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1. Becoming a translator

I have used the term “translator” to mean a professional who translates written texts and one who interprets orally.

As well as a knowledge of the source language and of the target language, a translator must have an aptitude for translation, that is the ability to be able to process linguistic material quickly and efficiently. Translation work involves the process of receiving and handling requests to do specific translations, undertaking research, networking, translating words, phrases, discourse and register, editing the translation, delivering the finished text to the employer or client, billing the client for work completed, and, finally, getting paid.

Reliability, timeliness and cost are the three elements of a translator’s work that a customer will focus on.

Thus, the following points need to be borne in mind:

• You will need a thorough knowledge of both the source and the target languages with a vocabulary in both equal to that of an educated native speaker.
• You must have easy familiarity with the culture in which the language(s) is/are used.
• Keeping abreast with developments in the language(s) is a professional commitment
• Translations are most often from another language into the translator’s native language. Whereas people are completely at ease with their native language, years of study and experience often do not lead to the same familiarity and ease of communication in a second language. The exceptions to this are usually those who have had the good fortune to live in more than one culture and have spoken more than one language on a regular basis. It is quite acceptable to offer more than one second language.
• A professional translator has to be able to work in more than one specialism. They must have a natural curiosity about many different areas of human knowledge and activity, and need to read to acquire vocabulary in a variety of fields to be able to produce accurate and well-written translations in those specialisms. This is not nearly so difficult as it may seem, since most technical fields utilize a well-defined number of terms which are repeated often.
• A professional translator must learn to work quickly. You can increase your typing skills by taking a typing class at a community college or other adult education institute. Train yourself to type without looking at the keys and using all ten fingers.
• Most clients wait until the last minute to assign a translation job; as a result, they turn to a translator or translation service with what is perhaps the most typical question in this business: ‘How soon can you have this job ready for me?’. The professional translator has to be prepared to accept that long job with a short turnaround time otherwise there will be no repeat business from that particular client or from most other clients. Translation is generally paid by the word. The more words one can translate per hour, the more income one will generate. Serious translation starts at 250 words per hour, and can reach as many as 1,000 words per hour, and even 3,000 words per hour, believe it or not. But never undertake more work than you can accomplish by a given deadline.
• A translator must develop research skills and know how to access reference sources which are essential to produce a high quality translation. This might include using dictionaries and online glossaries.
• A translator must be familiar with relevant hardware, software, and with what’s available on the internet.
• You should always check and see what kind of potential one’s language specialty has in a given geographic area and target that area.

2. Good habits

A good translator is a constant language student, always eager and willing to learn more and to keep up with recent developments. One excellent habit is to read professional literature in the field or fields you will be called upon to translate in.

The key to effective translation is practice. A translator generally loves words and loves the challenge of using words effectively and correctly i.e. a natural linguist or wordsmith.

You should always be on the lookout for dictionaries on your travels, stopping in bookstores to see if they have something useful., It’s also a good idea to compile word lists and build a reference library.

And if you are not sure of the meaning of a word even after all available means have been exhausted, then you have to put in a translator’s note to that effect, or make it known in some other way that there is a problem with translating that particular word.

3. Pricing yourself

The focus should be on charging a high rate per word but also on earning money on a steady basis, and to do so one has to be flexible. Many a time I have agreed to do a translation job for a client for less than it was worth, but the payoff often came when, soon after, the same client, valuing the quality of my work and my near-fanatic adherence to deadlines, came back to me with another, often urgent job, and this time I charged a higher rate, which made up for the shortfall the first time around.

Time is the real measure of your earnings from translation. The more words per hour you can translate accurately, the more you will earn. These days the rate of 7 to 10 cents per word is considered normal. Try to charge your better-paying clients more, and those less able to pay, less. Keep good records of your clients, keep notes on them, and keep in touch with them by dropping them a card for the holiday season, for example. Your goal is repeat business, which means a steady income and which also validates your worth as a good translator. Establishing a good personal relationship with your clients is the key to repeat business. Never commit yourself to a timetable which is unrealistic as this is a sure recipe for losing a client and tarnishing your reputation. Never promise what you can’t deliver. Explain to your client that the timetable is not realistic, and try to negotiate for more time. If this is not possible, suggest splitting the job among two or more translators. If you can’t come to some kind of agreement with your client, then you have no choice but to turn down the job.

4. Some tips on sending out resumés (CVs) for translation jobs

• Put your language(s) and area(s) of expertise in the first paragraph of your resume.
• Know your potential employers and what they are looking for.
• Capitalize on your experience and translation projects done.
• Add a short sample translation.
• Make it easy to read, make sure it is printed crisply ,and put key words such as your subject areas in bold.

5. Sources of work

There are two ways of establishing a good clientele for yourself. The first is to contact embassies, law firms, publishers, government agencies and so on to solicit work directly from them. If you are fortunate enough to find some good steady clients on your own, you will be doing quite well, but the problem often lies in the word “steady”, as what looks like a steady client today may not be so steady tomorrow. The safer option by far is translation agencies. There are hundreds of thousands of them worldwide and they handle huge amounts of translation business every year. You need to work with at least two or three agencies to be assured of a good flow of work.

Some major sources of translation include:
Law firms: Most law firms use translators on an as-needed basis. Legal translation is a specialized field in which you need to acquire experience working with legal documents. There are several legal specialties, such as patent law, international law, immigration law, and so on, each with its own style and terminology, which a translator needs to become acquainted with.

Industry: Corporations doing business in other countries have to deal with documents written in the languages of those countries; they also generate documents in English that need to be translated into the local language. They either hire their own in-house translators or farm out work to freelancers and to translation services. Their need for translation is growing so fast that even those who have in-house translators are finding themselves using freelance translators because of the high volume of translation work.

If you have a special expertise in their field of work, tell them that you are, for example, an expert in translating for the telecommunications industry. Find out who in the company handles outside vendors or services, and give them a call or drop them a note. It also helps to know someone in the company, who can do some of the legwork for you and put you in touch with the right people.

Local Government: More and more local and county councils are having their pamphlets, brochures and other documents translated.

International organizations: Among the largest that use translation on a daily basis are the United Nations, the World Bank, the WHO, the International Court of Justice, European Union, NATO and many more. Quite often they have more documents to translate than they can handle in-house, and they look for outside help.

Publishers: Even though this is not an easy field to break into, particularly for the beginner, it is certainly worth contacting publishers.

Software Localization Companies: This is a fast-growing area of translation, mainly the translation of software-related text into other languages and adapting the text to the target culture. Software localization companies specialize in IT subjects and in English-into- foreign language translation. They use freelance translators from time to time. Their work encompasses everything from computer manuals to the localization of web-sites.

Networking: An excellent source of work for freelance translators is personal contacts with other translators. The American Translators Association’s (ATA) local chapters (www.atanet.org) are one place where translators meet and get to know each other. The annual conference of the ATA holds a networking session, which is very valuable. You can also meet translators through personal contacts in the translation field. The modern way to meet translators is on the Internet. Entities such as the Foreign Language Forum (www.vistawide.com/forum) bring together translators from all over the world. All you need to do is post a message on one of those programs, and before you know it you get a response from someone in your own town or half way round the world. Keeping in touch with other translators is a prime means of finding out about work sources and assignments. There are clearly many advantages to networking in the translation field, and the more contacts one has the better.

6. Conclusion

The best thing about translation is that it is an activity you can pursue at different times of your life, and you can continue doing it or pick it up again even after you retire from your regular job. Translation puts you in touch with more areas of human knowledge and endeavour than almost any other career can. I can think of few other more challenging or fascinating careers. But best of all, a translator never stops learning. Language keeps changing, knowledge keeps evolving, and the professional translator stays on top of it all. Once you have developed good translation habits, you will enjoy the continuous activity of learning new words and terms, and being part of the latest advances in many areas of human knowledge. It is indeed a privileged position.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article as much as I have enjoyed writing it, and that you will benefit from translation as much as I do. Translators are hard-working, decent and dedicated people, friendly and generous. There is no doubt in my mind that ours is a profession that will become more and more prominent as the twenty first century unfolds, and ever since I started working as a translator I have felt a sense of exhilaration doing what I feel is a most intellectually rewarding endeavour. Good luck!

Maria Iglesia Ramos