| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Wrong kind of name? Thread poster: bf2
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| What can you do? | May 29, 2014 |
I have the same issue, having been born and raised in the United States with a Latvian name which is very different from typical American names. I translate from German > English with the occasional Latvian thrown in - but only LV>EN, not the other way around. Had I taken my husband's name, people would have thought I was German, and he's American, too, not a native German! All I can do is hope that the language industry is open minded enough to look past names. And I think it is. Emphasize your... See more I have the same issue, having been born and raised in the United States with a Latvian name which is very different from typical American names. I translate from German > English with the occasional Latvian thrown in - but only LV>EN, not the other way around. Had I taken my husband's name, people would have thought I was German, and he's American, too, not a native German! All I can do is hope that the language industry is open minded enough to look past names. And I think it is. Emphasize your expertise and experience, and you'll be fine.
[Edited at 2014-05-29 00:53 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | bf2
United Kingdom
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Business name and company name | May 29, 2014 |
Just so I am clear, the business name is just a name, it's not the name of my limited company. In other words the business name does not represent a legal entity in any way. Is that correct?
I was initially thinking of using my limited company name as the business name, but then I thought a) I'd have to change the company name to make it more translation-friendly and b) probably best not to share my company details over the internet.
| | | | | Just make it clear where you live now | May 29, 2014 |
As I understand it, you were born in India, but now live elsewhere. (I may have overlooked where exactly.)
And I'd just make that clear to the customer. For instance, introduce yourself on your homepage, with a photo that shows you're a nice guy, and tell the customer that you've been living in, say, London for the past 15 years and love the city and so on.
This is important. I wouldn't hesitate to cooperate with anyone of Indian descent, but someone actually living in ... See more As I understand it, you were born in India, but now live elsewhere. (I may have overlooked where exactly.)
And I'd just make that clear to the customer. For instance, introduce yourself on your homepage, with a photo that shows you're a nice guy, and tell the customer that you've been living in, say, London for the past 15 years and love the city and so on.
This is important. I wouldn't hesitate to cooperate with anyone of Indian descent, but someone actually living in India - well that's a different story. I'd be afraid of not getting the kind of work agreed upon, and then, what could I do? Yell at them over the phone? Make it clear to your customers that you are accessible. And give them a phone number. That way, if they still have any doubts, they can call you and "test" your English (or German). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | It probably does make a difference when you start out | May 29, 2014 |
I think I make enough noise on the Internet for people to know I am native English, live in Denmark and use my married name. Still, people do occasionally think I am a Dane.
I have to admit that I too am sometimes a little sceptical about people with Indian names, although I know that many, like yourself, live and work in the UK, and speak and write native UK English. Others speak different varieties... India is almost a continent as large and diverse as Europe, after all. I quite u... See more I think I make enough noise on the Internet for people to know I am native English, live in Denmark and use my married name. Still, people do occasionally think I am a Dane.
I have to admit that I too am sometimes a little sceptical about people with Indian names, although I know that many, like yourself, live and work in the UK, and speak and write native UK English. Others speak different varieties... India is almost a continent as large and diverse as Europe, after all. I quite understand your caution!
One of my colleagues used the name of his university, as he had an unusual surname that is associated with a completely different product.
I originally intended to find another name, but never found anything I liked... ▲ Collapse
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| Name is not important - Level of German is | May 30, 2014 |
When I think about the German side of things, given that you would need to market yourself in Germany too, what it comes to mind is that Germans will be interested in knowing how you got to learn German at a professional level.
In my opinion, if you want to become a professional translator you need to improve your German language skills, reach a C1-C2 level at least, and take proper German classes with a native teacher. Your progress will thus be much faster than with self-learning.... See more When I think about the German side of things, given that you would need to market yourself in Germany too, what it comes to mind is that Germans will be interested in knowing how you got to learn German at a professional level.
In my opinion, if you want to become a professional translator you need to improve your German language skills, reach a C1-C2 level at least, and take proper German classes with a native teacher. Your progress will thus be much faster than with self-learning. Ideally you should also take widely recognised German exams, for instance with the Goethe Institut. Furthermore, customers in Germany expect you to communicate in German, and failing to do so will automatically place you at the lower end of their list. They do not really care about your name, but you have to prove that you are what they need.
I say all the above because German legalese and business jargon can be tricky. Without a good level of German, you could end up stuck for hours on end with relatively small translations, something that is not good for business. Additionally, as a translator you often have to explain your translation decisions, and to do so you have to be able to give solid evidence and examples in the source language.
Just my two cents. Good luck!
[Edited at 2014-05-30 06:00 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | RobinB 
United States
Local time: 19:03
German to English
| Doesn't matter | May 30, 2014 |
Your name doesn't matter, nor does your gender, age, ethnic origin, marital/civil status, sexual orientation, religion, species, preference for dogs or cats, etc., etc.
What *does* matter is being able to deliver brilliant translations by the agreed deadline. Oh, and the ability to communicate in a friendly and effective manner.
That said, choosing an inappropriate name for your business is definitely not a good idea. Better by far to use your real name than trade as a ... See more Your name doesn't matter, nor does your gender, age, ethnic origin, marital/civil status, sexual orientation, religion, species, preference for dogs or cats, etc., etc.
What *does* matter is being able to deliver brilliant translations by the agreed deadline. Oh, and the ability to communicate in a friendly and effective manner.
That said, choosing an inappropriate name for your business is definitely not a good idea. Better by far to use your real name than trade as a company with a ludicrous name without any street cred.
I hadn't seen your earlier thread, so I'll try to get round to replying to your questions there when I can (probably next week): those are the ones that really matter, IMHO. ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 20:03
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
| Anglicising first name | May 30, 2014 |
There are many people living in English speaking countries who "anglicise" their first name, for similar reasons you describe. I don't think that would be unusual. I imagine the same probably applies to other countries.
| | | | Melanie Nassar
United States
Local time: 03:03
German to English
+ ...
| Similar situation | May 31, 2014 |
I am also a German-English translator with a (married) name that does not sound English and I don't even live in either a source language or a target language country. Nevertheless, I spent my entire childhood in the US in a monolingual (English) family.
I have never noticed any problems due to my name, but then you would probably never know who just dismisses you out of hand based on your name or location, would you?
Of course your CV should make it clear why English ... See more I am also a German-English translator with a (married) name that does not sound English and I don't even live in either a source language or a target language country. Nevertheless, I spent my entire childhood in the US in a monolingual (English) family.
I have never noticed any problems due to my name, but then you would probably never know who just dismisses you out of hand based on your name or location, would you?
Of course your CV should make it clear why English is your native (or near-native) language and how you became proficient in German.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
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bf2
United Kingdom
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you. The last few replies have convinced me to be completely open about my background in my profile and CV.
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