Looking for fellow foreigners working as translators

[yonglin]

Actually, I think it's quite rare that interpreters have formal training. In the west at least, most just tend to be well assimilated immigrants.

I think what makes a good translator is quite complex. I would say that a very good grasp of your native language (which you're probably translating into) is extremely important. Then of course, you need to have fairly good skills in the language you're translating from as well, although this probably depends on the type of material you're doing. Why I'm saying "fairly" is because understanding the meaning well enough to translate stuff doesn't necessarily mean that you can speak it. Of the two people I ever known doing translation, no one could actually speak the language they were translating from very well. Reading skills and other skills aren't necessarily well correlated.

In particular, I think interpretation and translation are very different taks. I wouldn't doubt a second interpreting between Swedish and English, but I could never do translation - my written Swedish simply isn't up to scratch (anymore).

A degree in translation is probably much like a degree in creative writing : it won't make you a good translator (writer/poet) if you're not set out to be one in the first place. Some people have a talent for it, others just don't. If you've got the talent to be a translator (writer/poet), then maybe such a degree could teach you some tips and tricks, but it's not like you couldn't have figured them out on your own. Finally, I would think that translators, just like writers or artists, are probably hired based on some kind of portfolio than the formal qualifications on their CV - obtaining a degree in fine arts doesn't mean you're an accomplished artist.

[lilongyue]

I'm going in for negotiations with my company on Monday. We'll be talking about what my salary, hours, etc., will be as a full time employee. I know how much to charge as a part-time translator, where it's just a matter of how many characters I've translated, but as a full-time translator? I'm not expecting much, but would like some ideas of what's a reasonable monthly salary to ask for. My wife isn't too enthused about me doing this kind of work, as the pay will be much less than teaching, but I honestly can't bear the thought of teaching again. Also, with any luck this will only be for a year, and then I'll be on to much better things. Suggestions?

[Lu]

Don't know what the salary is in China, but if you're looking for a ballpark figure:

[going rate per character] x [number of characters that you can translate per hour] x [hours you will work in a month] = [reasonable monthly salary].

(Quite a large margin of error here, but at least you get some indication.)

[priscilla]

Hi,I have been working as English interpreter,ok,I would like to talk with you about this.

Prisiclla

[Lugubert]

As to getting into it' date=' 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.[/quote']

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.

During my first years in the translation business (in Sweden), I made a point of not having taken the exam for authorized translators. The reason? That test is on general, legal and financial texts only. I stress that I'm specialized in other fields, namely medicine, chemistry and other sciences.

Lazy that I am (aka financially incompetent), I work mainly through major translation agencies. In that way, they handle most of the red tape and take the financial risk of any customers who don't pay.

I feel no need for the history of translation, but I get a fair bit of it from Religious studies: Bible. Business and other ethics thanks to my atheist worldview can't be improved on. They at least match those of the professional association of which I'm a member. I would be interested in reliable theories on how translation works in my head, and have looked for and asked for them at several linguistics departments, but so far, I have found nothing. Maybe I should try neurologists?

My degrees are in engineering chemistry and linguistics, and I have worked for pharma companies in non-translating capacities. The curricula for Translation Studies I've seen will award a degree even if you don't have any speciality subject at all. I've been in the business for some time. Now and then young people who want to work as translators contact me. Some hold a degree in Translation Studies. My first question to them is invariably something like, "OK, where's your expertise?" I usually get no reply.

I'm sceptical regarding Translation Studies as job training. It's like taking a course in sculpture or car mechanics. You can't learn it all; you must have what it takes. The Swedish prerequisites include an aptitude test. I haven't seen them, so I can't comment on them more than that they are absolutely necessary to weed out at least the least suitable candidates. To be qualified for the course for "facköversättare", ususally translated "professional translator", but rather meaning a translator of non-fiction, several years of university language studies are required. I find that almost ridiculous. I have not one completed semester in any of the languages I work from, and use more time declining orders than accepting.

[lilongyue]

Don't know what the salary is in China, but if you're looking for a ballpark figure:

[going rate per character] x [number of characters that you can translate per hour] x [hours you will work in a month] = [reasonable monthly salary].

(Quite a large margin of error here, but at least you get some indication.)

Well, come to find out they're going to calculate my pay as a full time employee in the same manner as when I was a part time employee - on a character by character basis. Am glad because if I were working on a salary, they could pile the work on me and I wouldn't get any more money.

[roddy]

We had a pretty useful discussion on translation rates of pay a couple of years back - see here. Two years old obviously, but probably still of value.

[lilongyue]

We had a pretty useful discussion on translation rates of pay a couple of years back - see here. Two years old obviously, but probably still of value.

Wow, didn't know that the rates could run that high in Mainland China! Now I'm thinking I put myself in a bad bargaining position by accepting the initial rate while working part-time! At the time I just wanted to get my foot in the door and get some experience. Maybe now that I have some experience I can bump up the rate (considerably). Hmm, probably have some hard bargaining ahead of me . . .

[roddy]

Might be worth bumping that one up with any information you are able / willing to provide and see what's happening now. That was two years ago and I suspect there are now plenty more foreigners attempting to work as translators.

That said, if you feel that what you are getting is a reasonable reward for the time and effort you put in, I wouldn't worry about it. Working at an agency is always going to pay less as there's a middle man to consider.