To be or not to be a Chinese Translator

[yueni]

@anonymoose #235

 

Wow, sorry, this is super late, but I totally didn't see your comment. I honestly don't think that certification is necessary, particularly since most translation certificates & degrees that I know of (at least in the US) focus mostly on literary translation (which honestly doesn't really pay the bills), and most medical-focused certificates that I know of tends to focus on interpretation.

 

I would look for translation agencies that work specifically with companies focused in pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, medicines etc. You can also look for more general translation agencies, but they really tend to pay poorly in comparison. Emphasize that you are a native English speaker with a background in medicine. Do bear in mind that the kinds of documents you get might not be the kinds of documents you think you will be translating. Of course there are your typical patient test results & reports and the like, but there is also a ton of translation necessary for documentation of drugs, manuals for medical equipment (defibrillators, pacemakers, etc.)... the list is endless.

 

I mentioned to a translation company I used to do work for that I had finance experience (which I do), and I was handling documents in finance on topics that I'd never even covered in school or at my finance-related jobs, just because of how wide a field finance encompasses.

[GordonYG]

Hi Everyone,  

 

As someone who is looking to dabble in the world of T/I in China, I would like to thank all of you very much for your invaluable insights on the industry in China and around the world. I'm from the TEFL realm with rusty but native Mandarin Chinese and decent French from Canada. I've a contract offer working for Wall Street English in Hangzhou but I'm keeping my options open still. 

 

Question. There seems to be a lot of jobs posted on 51jobs.com regarding working in T/I in various capacities from extremely high paying and extremely low paying. Has anyone had any experience looking for work on websites like 51jobs or zhaopin? 

 

I hope to keep this thread alive. : )  

[GordonYG]

Hi Everyone, 

 

Thank you all very much for your invaluable insights into working in T/I in China and elsewhere. 

 

I'm a generation 1.5 Chinese-Canadian looking to switch from TEFL to T/I. I thinking of changing my resume to Chinese and just winging it with 51jobs and zhaopin to see if I can land any half decent jobs. Anyone have any experience or insights? 

 

Cheers

[Jamasian]

Gordon you can definitely find something using the Chinese job search engines. I think being from Canada is only a plus for you so be sure to mention it. You'll have to negotiate pay and definitely research the companies you're applying to.