How to specialise? Thread poster: Samara Serralheiro
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Hello!
My name is Samara, and at the moment I am looking into translating English into Brazilian Portuguese. I have studied in Translation areas at university in English and Portuguese at USP (2013), and most recently I finished a PG-Dip in Applied Translation Studies at The University of Leeds (2018-2019).
Last year I moved permanently to the UK, and in the middle of Covid pandemic, I got married. I've always wanted to have a business as a freelance translator, but I ... See more Hello!
My name is Samara, and at the moment I am looking into translating English into Brazilian Portuguese. I have studied in Translation areas at university in English and Portuguese at USP (2013), and most recently I finished a PG-Dip in Applied Translation Studies at The University of Leeds (2018-2019).
Last year I moved permanently to the UK, and in the middle of Covid pandemic, I got married. I've always wanted to have a business as a freelance translator, but I never knew how to start. I would like to specialise in some areas such as Aeronautics Engineering, Civil Engineering, but I have no idea how to start and how to approach people.
I have read some of the posts on Proz forums, which were really helpful, such as sending my info to agencies on the BlueBoard, or getting into a Translation Association, but I am afraid of losing money, as I have no income at the moment.
I would like some tips on specialising and also how to network, spread my word, and finally get some work as a translator/ proofreader.
And thanks in advance for reading the post! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
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Well... you can, but only via experience or new education.
People who say they specialize in something either went to school for that subject (not translation), worked in that field (not as a translator), and/or translated extensively for clients or employers from that field.
[Edited at 2021-01-22 02:22 GMT]
| | | | | Specialising in engineering | Jan 22, 2021 |
If you want to be taken seriously as an engineering specialist you will need a basic grounding in maths and physics. If you have that, then I'd suggest you start by reading some university level text books in your field.
Not everyone will agree with this, but I personally think that being a specialist entails something more than simply having done a lot of translation work in a field. This 'something more' could be actual work experience in that field, or academic qualifications or... See more If you want to be taken seriously as an engineering specialist you will need a basic grounding in maths and physics. If you have that, then I'd suggest you start by reading some university level text books in your field.
Not everyone will agree with this, but I personally think that being a specialist entails something more than simply having done a lot of translation work in a field. This 'something more' could be actual work experience in that field, or academic qualifications or even just having spent a LOT of time studying independently at an appropriate level.
I see a lot of technical translations with errors in that even someone with a school certificate in physics should not be making. This is what happens when you just dive in without the appropriate background. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samara Serralheiro
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:47
English to Portuguese
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TOPIC STARTER
I really appreciate the answers!
I know that in order to specialise I need to read and study a lot, and take courses. But I am thinking in a long term and establish as a translator, so I am willing to work towards that.
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Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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You'd have been far better off if you studied Engineering or worked in banking, marketing, law, or oil in a country that speaks the other side of your language pair (so Portugal or Brazil for England, UK or its former colonies for Portugal and Brazil).
Translation diplomas are rather... meh. Unless your country has laws and regulations that create a lot of demand for legally certified translations that require credentials, of course.
[Edited at 2021-01-23 09:08 GMT]
[E... See more You'd have been far better off if you studied Engineering or worked in banking, marketing, law, or oil in a country that speaks the other side of your language pair (so Portugal or Brazil for England, UK or its former colonies for Portugal and Brazil).
Translation diplomas are rather... meh. Unless your country has laws and regulations that create a lot of demand for legally certified translations that require credentials, of course.
[Edited at 2021-01-23 09:08 GMT]
[Edited at 2021-01-23 09:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:47
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Try this example | Jan 23, 2021 |
IF you can translate the following quickly and perfectly into Brazilian Portuguese, it's worth more than all the academic qualifications in the world:
"The KDU-1080 is a flat panel cockpit display unit. It increases situational awareness by providing general and business aviation operators equipped with the Primus Apex platform a bright, high-resolution primary or multifunction liquid crystal display (LCD). These LCDs maximize the viewable area for SmartView synthetic vision system ... See more IF you can translate the following quickly and perfectly into Brazilian Portuguese, it's worth more than all the academic qualifications in the world:
"The KDU-1080 is a flat panel cockpit display unit. It increases situational awareness by providing general and business aviation operators equipped with the Primus Apex platform a bright, high-resolution primary or multifunction liquid crystal display (LCD). These LCDs maximize the viewable area for SmartView synthetic vision system (SVS), weather, charts, traffic and terrain options information and increases interactivity in the cockpit, so pilots can fly the aircraft safer and more efficiently." ▲ Collapse
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 05:47
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
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| Significant differences | Jan 23, 2021 |
Every native speaker of PT-PT and PT-BR knows that both variants have significant differences.
In a technical field such as Aeronautics Engineering, or Civil Engineering, terminology is extremely specific between those variants.
I would stick to PT-BR in your case.
You could also benefit from engineers and technicians in these areas by trying to reach them.
| | | | Samara Serralheiro
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:47
English to Portuguese
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TOPIC STARTER | That is fun! | Jan 26, 2021 |
Tom in London wrote:
IF you can translate the following quickly and perfectly into Brazilian Portuguese, it's worth more than all the academic qualifications in the world:
"The KDU-1080 is a flat panel cockpit display unit. It increases situational awareness by providing general and business aviation operators equipped with the Primus Apex platform a bright, high-resolution primary or multifunction liquid crystal display (LCD). These LCDs maximize the viewable area for SmartView synthetic vision system (SVS), weather, charts, traffic and terrain options information and increases interactivity in the cockpit, so pilots can fly the aircraft safer and more efficiently."
I had a go at translating this small text, and this is fun to translate! Thanks for this excerpt, Tom!
And I agree with you, practice makes perfect!
I am working towards that!
I appreciate the post!
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Samara Serralheiro
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:47
English to Portuguese
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TOPIC STARTER | Totally agree! | Jan 26, 2021 |
expressisverbis wrote:
Every native speaker of PT-PT and PT-BR knows that both variants have significant differences.
In a technical field such as Aeronautics Engineering, or Civil Engineering, terminology is extremely specific between those variants.
I would stick to PT-BR in your case.
You could also benefit from engineers and technicians in these areas by trying to reach them.
Yes, I do agree with you. I always translate into Brazilian Portuguese, and I believe I specified in the post. I do have family in Portugal, but unfortunately, I am not familiar with the culture.
My husband is an engineer and I am asking questions and having glimpses of his books! A quite weird pastime of mine! haha
Thanks for pointing this out!
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