Should I stay or should I go? What to look for in a Job?

[lilongyue]

Cheers Simon! Interesting that not one person recommended the translation gig. That, and the fact that the translation comany prefers to farm out the work to a few part-timers, instead of finding one full-time employee, just goes to show the state of working as a translator in China. I was speaking with a reputable translation agency in Taiwan, and they actually referred to translation as white collar work, and said that therefore their requirements for prior working experience was much higher than for other kinds of work! Interesting contrast in attitudes.

[adrianlondon]

I attended a technical conference in Shanghai a couple of weeks ago, and they had live translation (both ways - depending, obviously, on which langage the speaker used) which we listened to via wireless headsets if needed.

This must be extremely difficult as not only was the presenter not really pausing (although most did waffle!), but the content was quite technical. There were two translators, both Chinese, and they swapped every 10 minutes or so.

This type of work must pay well as it has to be very difficult.