Translation as a career

Translation as a career:

Introduction

Technological developments have drastically transformed the career landscape of the visually impaired during the past decade. Innovations such as screen readers as well as the increased popularity of the Internet have opened crucial windows of opportunity to the blind. One of the career options that has become a reality in the wake of this technological revolution is translation. With the world shrinking into a global village, linguistic abilities are being appreciated more than ever.

Where to begin?

If you are still studying and are interested in pursuing a career as a translator, start early. Identify the international language/s that interest you, and start learning them while you are still studying.

With China's marvelous metamorphosis into an economic power to be reckoned with, demand for Chinese translators and interpreters is soaring. Mastering the Chinese language therefore ensures an easy ride in the job market.

Other languages for which demand still exceeds supply are Japanese, German and French.

After you decide upon the language you wish to learn, explore whether institutes where these languages are taught are available in your city. For example, Max Mueller Bhavan offers courses in German, and Alliance Francaise is the one-stop location for French.

Although there are no established institutes for learning Chinese or Japanese, with the popularity of these languages growing, several institutes have mushroomed recently. Searching the Internet for these institutes in your city may yield good results.

While enrolling in part-time language courses is a good option, acquiring a degree in the language of your choice goes a long way in launching your career as a translator. Universities such as the Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) as well as University of Pune offer graduate and postgraduate courses in various foreign languages. Although companies prefer hiring translators with a degree in translation, such courses are still few and far between in Indian universities.

Do's and Don'ts:

1. Ensure that you learn the braille script of the language. For example, when learning German, do not neglect to learn German braille. This will enormously increase your fluency of the language.

2. Practise your written skills in the language as much as possible. While it is important to be able to speak a language well, writing skills are equally imperative in pursuing a career in translation.

3. Pay special attention to the field you intend to specialize in. For example, if you wish to enter the IT field and work as a technical translator, make a special effort to learn the IT terminology of that language.

4. Read extensively. This is essential in order to improve your command of the language. The Internet is an excellent resource for books and other material.

5. Use every opportunity to speak the language with a native speaker.

6. Cultivate good writing skills in the target language. A translator is first and foremost a good writer. Ensure that you are able to express yourself well in the target language.

What next?

Once you complete your language courses, begin identifying translation and interpreting jobs. Translators and interpreters are hired by MNC's with operations in several countries, hotels, holiday resorts, travel agencies, etc. Depending on your aptitude, identify the areas that you could potentially specialize in. For example, if you are a technology freak, you may want to work for a software company as a technical translator. If you are interested in automobiles, you may contemplate a career as a translator in the automobile industry. The opportunities are endless. However, it is essential to have a fairly good idea of what interests you, so that you can prepare yourselves appropriately.

The importance of computer skills cannot be overemphasized. Although learning languages has very little to do with working on the computer, in order to be able to succeed in this profession, mastery of good computer skills is extremely essential.

Like most jobs, translation jobs are primarily advertised in newspapers and on job sites on the Internet. Identify the kind of job that interests you most and begin the search.

This article is the result of my experiences as a German translator. I have been working in this field for three years now in Bangalore.

Resources

Alliance Francaise

http://www.afindia.org/delegation/af2.htm

Max Mueller Bhavan (also known as Goethe Institute), New Delhi:

http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/ned/deindex.htm

Mailing list for blind translators and interpreters:

Beginner Japanese tutorial:

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~ronalds/japaneseLessonFrame.htm

Intermediate and advanced English and German courses specially designed for the blind by the European Union:

http://eurochance.brailcom.org/courses/

A good site for locating translation jobs and agencies: