Technical Language Translation
Traditionally, translations can be broken down by different genres. When I was in school studying translation, these genres were divided in the following way:1) Literary Translations
2) Business Translations
3) Technical Translations
Literary translation refers to the translation of novels, poems, and other types of literature (obviously). Business translation usually deals with documents such as negotiations, business dealings, some types of contracts, etc. The final type of translation is technical translation. Technical translations are translations of such things like white papers, research papers, etc. and often can be seen in areas such as biology, engineering, computer science, and other types of "hard-sciences."
As you can probably imagine, business translations and technical translations are traditionally thought to be the most lucrative types of translations. As such, many translators are interested in becoming technical translators.
Becoming a Technical Translator
While many translators want to be technical translators, the job isn't for everybody. Because technical translations usually involve very specific fields and can be very complex and packed with information, a translator has to have a thorough understanding of the material.
Generally there are two ways that a translator can go about achieving this. One of the ways is to get an understanding of the subject matter is to either gain it through first-hand experience. The other way is through formal education.
Many times, technical translators are bilingual people that have worked long careers in a technical career field and then decide to leave their jobs and become translators in that field because of the vast amount of experience that they have. This is an excellent way to get into the technical translation field, but a translator might not have twenty extra years before he or she gains enough experience to become a translator in the field.
If that's the case, the other option is for translators to take formal classes regarding the technical fields they are interested in. For example, if a person wants to become a technical translator specializing in hydro-electricity, he or she can look into taking formal classes at a local university or classes online in order to study and learn more about the material.
The more a translator knows about a technical industry in his or her own language, the better equipped they will be to translate the material into another language. By taking these two methods into consideration while preparing yourself to become a technical translator, you will better be able to take advantage of all the opportunities that can come with the technical translation industry.
Clint Tustison is a translator interested in helping other translators improve their businesses. His website, Spanish-translation-help.com is filled with information helpful to translators regarding the translation industry, and his free monthly newsletter, Translator Techniques, has tips and techniques for translators. Article Source
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