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Looking for advice on what to do next after completing translation Master's
Thread poster: Adam, MA Trans
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
@Dan Jan 27, 2021

Dan Lucas wrote:
what little research there is suggests that half of linguists earn less than US$20,000 annually

Does that allow for lots of part-timers and people in the less-developed world? Either way, there's also a middle ground where a lot of people here (fairly) happily reside.

Maybe my expertise in finance is neither here nor there and they like me simply because I respond promptly, stick to deadlines and write decent English. Ego-deflating* for me if true, and who knows, it might be...

I'm sure it's a bit of both, but only one of those qualities is optional...

Incidentally, a translator who doesn't have a specialisation but who goes on to acquire one will be able to test both sides of the argument. Do they get more or better offers before or after acquiring work-related expertise?

Fewer but better in my case. Fewer because I charge more.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a card-carrying member of the pro-specialisation club. It's so much more fun when you know what you're doing. But... yada yada...


Are those who insist on the primacy of expertise merely using it unconsciously as a means of imposing a pecking order in which they can assert high social rank?

Probably consciously

It's all a role-play...

We need to meet halfway some time and discuss these things over a beer. Cenarth, maybe.


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
@Rachel Jan 27, 2021

Rachel Waddington wrote:
OK then, here are a few ideas:

Plus there's diving (almost) straight in. Winging it. Researching as you go. Sounds a bit dodgy but it doesn't have to be a disaster with some common sense. I did it when it meant going to libraries and university bookshops. With the Internet, it's way easier. Obviously I'm extraordinary in many, many ways, but I can't be unique...


I think it's actually very very tough for newcomers trying to establish themselves in 2021 and most will need something to make them stand out from the pack.

You may be right, but why do you think it's harder today than before? Don't search engines and LinkedIn make it easier to contact (the right) people?

I've still got a stack of posh stationery in the cupboard left over from failing to make a good impression on agencies back in the early 1990s...


 
Gerard Barry
Gerard Barry
Germany
Local time: 15:45
German to English
Seems like good advice Jan 27, 2021

Rachel Waddington wrote:

Gerard Barry wrote:

Rachel Waddington wrote:

I don't think I ever said that translators had to have a degree in their specialist subject.

There are lots of ways of gaining expertise, but since I don't think this is a serious question I'm not going to list them here.


I am indeed being serious. How does a translator gain expertise in specialist fields? Through short courses? Reading?



OK then, here are a few ideas:

* Get hold of a university level textbook and work your way through it. Or at a lower level if that proves too much.

* YouTube: there are lots of great videos out there now. If you don't understand something from the textbook in the point above, try looking for a video on the subject.

* Free courses: have a look what's on OpenLearn, Coursera, etc.

* Paid courses: these can be expensive, but will probably be more rigorous than the free stuff if you can afford it. Plus, if you've paid you're more likely to do the work.

* Work in another field: translators are traditionally advised to spend a few years getting experience in another role before coming to translation. That advice still makes a lot of sense.

* Events: visit industry events such as trade fairs. Lots of these are online at the moment.

* Outside interests: for a translator interested in renewable energy, getting involved in a community energy scheme would be an excellent learning experience. I'm sure there are other examples for other fields.

* CPD log: if you keep track of what you've done it will give you something to demonstrate your seriousness. Approaching an agency by saying something like 'I'm building a specialism in X and this is what I'm doing to achieve that ...' establishes your credibility more than a list of specialisms with nothing to back them up.

That's just a few ideas. What it actually makes sense to do will differ from one field to another. The good news is, it's never been easier to learn, there are so many good resources out there.

And if translators are doing fine without doing any of this, then good luck to them. They can happily ignore all this. But I think it's actually very very tough for newcomers trying to establish themselves in 2021 and most will need something to make them stand out from the pack.

[Edited at 2021-01-27 13:56 GMT]


All seems like good advice (if a little time-consuming) but I will add that for many "language-oriented" people (at least for myself), teaching oneself anything technical from textbooks without any help from a teacher is extremely difficult. My brain just doesn't seem to grasp, or isn't interested in, anything too technical. This is why I've taken the approach of mostly researching terminology as I need it rather than trying to study an entire subject area in depth acquiring knowledge which I may or may not need later in my translation work. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.


Christopher Schröder
Jorge Payan
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:45
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Inequity Jan 27, 2021

Chris S wrote:
We need to meet halfway some time and discuss these things over a beer. Cenarth, maybe.

Sure, but as a halfway point Cenarth would be massively unfair on you I think. For convoluted reasons I used to travel semi-regularly up the B4302 or sometimes the B4310 and thence to Llansawel and over the hill to Lampeter. It's a bloody long way from there to Cenarth.

Maybe when the weather's nicer I should zip up on the bike and stay the night in Ty Mawr, have a pint the Forest? Ty Mawr looks a bit spendy though.

Dan


Christopher Schröder
 
Adam, MA Trans
Adam, MA Trans
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:45
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Research and reading lists Jan 28, 2021

"Get hold of a university level textbook and work your way through it. Or at a lower level if that proves too much."

This is exactly what I was thinking of doing, at least for now. I'm not sure it would be great business sense to enrol on a (marine biology) degree just to specialise in the subject, given how much degrees cost (in most places) nowadays. Instead, I thought it would be a good idea to procure the reading list and read the books in my own time.

I think Chri
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"Get hold of a university level textbook and work your way through it. Or at a lower level if that proves too much."

This is exactly what I was thinking of doing, at least for now. I'm not sure it would be great business sense to enrol on a (marine biology) degree just to specialise in the subject, given how much degrees cost (in most places) nowadays. Instead, I thought it would be a good idea to procure the reading list and read the books in my own time.

I think Chris mentioned researching as we translate. This is exactly how I managed when translating the ST for my dissertation! It was time-consuming, but if you enjoy the subject it's certainly not painful. That said, the ST, which was marine biology and oceanography, was generally written in layman's terms.
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Christopher Schröder
Rachel Waddington
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:45
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
There's certainly more than one way Jan 30, 2021

Chris S wrote:
Now Dan lived and breathed finance for 20 years so he obviously knows loadsa stuff I don't. But the question is whether that is stuff I actually need to know and can't find out fairly easily.

Other things being equal, he will be better than me. But then I've got 20 years on him as a translator which maybe gives me an edge in other areas. Who knows? But we both seem to do alright. Which is kinda my point.


Belatedly returning to this to say I think this is an fair and accurate interpretation, at least in my pair. As far as I know there are very few people with my industry background working as translators, but my peers in this area seem to know their onions and many of them have far longer experience in translation than myself. When trying to interpret and translate the nuance of announcements from a central bank, for example, such experience matters a great deal. So, ultimately, if you can do the job, clients will use you, and they are not fussy about how you acquire specialist knowledge.

I still maintain that what is important is "differentiation", in that sense of how potential clients perceive you. My sense is that I have been able to get the attention of clients more easily than if I had been starting from scratch, even though initially I was probably not as polished a translator as others.

But then 95% of my peers haven't worked extensively in finance, and yet somehow they caught the eyes of my clients and there they are, competing with me, day in, day out. So it happens, evidently.

Dan


Christopher Schröder
 
Rachel Waddington
Rachel Waddington  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:45
Dutch to English
+ ...
Who knows? Jan 30, 2021

Dan Lucas wrote:

Chris S wrote:
Now Dan lived and breathed finance for 20 years so he obviously knows loadsa stuff I don't. But the question is whether that is stuff I actually need to know and can't find out fairly easily.

Other things being equal, he will be better than me. But then I've got 20 years on him as a translator which maybe gives me an edge in other areas. Who knows? But we both seem to do alright. Which is kinda my point.


Belatedly returning to this to say I think this is an fair and accurate interpretation, at least in my pair. As far as I know there are very few people with my industry background working as translators, but my peers in this area seem to know their onions and many of them have far longer experience in translation than myself. When trying to interpret and translate the nuance of announcements from a central bank, for example, such experience matters a great deal. So, ultimately, if you can do the job, clients will use you, and they are not fussy about how you acquire specialist knowledge.

I still maintain that what is important is "differentiation", in that sense of how potential clients perceive you. My sense is that I have been able to get the attention of clients more easily than if I had been starting from scratch, even though initially I was probably not as polished a translator as others.

But then 95% of my peers haven't worked extensively in finance, and yet somehow they caught the eyes of my clients and there they are, competing with me, day in, day out. So it happens, evidently.

Dan



Question askers should also bear in mind that none of us actually know. All we can really talk authoritatively about is our own experience, plus vague impressions about what is going on around us.

Hopefully, those seeking direction will be able to pick their way through the mass of different experiences and opinions and find something that is useful to them.


Christopher Schröder
Dan Lucas
Michele Fauble
Gerard Barry
Adam, MA Trans
 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Hmmm Feb 18, 2021

Adam-MSCR wrote:

Hi everybody,

I've just completed my dissertation for a Master's in Translation. I'm awaiting the results, the graduation and certificate, etc,. In the meantime, I'm looking to take my first baby steps into what I hope will be a rewarding career in translation.

Can anybody please advise me what I should do first? I'll be updating (overhauling) my Proz profile and CV once I've received my grades. In addition, I believe our university has an agreement with the IoL, which enables graduates to join as 'chartered members' - I have no idea how valuable this is. Also, I've read on Proz forums that joining the ITI can be beneficial - although this was disputed by some members. Is there anything else I'm missing? For example, learning to use a CAT tool or joining another organisation?

I'm looking to specialise eventually in marine biology. The ST in my dissertation was on oceanography; I felt I coped very well, given I don't hold any qualifications in science. However, while honing my scientific knowledge, I'm going to focus on general and sports translations. How would one start in scientific translation?

Finally, regarding experience, prior to my studies I spent about 6 years translating for several charities. I suppose I should ask them for a reference to add to my Proz profile?

Sorry if these questions appear juvenile. After spending 2 years in translation academia, I feel a bit overwhelmed by the more professional side of things!

I hope everyone is keeping well and safe.


A lot of places might not care much for the Masters or far prefer it if you had a native second language and a Masters in some popular topic of translations.

That said, it might work on some organizations. It feels like something more likely to interest those looking for pretty and refined language for a wide audience, not technical work for a few specialists.

Maybe you could make an impression on somebody focused on quality general-purpose or literary translation, perhaps the likes of Netflix or a publisher? And if you still want to transition into more technical stuff later, take some courses or at least come to them when you have something respectable-looking like that on your resume?


 
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