How can I find a valuable mentor to help me in my translation career?
The same way you would in any profession or career. Look for someone you admire in the field, either a professor, if you’re at school, or a professional, if you’re out of school or finishing.
Read journals, look online, peruse your profession and see who in your area does work at a level you aspire to. Join your trade association—or even the local business association or chamber of conference. There are often association lunches and meetings, aimed at helping small business owners, if you are one, or newbies in general. If you’re a woman, there’s often a women’s business owner or business association as well. Join. Meet people. Get to know them and find your target mentor. And if they’re not interested or too busy, they might well be able or willing to connect you with someone else—who might turn out to be just right for you. Or just ask a person who might be a potential mentor if you can treat them to lunch and pick their brain about the industry. Do not, however, limit your mentor search to the translation industry. You might be surprised to find out that a mentor doesn’t always have to be in your specific field, although it’s good to have one mentor in your industry. And don’t limit yourself to a high profile individual. Mentors come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, and they are different at different points in your career.-By Adriana Tassini
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