| صفحات الموضوع: < [1 2 3] | Poll: In your opinion, which is the most valuable tip for a beginner in the industry? ناشر الموضوع: ProZ.com Staff
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Kaspars Melkis 
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Local time: 09:55
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| don't be good, be excellent | Mar 15 |
My humble opinion is that the number of professional translators stays rather constant.
Due to globalization it seemed that translation is becoming more important and more people were attracted to this field. However, most of them were not professionals, but like opportunists that allowed them to work from home. They were not particularly interested in creating beautiful, polished texts but just fulfilling the formal requirements that manuals and descriptions are published in the ta... See more My humble opinion is that the number of professional translators stays rather constant.
Due to globalization it seemed that translation is becoming more important and more people were attracted to this field. However, most of them were not professionals, but like opportunists that allowed them to work from home. They were not particularly interested in creating beautiful, polished texts but just fulfilling the formal requirements that manuals and descriptions are published in the target language. Most of those translations are rarely read, if at all.
The development of computerized translation systems allowed these translations to be produced much faster and cheaper. Now opportunists have to move to other jobs.
When readability of translations are important and are read by many people, human translators are still needed. We have many more translations but the amount of such important texts remain roughly the same.
The problem is that translators don't have a strong professional community. Even good translator might have difficulty to navigate the industry and may not be able to find appropriate work and be forced to toil as PEMT editors or something like that.
My advice to a beginner would be to try to understand who is a professional translator. Forget all about CAT tools, terminology tools etc. They are trivial things that are easy to learn and will change every decade or so. The professionalism is to be able to produce a masterpiece in the target language while staying faithful to the source text.
[Edited at 2024-03-15 18:06 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kay Denney
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Local time: 10:55
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Christine Andersen wrote: Baran Keki wrote:
Don't be so fatalistic. Why not advise them to become 'translation mastermind coaches' to do 'take your translation business to the next level' workshops (charging 199.99 $ per person), harping on the message 'while AI has made great strides, there are certain areas where MT fails miserably and thus human translation is still very much needed' during the whole workshop for the next 10 years? Experienced translators know where MT fails, but it is far more difficult IMHO to see the problems if you are starting from scratch. Like trying to teach Maths when you don't know your multiplication tables and how pi works. Besides, there are loads of consultants out there already. I guess the competition is as quite bad as in translation! With an aching heart, I told my son recently not to go seriously for translation. Ten years ago, I would have been thrilled at the idea! Three languages, two at native level, a science degree and lots of experience of IT and industry ... (He is trying translation anyway - he is MY son, so he doesn´t just do as I tell him.  ) Maybe, just maybe, he will be able to find a niche in the new language industry, but it will not be anything like the job that I started out on 25+ years ago.
I read Baran's post in a sarcastic tone, because yes, of course there are far too many people selling training courses and coaching services to help us become more successful translators. I attended one, and for at least twenty minutes out of the 30 I stuck it for, the coach was suggesting we sign up for other courses for more details...
And of course, we have to wonder why they're coaching and training when they know what it takes to be a successful translator...
| | | | expressisverbis
البرتغال
Local time: 09:55
عضو (2015)
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Translate exclusively into your native language and avoid problems for the client, headaches for the proofreader if there is one, and be professional!
| | | | | And be always punctual | Mar 15 |
expressisverbis wrote:
Translate exclusively into your native language and avoid problems for the client, headaches for the proofreader if there is one, and be professional!
I'd add: deliver according to deadline. (always).
[Edited at 2024-03-15 16:52 GMT]
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Get out and meet people (both in and outside TranslatorLand). Freelancing is lonely and everyone needs a supportive network around them. Taking a committee position in your local branch of whatever professional association is the most relevant for you will help get your name out there and also give you something to put on your CV if you find you want to go back into employment.
(Although I'm inclined to agree with the people who have said "Don't")
| | | | | Ideas of a true "opportunist" about so called professionals | Mar 16 |
Kaspars Melkis wrote:
Due to globalization it seemed that translation is becoming more important and more people were attracted to this field. However, most of them were not professionals, but like opportunists that allowed them to work from home. They were not particularly interested in creating beautiful, polished texts but just fulfilling the formal requirements that manuals and descriptions are published in the target language.
The development of computerized translation systems allowed these translations to be produced much faster and cheaper. Now opportunists have to move to other jobs.
The professionalism is to be able to produce a masterpiece in the target language while staying faithful to the source text.
[Edited at 2024-03-15 18:06 GMT]
I know a lot of "true" professionals (by their name in the TMs I was handed over from agencies I could look up in the Internet) with a similar profile you have and who ended as "opportunists" because even 10 or 15 years ago there was not enough work in literature translation (preferable children books, of course...). They then took and still take the opportunity to translate technical texts, preferably manuals and patents, and for a much cheaper price than true "opportunists" did and do, because, hey, in technical documentation it is all but only dealing with terms, right? And KudoZ is your friend when it becomes difficult.
Most of those translations are rarely read, if at all.
Most of those translations are barely unreadable because those opportunists with their high-end degree in linguistics in their majority lack of any technical background. Together with AI and the associated demand of post editing manuals generated by AI and other translated technical documentation have become useless.
By the way: Wasn't it also your choice to take the opportunity to make a living with translations or would you also work for free, because it is just to your liking to "produce a masterpiece in the target language while staying faithful to the source text"? Aren't you an "opportunist" then, too?
[Bearbeitet am 2024-03-16 12:36 GMT]
| | | | expressisverbis
البرتغال
Local time: 09:55
عضو (2015)
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Angie Garbarino wrote:
I'd add: deliver according to deadline. (always).
[Edited at 2024-03-15 16:52 GMT]
This is common sense for any self-respecting translator.
| | | | Daryo
المملكة المتحدة
Local time: 09:55
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| Tips 1, 2 and 3: reconsider your options | Mar 17 |
Reconsider thoroughly and with an open mind your options - before the sunken costs fallacy gets a grip on you.
If you still won't desist, the recipe is essentially the same as in any other profession: always do the best possible job, even if at the beginning it takes ages.
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