair, but even that monster gets so helpless so often when faced with real-life problems. I added several dozens of entries to it in my time but someone on the dictionary forum got unhappy with how big my entries were and that they contained a disclaimer, so I deleted them all ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dan Lucas
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:23
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
| Some mutual misunderstanding? | Dec 13, 2022 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Where did I say that a translation degree makes you a good writer?
I didn't claim that you said that. I was expanding on, your point on the necessity for "profound written skills in your target language". On this matter I think we agree.
There is quite litterally nothing you are saying that could lead to the conclusion that a translation or language degree is barely useful.
I'm arguing that if you aren't a good to excellent writer to begin with a translation degree cannot confer that ability. I believe that skill in writing your own (target) language is a prerequisite for becoming a successful translator. Again, we seem to agree.
I do think that, if you don't have that skill, a translation degree is not at all useful. Here we disagree, I think.
By contrast, a language degree has far wider application than just translation and, particularly with a CJK language, is a sensible way to build a foundation. I very nearly failed even with the supportive framework of a degree course, so I take off my hat to those who acquire reading and writing skills mainly through self-directed study. I do know many 'Japan hands' who didn't go through a full-fat degree course, but nearly everybody has done formal study of some kind.
To my mind, if you have the writing skill and linguistic competence, translation ability can be acquired like any other vocational skill. Obviously it takes a bit of time and effort, but it's not worthy of a three-year degree. On this point I think we disagree.
Talent isn't enough.
I very much agree. Systematic, sustained and often boring work is also required to get where you need to go. Every major profession requires its pound of flesh in return for success. There are no shortcuts.
Regards,
Dan
| | | | | 2 more cents to add (after delivering two projects to clients) | Dec 13, 2022 |
To build a thriving freelance translation business, you need to spend heaps of time on setting it up efficiently, which includes computer(s) and peripherals, accounting and taxes, communication channels, data backups and protection, data storage, business development and client relationship, project management, translation tools, you name it. From the business perspective, your business skills and related expertise are at least as critical as your linguistic aptitude for a successful freelance c... See more To build a thriving freelance translation business, you need to spend heaps of time on setting it up efficiently, which includes computer(s) and peripherals, accounting and taxes, communication channels, data backups and protection, data storage, business development and client relationship, project management, translation tools, you name it. From the business perspective, your business skills and related expertise are at least as critical as your linguistic aptitude for a successful freelance career. ▲ Collapse
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