I have many questions about translation in the humanitarian sector Thread poster: Deives Collins
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I am really, really new in the translation industry. Like, I haven't so much as submitted a quote on my first paying project yet. I've done a little looking around YouTube and forums, and I actually feel like I know what I need to do generally to improve my situation there. I've got a pro bono project now for an author that's agreed to publish my translations of a few short stories, and I've entered the currently available ProZ contest in my language pair. I've looked into requirements for ATA c... See more I am really, really new in the translation industry. Like, I haven't so much as submitted a quote on my first paying project yet. I've done a little looking around YouTube and forums, and I actually feel like I know what I need to do generally to improve my situation there. I've got a pro bono project now for an author that's agreed to publish my translations of a few short stories, and I've entered the currently available ProZ contest in my language pair. I've looked into requirements for ATA certification down the road, and so on.
Although I'm certainly not opposed to free advice on the basics of getting established, I'm hoping to gain some clarity on a more specific topic. I want to angle my translation career towards the humanitarian sector, and I can't find a lot of information online about doing that specifically. At this moment in time, I'm probably not the best choice for high-intensity, high-stakes humanitarian situations, but I want to develop myself in such a way that I become a competitive choice.
My second language is Spanish, and I've unfortunately not been able to find any charities or nonprofit organizations with an active need for translation services in my language pair, not even Translators Without Borders. (Or perhaps there are listings not being shown to me since I'm not verified on the platform? Not sure.) I've searched YouTube but haven't been able to find any content on the humanitarian sector from specifically a translation industry perspective. Needless to say, I'd prefer to find paying work in the humanitarian sector. However, I'm personally very passionate about many humanitarian issues, human rights violations in particular, and would be satisfied to simply find a reputable organization willing to regularly assign me work on a pro bono basis.
Additionally, while I intend to focus on my immediate goals for the time being, I am strongly considering learning a third language sometime in the next 5-10 years. Since I already have two globally popular languages under my belt, I am very interested in prioritizing a language that would be of use in some humanitarian effort for my third. Based on my limited understanding of ongoing humanitarian crises, I've been pondering a few candidate languages: Uighur, Burmese, Haitian, Tibetan, Arabic, Standard Mandarin, and countless indigenous languages throughout the world, many of them threatened. I'm sure this is barely scratching the surface of all advantageous options. While it's easy to identify many locations suffering humanitarian crises and the languages spoken by the affected people, I suspect that is not the same thing as identifying a language which will genuinely present me, a native English-speaker, an opportunity to meaningfully help an affected group. Without knowledge of how translators actually get involved in these situations, it's very difficult to realistically weigh the pros and cons of each candidate language.
So there's a gigantic, open-ended question. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction, towards a starting point at least.
[Editado a las 2021-07-10 09:14 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:15
Member (2008)
Italian to English
One suggestion: contact the refugee organisations.
| | | | Deives Collins 
United States
Local time: 02:15
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER | An excellent idea | Jul 10, 2021 |
Tom in London wrote:
One suggestion: contact the refugee organisations.
Ooh, that's an excellent idea. At the very least, that opens up several possible leads to pursue. Thanks so much, Tom!
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| | Deives Collins
United States
Local time: 02:15
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER | Big thanks to everyone! | Jul 11, 2021 |
Big thanks to everyone who's responded so far!! I was feeling really stuck before. Between the three, I have a lot of new possibilities to look into, including at least one active job I see now in my language pair
| | | | | Choice of third language | Jul 12, 2021 |
By the time you get a third language up to speed, geopolitics will have played out and probably made significant changes to any humanitarian maps. To be motivated enough to achieve the level acquired, aim for a language you want to learn, that you like, and where there are cultural aspects of personal interest. Otherwise, keeping your motivation going may be really hard.
One potential source of work may be with immigration lawyers for example. I don't know how things work where you ... See more By the time you get a third language up to speed, geopolitics will have played out and probably made significant changes to any humanitarian maps. To be motivated enough to achieve the level acquired, aim for a language you want to learn, that you like, and where there are cultural aspects of personal interest. Otherwise, keeping your motivation going may be really hard.
One potential source of work may be with immigration lawyers for example. I don't know how things work where you are in the US. It is possible that certification be required.
[Edited at 2021-07-12 09:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Karen Wooddissee
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:15
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
| Training course worth a look | Jul 12, 2021 |
I recently did Corinne McKay's course which focuses specifically on translating for the international development sector and picked up a lot of helpful tips on the sector and how to target it as a translator. I'm not sure when or if it will run again, but you might like to take a look at that:
... See more I recently did Corinne McKay's course which focuses specifically on translating for the international development sector and picked up a lot of helpful tips on the sector and how to target it as a translator. I'm not sure when or if it will run again, but you might like to take a look at that:
https://www.trainingfortranslators.com/product/international-development/ ▲ Collapse
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