Global Translation Marketplace: Career Advice for New Translators

Translation Profession

If translation is the world's second oldest profession, technically speaking the Biblical snake must be the first translator – hardly an encouraging image for budding translators. Indeed, translators looking for a job in a translation agency or as a freelance translator may think the profession is cursed – as far as old professions go, it isn't one of the easiest to get into! There are too many generalists and not enough specialists, and young people with degrees in French or Spanish or Chinese have very hard time making a living as professional translators.

There are some exceptions to the rule: for example, if you have a medical background and became a translator after a few years of clinical practice as a doctor or a nurse, specialized medical translation companies that will be more than happy to hire you. Another exception is for patent translators: if you have engineering background and are knowledgeable about patents, many technical translation agencies will be very interested in your translation services.

What if you don't have scientific or technical training but know several languages well and want to become a professional translator? Don't despair – opportunities abound, though the going may be tougher.

One path taken by many successful young translators is to get a Master's degree in translation. The Graduate School of Translation & Interpretation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies has one of the best graduate translation programs in the world.

An entry-level opportunity for medical translation is a medical interpreting job at a local hospital. The pay is low, but you will be able to pick up a lot of medical terminology and get plenty of practice.

One of the most important steps you can take, no matter which path you choose, is joining a network of professional translators, such as Proz.com. By perusing their translator forums and engaging with other translators from around the world you will be able to learn a lot about the way the profession is practiced in real world. You will also be able to list your profile in their excellent directory of freelance translators, as well as get an opportunity to bid on translation jobs frequently posted on Proz by varioustranslation services companies.

Finally, by all means do read the excellent How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator book by Corinne McKay.

Selected Resources for New Translators

• Translation certification program run by the American Translators Association (ATA).
• Brave New Words, a translation blog.
• Translation Review Journal from the American Literary Translators Association.
• Globalization Insider, a publication of the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA).