What Can You Expect as a Professional Translator? - Professional Translating

What Can You Expect as a Professional Translator? - Professional Translating

What can you expect as a professional translator? Translation is more than just exchanging foreign words into native words. They must relay ideas, concepts, and emotions from one to another. This requires more than knowledge of two languages and their grammar. It requires knowledge of history, culture, context, and the subject that is being spoken of. Professional translators do all of this. They must be able to keep the same tone, and flow as the original document, not only relaying information but a feeling and total effect. Translators are only concerned with written translation, not interpreting, or spoken language.

Since translators work only with writing, they are able to work from just about anywhere since work is transmitted electronically. What can you expect as a professional translator? Translators are needed in specialized areas. Knowledge of terminology and business practices of different fields comes in handy when translating for specific industries. Medical translation handles healthcare topics. Knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy is helpful. Translators must be able to communicate on a doctor's level as well as being able to bring the language down so that patients can understand as well. Similar specialties are needed in the fields of law, literary, business, marketing, finance, etc.

What can you expect as a professional translator? Translators usually work alone and many times, from home or a personal office. Technology allows them to make contact with clients through video conferencing, over the phone, over the internet, etc. Many translators work freelance and spend some of their time looking for work as opposed to having work all ready for them. Freelance translation work can be sporadic and may not provide steady work. Some translators have other jobs to keep their income steady. There are steady jobs in translation available, however. These are in places that need frequent translation like hospitals, federal government, schools, publishing companies, and translation agencies.

Work in translation is expected to grow more than 20% in the next decade. Increasing global contact is making translation more necessary all the time. Demand for Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and German will remain high. Middle Eastern and Asian languages also will continue to remain in high demand. Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean are all languages that need frequent translation. Onsite jobs exist mostly in urban areas like Washington DC, New York, and Californian cities. What can you expect as a professional translator? Translation is especially important in the medical field and in law. Demand for specialties in these areas will also grow.

-By Adriana Tassini

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