Poll: Why did you become a translator/interpreter? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 11:16
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Dear Staff, what does... | Dec 4, 2023 |
What does "combination of 1 and 2" and "3 and 4" mean here?
(Apparently I already voted in this poll...)
[Edited at 2023-12-04 08:22 GMT]
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 11:16
French to English
No combination of 1 and 3 or 2 and 4?
I became a translator because it seemed like the best way to be using my language skills. So many jobs require needing to more or less make yourself understood in another language, but translation requires the highest possible level of comprehension and expression.
I have a Masters in translation but I got it on the strength of 15 years' experience as a translator.
I did want to be a translator or interpreter as a teen, then was t... See more No combination of 1 and 3 or 2 and 4?
I became a translator because it seemed like the best way to be using my language skills. So many jobs require needing to more or less make yourself understood in another language, but translation requires the highest possible level of comprehension and expression.
I have a Masters in translation but I got it on the strength of 15 years' experience as a translator.
I did want to be a translator or interpreter as a teen, then was told that the level required was so high only kids who grew up in more than one country, like diplomats' kids, would ever be able to do it.
So I had to prove that careers advisor wrong. Take that, Mrs Chapman! ▲ Collapse
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While in school, I enjoyed languages as well as philosophy, mathematics, history, physics and it was hard for me to choose which one would be right for me! In "desperation", I chose economics but life has pushed me personally and professionally in different directions and translation came my way in my early 40s and hasn’t left me…
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 11:16
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
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Intrigued by the option 'Office job seems to be boring'. What else but an office job is a translator's position ? Or I am supposed to be translating while surfing some giant ocean waves ?
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 11:16
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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Lieven Malaise wrote:
Intrigued by the option 'Office job seems to be boring'. What else but an office job is a translator's position ? Or I am supposed to be translating while surfing some giant ocean waves ?
Maybe that parts refers to interpreting. As you may interpret while riding in a helicopter, for instance.
| | | | Ana Vozone
Local time: 10:16
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
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| (Freelance) translator | Dec 4, 2023 |
I love my boss... I love my job.... I am self-employed.
No bosses... just clients...
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 11:16
Member (2020)
English to German
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| Skill usage and degree | Dec 4, 2023 |
I had a knack for languages at school (and almost failed due to my grades in maths and physics) and got an academic degree that doesn't appear to have any international equivalent (Staatlich geprüfter Übersetzer, so "state-approved translator", which appears to be something that only exists in Bavaria).
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| Circumstances and fate forced me... | Dec 4, 2023 |
I am a linguist. I have a postgraduate degree in Linguistics. One of the papers in my MA is Translation Studies. I should have become a lecturer in Linguistics after doing a Ph.D. in Linguistics. Even though I did Ph.D. research in Linguistics for 2 years, I lost interest gradually due to poor academic environment and other factors like money, job prospects, etc. So, I dropped out of the Ph.D. program. Thereafter I took up translation as my profession. Also, I am a creative person by nature. I e... See more I am a linguist. I have a postgraduate degree in Linguistics. One of the papers in my MA is Translation Studies. I should have become a lecturer in Linguistics after doing a Ph.D. in Linguistics. Even though I did Ph.D. research in Linguistics for 2 years, I lost interest gradually due to poor academic environment and other factors like money, job prospects, etc. So, I dropped out of the Ph.D. program. Thereafter I took up translation as my profession. Also, I am a creative person by nature. I enjoy translating and love to face the challenges of translation. I am more interested in literary translation than other types of translation like legal, medical, and other fields. I am not wealthy, otherwise, I would do literary translations without charging any fee to publishing houses. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:16
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| How (and why) I became a translator/interpreter | Dec 5, 2023 |
I spent years working bilingually (ITA-ENG) as a busy architect/university tutor of architecture, and as part of this I did a lot of writing, interpreting, and translating specialist documents relating to every aspect of what I was doing, working with other architects as well as engineers, clients, suppliers, consultants, designers, CAD technicians, etc. using those two languages (and sometimes French and Spanish as well).
At some point I realised I was interested in the translating... See more I spent years working bilingually (ITA-ENG) as a busy architect/university tutor of architecture, and as part of this I did a lot of writing, interpreting, and translating specialist documents relating to every aspect of what I was doing, working with other architects as well as engineers, clients, suppliers, consultants, designers, CAD technicians, etc. using those two languages (and sometimes French and Spanish as well).
At some point I realised I was interested in the translating for its own sake, so when my work as an architect took a dive, I decided to explore the possibilities of becoming a professional translator.
I had also been doing a lot of interpreting but I found it very stressful and it got in the way of of me actually carrying out the work of being an architect at the same time, so I stopped doing it.
I had the big advantage of having come from a specialised field, and this has brought me a lot of work, of a kind that few other translators can do because you either know the terminology, and how to apply it, or you don't.
I would be interested to hear from others who became translators because they were working in a completely different field but working across different languages.
[Edited at 2023-12-05 08:47 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Tom in London wrote:
I spent years working bilingually (ITA-ENG) as a busy architect/university tutor of architecture, and as part of this I did a lot of writing, interpreting, and translating specialist documents relating to every aspect of what I was doing, working with other architects as well as engineers, clients, suppliers, consultants, designers, CAD technicians, etc. using those two languages (and sometimes French and Spanish as well).
At some point I realised I was interested in the translating for its own sake, so when my work as an architect took a dive, I decided to explore the possibilities of becoming a professional translator.
I had also been doing a lot of interpreting but I found it very stressful and it got in the way of of me actually carrying out the work of being an architect at the same time, so I stopped doing it.
I had the big advantage of having come from a specialised field, and this has brought me a lot of work, of a kind that few other translators can do because you either know the terminology, and how to apply it, or you don't.
I would be interested to hear from others who became translators because they were working in a completely different field but working across different languages.
[Edited at 2023-12-05 08:47 GMT]
Same here. I have a PhD in a field that has nothing to do with linguistics or languages, but as a native English speaker living in a foreign country, I was asked by colleagues and professors to translate and edit their papers. Day-to-day work was in German, colloquia were typically in English, social events were a mix. Job prospects in my field were poor in my region (and we wanted to stay here for various reasons) while there were translation opportunities in abundance, so I got more and more into translation. I've now been translating exclusively for 10 years.
I completely agree that coming from a specialized field is a huge advantage. I have published my own work and reviewed papers for academic journals, and my clients (mostly professors and other academics) greatly appreciate my expertise. It's a job I also really enjoy because I get to read the newest research before it's even been published
| | | | Aline Brito
Brazil
Local time: 06:16
Member (2020)
English to Portuguese
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| Perfect for me. | Dec 9, 2023 |
I always knew I wanted to work with languages. At first, I thought that necessarily meant I had to teach, and being a teacher seemed a good option indeed. However, as I found out about other career paths and realized I could be a translator, something clicked. I do really love it, even if I miss seeing coworkers every day and with my wrist tendinitis. I don't see myself doing anything else.
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Lieven Malaise wrote:
Intrigued by the option 'Office job seems to be boring'. What else but an office job is a translator's position ? Or I am supposed to be translating while surfing some giant ocean waves ?
I had the misfortune of doing office job internships when I was a student and I don't think it's in the same ballpark.
To me, translation was the home office job long before home office even became a thing.
Not to mention, you never know what the free market will throw at you. One day it's corporate newsletters, the other day it's chicken coop disinfection.
At least that's my experience in the business.
Yeah, MSDS could be dull, but that's what CATs are for.
And to answer the original question, it's the thing I seem to be good at... and I like having food on the table.
The alternative would be teaching and I've been successfully avoiding that for some time now.
| | | | | Hard to pick a choice | Dec 11, 2023 |
A combination of 3 and 4 would be the closest I guess. The most fun I had in high-school classes was when learning langages. I wasn't necessarily the best, but I sure was motivated, since I started to ask my langage teachers for more exercices. Hit by the horror of me, asking for more work, I realized that translation might be my thing and went to college. I already had some experience working and hated having bosses and schedules, so going the freelancer route became obvious.
Trans... See more A combination of 3 and 4 would be the closest I guess. The most fun I had in high-school classes was when learning langages. I wasn't necessarily the best, but I sure was motivated, since I started to ask my langage teachers for more exercices. Hit by the horror of me, asking for more work, I realized that translation might be my thing and went to college. I already had some experience working and hated having bosses and schedules, so going the freelancer route became obvious.
Translation is fun, that's the main reason. I love a good translation puzzle that makes my gears grind. Plus, I'm good at it, and who doesn't love to be good at something? ▲ Collapse
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