Translator Training Course - What is the Best Translator Training Course?

Translator Training Course - What is the Best Translator Training Course?

If you ask industry experts what the best translator training course out there is, they will each give you a different answer. However, you should use some criteria in evaluating any translation training program. The first criterion is looking for a program taught by industry professionals. Many universities offer translation certificates taught by linguists that have no background in professional translation. Those are the programs to avoid. You want a program where they teach you real world skills instead of pure theory. While no translation program can make you a perfect translator coming out of the program, you can find some that prepare their students better than others.

A good translator training course will prepare its students for making translation a career. This is emphasizing more than just the language skills. It is about understanding what their clients and employers will demand once they enter the translation industry. Technology is a continuing part of translation work. However, most people entering modern translation programs already know how to use computers. The best courses should teach how to use common industry tools in the most efficient way to get the work done.

When you search for the right translator-training course, you need to find one where you can learn more than the language. Many professional translators find work in areas of specialization. A good training program will introduce them to areas where specialization is possible. It should provide the student an opportunity to take courses in those potential areas of specialization so they can get familiar with the jargon and vocabulary common to areas like medicine, science, law, and business. This will give the students a chance to determine where to take their career and get familiar enough to get a start when they graduate.

Another important aspect of a good translator-training course is emphasis on writing skills. The ultimate product of a translation project is the final written document translated from the source language to the target language. If the translator cannot write a competent written document in his or her own native tongue, then the project will not be successful. Your clients will expect quality outputs that they do not need to have someone edit. If you find a training program that doesn't emphasize writing skills, it is not what you want. A good training course will give the student the skills necessary to start working as a translator. But, the rest is up to the student.

-By Adriana Tassini

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