Language Jobs - Translator

I thought I'd start another short series of blog posts for you guys. This time, I want to talk about jobs that have to do with language(s).

Even when I was still in high school, I knew that I want to work with languages. However, which options are out there for language lovers?

Translator

Description

Translators have to do with written language only. Their job is to take a source text in one language and to write it down in another language, the target language. They can use dictionaries, gramar books and other references to help them with their work.

Necessary Skills

Translators need to have good command (especially passive knowledge) of their source language and be fluent in their target language, with safe command of spelling, punctuation and grammar. They should have had some kind of training in translation skills since translating is more than just putting words from one language into another language. A good translation cannot be recognised as such. The translation should ideally sound natural. A rule of thumb when translating: Stay as close to the source text as possible but stray as far from it as necessary. The wording may be changed in order to get a natural text, but both the style and the content must absolutely stay the same.

In addition to sound language skills, translators should be able to use dictionaries, grammar books and other resources for their text work. Sometimes, they even need to do some amount of research so good translators need to be able to research facts too.

Translating requires a high degree of concentration, often for several hours per day, and has to be done under deadline pressure most of the time.

Income Opportunities

Since most translators work as freelancers, their income varies greatly. In general, however, translators belong to those groups of freelancers who are paid less than they are worth. Translating is a high concentration job; nonetheless, many freelance translators couldn't live off their income, at least not with translating alone. The few translators who manage to get a "normal" employment usually are able to command quite a good income.

Where to Find Jobs

Most translating jobs are outsourced to freelancers. That said, it is very hard to find normal employment as translator. Most of those jobs can be found with government or non-profit organisations. Sometimes, big companies employ their own in-house translators too.

Freelancers can find work by querying companies and publishers directly. They can also work for translation agencies, although those usually pay considerably less than direct clients. Then, there are websites like www.translatorscafe.com and www.proz.com where translating jobs are offered. However, most jobs on those sites are underpaid or have impossible deadlines so it takes some time and patience to find interesting jobs.