Looking for fellow foreigners working as translators

[lilongyue]

I'm planning to work as a translator when I've finished my Chinese language studies. Anyone here done the same, and already working as a translator? I'd like to talk to you.

[Luoman]

I do oral Chinese translations, mostly about equipment and medicine. But I am not in China.

[lilongyue]

Are you Russian? I see that you're in Moscow. Are you working as an interpreter in a business setting?

[trufflepig]

If you're in a first or second tier city, there should be lots of translation companies that would employ you as a proof reader - not translation exactly but a step closer. Usually pay by the words.

To be a real interpreter you should be qualified - you can get the NAATI qualification in China - thats the Australian and New Zealand standard (see their website) and is the minimum req for doing work for government agencies in OZ or NZ in china or at home - or else do the Chinese interpreting exams. China has its own set of qualifications for interpreters - ur school can help you find more.

I dont know about other countries standards....

The reason for getting qualified is that there is a hell of a lot of people that have done a few years of chinese at uni but honestly dont speak very well or dont have the commercial or industry experience necessary to add real value to an operation. Its a headache for companies that dont speak ANY chinese to have to go through the slow path of finding out neither do you really. Im talking about quality control.

(HSK is not a very good proof of chinese ability unless you're talking about the upper echelons).

Taking that first step and working for translation companies proof reading, builds your resume too for when the right opportunity does come along.

all the best.

[Luoman]

lilongyue, yes, I`m Russian. I work as an interpreter at business talks and at the process of installing equipment at factories. I`ve been doing this for five years, and I consider this work to be full of creativity. It`s a great opportunity to know different types of people, and to improve your language skills.

[lilongyue]

I've been thinking about finding some proof reading type work. What is the usual pay per word? I'm already talking with a local English magazine about translating news articles into English (mostly for buliding up the resume), and I'd rather do almost anything other than teach English at this point (fed up with that). I'd like to give proof reading a try. Anything you may know and can share would be much appreciated.

[trufflepig]

The by the word rate is going to depend on where you are, in likelyhood it may not be as high as teaching for the same time. Still its a foot in the door.

A guy i know in Nanjing who interviewed at a translation agency - they gave him a translation test (2hrs?) which evidently he didnt do so great on then they asked him to be a proof reader instead. That does show though that there's opportunity to be translating directly, not just proofing.

Good idea with approaching the magazine - try approaching local newspapers too, maybe get a weekly column going, i used to do that in Nanchang years ago - your taste of music movies, life, whatever (didnt pay well but it was exposure)....also there's been a high profile thing lately with loads of chinese reporters being busted for stealing articles off the net translating them and fixing their name to them - you could help those guys out lol

But seriously doing some stuff for the local papers might help a move to CCTV or whatever later on....

anyway, good luck

[lily_spring88]

hello Lilongyue,

can I know which country do you come from? you study Chinese as your major? that is

really challenging. i do wish you can work well in china, hangzhou?

My major on the opposite, is English. but i never do the translation work, though i like

English very much. just stay at front of the computer for whole day and staring at the

article is just boring for me.

I like do the oral transltion, but few company look for the oral translator. so no chance

for me. in my free time, i do some part time oral interpretation for foreigners to meet up

for the regret then.

I live in shanghai, very near to you.

[simonlaing]

Hi lilongyue,

I am doing proofreading and review at the moment for a Nanjing company. Most foreigners do this kind of QA checking. Since the first translation is rushed through and often of very poor quality, (not so many articles) it still takes some translating skill.

We also have occasional interpretation gigs which are very interesting . You get to go with business people around to factories and do consecutive interpreting. The interpretation exam in China is very difficult some chinese friends have told me. only about 10 % pass. These are the ones that they hire to do the simultaneous translation at conferences and such. Interpretation pays well (800 yuan a day ) but it is not regular.

Translation usually pays by the word, though some places have a base salary and then the word count bonus is on top of that. Try to find a place in China that does a lot of Trade with Russia so your Russian Skills will be of use. I suggest Dalian, Harbin or Xinjiang.

Good luck,

Simon:)

P.S. translation can be very tiring and usually doesn't pay as much as teaching. Prepare yourself.

[trufflepig]

800 a day?

how come you buggers only paid me 100 a day? - someone was pocketing something there then lol

simonliang is right - it can be very tiring. Both sides hang their problems on you - its often thankless but at the same time personally rewarding. There's an excellent book called 'Conference Interpreting' by Valerie Taylor-Bouladon which is pitched at a very high level but written in a very down to earth style, if anything its useful for talking-the-talk.

The person i mentioned in the above post speaks truly excellent mandarin and is in fact a chinese medicine doctor, spending all day in the hospital chinese only - he didnt pass the exam tho as he told me and was offered proof reading instead (which he turned down). You might want to offer to show the company you have skills outside just mandarin to up your application?

[heifeng]

To be honest I don't think you need to 'finish' your chinese studies to do the work. As long as you have a decent Chinese level and can write well in your own language, just start doing some work, trying it out, accumulating some experience and seeing if you actually enjoy translating or not. There is the initial hump that you may need to get over to increase your vocab and translation speed....It's a learn as you go thing and you may like it, love it, or flat out hate it, but you may be better able to decide if it is something you want to do as a career or whatever...

[simonlaing]

Yeah, Trufflepig is right,

If you can show you have expertise and vocabulary range in particular areas, science, law etc.. this can help you get the job as well.

However Teaching is usually much more stable , pays 100 yuan an hour and is regular.

Translation, price ranges from 50 yuan per 1,000 characters which is common price to 100 if you have a particular skill, like being a native speakers.. You can usually do about 2,000 characters an hour. The big issue is getting enough work. Often it comes in spurts and you have to work late at night and other times there will be days with almost nothing.

Make sure you watch your budget on this job as the work isn't regular.

Good luck though,

Simon:)

[Lu]

2,000 characters an hour?!? I'd like to see who is that fast. In a good day, when the text I'm translating is not overly difficult, I can do about 1,000 characters (one page of Chinese) a day. And I don't think I'm slow.

As to getting into it, what heifeng says, just do it. If you can't find paid work, translate for free for charities, for the experience. Tell everyone you know you are (not 'want to be' but 'are') a translator and are always interested in assignments. Get business cards printed and hand them out at every occasion, that helps too. Diplomas and special courses and the like are probably useful if you want high-profile or government work, but most companies couldn't care less. If, after some time in translating, you want to get higher up, you can always get a diploma later.

I am now working as a translator (C-E) for a newspaper in Taiwan. Before this, I did a bit of freelance work, that usually is at 2-3 NT per character. If it's less than 2 NT they're ripping you off (or are really poor, or have no idea what it's supposed to cost), if it's more than 3 you're lucky. It pays much better back home, where I have been paid as much as 0,20 euro per word in Dutch, or E50 per page in a periodical. I think the pay would be less on the mainland than it is in Taiwan.

I hope this helps!

[lilongyue]

Thanks for all the info everyone! I've started looking for news articles to translate, just to have something to show prospective employers.

I think I'll enjoy translating. My long term goals are to work on a freelance basis. I'm quite interested in translating history books (like a history of the Tang Dynasty) as well as some Buddhist texts (but not sutras). I figure I'll eventually find work in a translation company for a few years before striking out on my own. Or perhaps find work for a news agency, like Lu. I have no problem with translating news, as I like to stay in touch with with happening around the world.

To be honest, I'd love to live in Taiwan, or Hong Kong. Originally I was planning to move to either place when I finished studying, but as my wife is Mainland Chinese there are major visa issues. It doesn't look like it will be possible to go to Taiwan or HK, at least not until my wife has an American passport, if she can get into the U.S, that is . . . ugh. Oh yeah, I'm American, by the way.

[tooironic]

As to getting into it, what heifeng says, just do it. If you can't find paid work, translate for free for charities, for the experience. Tell everyone you know you are (not 'want to be' but 'are') a translator and are always interested in assignments. Get business cards printed and hand them out at every occasion, that helps too. Diplomas and special courses and the like are probably useful if you want high-profile or government work, but most companies couldn't care less. If, after some time in translating, you want to get higher up, you can always get a diploma later.

This is not a good idea, at all. It is simply unethical to undertake professional translating work without having some kind of accreditation and/or registration as a professional translator, regardless of whether it is 'free' or not. The fact that there are companies out there who are ignorant enough about the profession and 'couldn't care less' about whether a translator is qualified to be doing such work just adds to the problem. Translating and interpreting is a profession, just like medicine, law, architecture, accounting, etc, and as such there is a due process that needs to followed before he/she can enter the profession. Sorry, but being a Translation Studies student myself (doing my Masters at RMIT, Melbourne), it just really annoys me when unqualified laypeople take work from qualified professionals who have taken the time to build up their skills and learn the history, ethics and theoretical bases of the profession.

[skylee]

Sorry, but being a Translation Studies student myself (doing my Masters at RMIT, Melbourne), it just really annoys me when unqualified laypeople take work from qualified professionals who have taken the time to build up their skills and learn the history, ethics and theoretical bases of the profession.

I don't understand. Do you need a licence or degree to be a translator? Is there like a law requiring translators to be qualified (like the qualification requirements for teachers, lawyers, architects)? Lots of people without translation training/background are doing translation jobs. And if they are good I don't see a problem at all. I've met translators who have the qualfications but simply could not do the job.

[lilongyue]

This is not a good idea, at all. It is simply unethical to undertake professional translating work without having some kind of accreditation and/or registration as a professional translator, regardless of whether it is 'free' or not. The fact that there are companies out there who are ignorant enough about the profession and 'couldn't care less' about whether a translator is qualified to be doing such work just adds to the problem. Translating and interpreting is a profession, just like medicine, law, architecture, accounting, etc, and as such there is a due process that needs to followed before he/she can enter the profession. Sorry, but being a Translation Studies student myself (doing my Masters at RMIT, Melbourne), it just really annoys me when unqualified laypeople take work from qualified professionals who have taken the time to build up their skills and learn the history, ethics and theoretical bases of the profession.

Hoo-hoo, too rich. Spoken like a true Asian noobie! Reminds me of those foreigners who haven't lived and worked in Asia yet, or who just arrived, and moralize about being a "truly qualified" English teacher (until they found out that often times their role is just that of a white-faced monkey, dancing around and makng the kids and their parents happy, that is).

Here's a sad truth about Western Chinese language education: every recent, Western university graduate with a degree in Chinese that I've met at my school (Zhejiang University) placed in the second or (if they're really lucky) third semester class after their proficiency exam. When I began officially studying Chinese last year I tested out of level one (first semester) and immediately started studying in level two (second semester). I'm about to finish level four now (fourth semester), so I guess that places me at least at a master's degree level, in terms of Western education.

To be honest you picked the wrong place to get up on your soap box, as most of the regular posters on this website live in China, meaning we have our lives here. We speak in Chinese every day, read the newspapers, websites, books, etc., in Chinese. We are totally immersed in the culture. Many of our loved ones are Chinese. Many of us are also self-taught, and have run into your types, fresh off the plane, sputtering and stammering when trying to get through a simple conversation in Chinese. Sorry, not impressed.

There's obviously nothing wrong with someone who learned Chinese through the Western academic system, but don't try and preach to me just because I don't have some fancy papers. If you've actually looked at listings for translation companies in need of translators you'd see that 2 years experience can be substituted for a degree. Well, I'm nearly a year into my two years, and I'm translating for the largest media media group in Hangzhou. Like it or not, it's going on my resume for sure!

[simonlaing]

Hey lilongyue,

It's true that China is a different country. It's very practical if you can do the work , that is what counts.

I think if people are looking to work in a western country, there are often exams or licenses to apply for before you can start.

In China, to start a translation company, you need the business start up fee and a name . However you won't get far without skills or a good reputation (guanxi).

I think learning to use software tools like Trados, or transit can help with doing large documents and keeping terminology consistent. But glossaries and science databases are also very helpful things to have at your disposal.

The other issue you will find is that a lot of documents are similar and repetitive. Most contracts are similar. Even Patents with their format an claims are similar. Thus it gets easier as you go along and get more experience.

In China there is an interpreter exam that is quite difficult, but if you can pass it, you can charge high fees. I find interpreting more interesting than translating but you take what you can get. Plus it is a job where you can be paid to expand your Chinese level.

Good luck,

SimoN:)

P.S. Don't be intimidated, get your name out there and try to get experience and go from there.

[lilongyue]

As I recall, the last time I researched what qualifications were required of a court interpreter in the state of Washington, USA (the qualifications differ from state to state) no where was a degree mentioned, not a degree in the foreign language or in translation. You did have to pass the state's court interpreter's exam, though. I suppose it gives tooironic a much needed sense of self worth to arrogantly refer to working translators as "unqualified laypeople [who] take work from qualified professionals who have taken the time to build up their skills and learn the history, ethics and theoretical bases of the profession."

By the way, I beginning to discuss full-time employment with my translation company, as I currently only work part-time. It's as good as done, we only need to discuss payment and hours, etc.

[Lu]

This is not a good idea, at all. It is simply unethical to undertake professional translating work without having some kind of accreditation and/or registration as a professional translator, regardless of whether it is 'free' or not. The fact that there are companies out there who are ignorant enough about the profession and 'couldn't care less' about whether a translator is qualified to be doing such work just adds to the problem. Translating and interpreting is a profession, just like medicine, law, architecture, accounting, etc, and as such there is a due process that needs to followed before he/she can enter the profession. Sorry, but being a Translation Studies student myself (doing my Masters at RMIT, Melbourne), it just really annoys me when unqualified laypeople take work from qualified professionals who have taken the time to build up their skills and learn the history, ethics and theoretical bases of the profession.

I have done translation for a literary periodical, edited by a university teacher who teaches translation. I am now employed by an English-language newspaper, none of my co-workers has any kind of registration or accreditation. While I agree that some companies hire whoever because they have no idea, and sometimes get bad translations as a result, you can't say that of my current company or of a literary magazine. They know what they're doing, and the fact that they pay me money to translate for them says at least as much as any examination. I'm not short-changing anyone, I'm not harming anyone (as I would if I were a doctor who didn't know her profession), I'm not taking the place of any 'qualified professional' (my company's been looking for new translators for ages and the 'qualified professionals' aren't exactly lining up) and I don't stand for being called unethical.