Market needs : what are the areas of specialization that have the most demand ? eng-spa-fr Thread poster: Laura C. Fernandez S.
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I am trying to get stablished and I want to specialize wisely on an area that has a lot of opportunity.
I work with english, spanish and french.
Any information about the market needs is very useful.
I am located in Europe, but I guess this job can be done worldwide.
Thank you all
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You might want to read through the 'Getting Established' forum on this site. There are loads of threads that will be interesting for you. I’d say start by learning the ropes working as a translator at a translation agency or an international organization for a while (some international organisations offer paid internships). Regarding the areas of specialization, don't just be guided by the market needs (these vary greatly) but above all by what interests you. Spending a lot of time hunched ove... See more You might want to read through the 'Getting Established' forum on this site. There are loads of threads that will be interesting for you. I’d say start by learning the ropes working as a translator at a translation agency or an international organization for a while (some international organisations offer paid internships). Regarding the areas of specialization, don't just be guided by the market needs (these vary greatly) but above all by what interests you. Spending a lot of time hunched over a computer translating material that doesn't mean a thing to you is not a life worth living! Sat down and analyse your strengths and weaknesses, interests, passions, goals and expectations. It all will come quite naturally and after a little while you will have a clear plan in your mind about what you have to work towards. Ask someone expert in that field to read your translations (a friend, a family member, another translator): especially when starting out, feedback is really important to build solid grounds for improvement. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:48
Serbian to English
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| I would add that ... | Jul 12 |
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
You might want to read through the 'Getting Established' forum on this site. There are loads of threads that will be interesting for you. I’d say start by learning the ropes working as a translator at a translation agency or an international organization for a while (some international organisations offer paid internships). Regarding the areas of specialization, don't just be guided by the market needs (these vary greatly) but above all by what interests you. Spending a lot of time hunched over a computer translating material that doesn't mean a thing to you is not a life worth living! Sat down and analyse your strengths and weaknesses, interests, passions, goals and expectations. It all will come quite naturally and after a little while you will have a clear plan in your mind about what you have to work towards. Ask someone expert in that field to read your translations (a friend, a family member, another translator): especially when starting out, feedback is really important to build solid grounds for improvement.
I would add that there is not really "one market" for language services, but more what could be seen as "many specialised segments" that don't have much in common. So try to find one that suits you. (as in: "Spending a lot of time hunched over a computer translating material that doesn't mean a thing to you is not a life worth living!")
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Nowadays, about 90% of translation jobs are post-editing jobs (MTPE), i.e. you don't translate but you proofread and edit computer-translated texts. Try this if you like but be careful as to the profitability, I mean how much time you have to invest in optimizing the text and how much they pay you for it. Calculate carefully and realistically whenever you get a job (before and after working) and don't sell your services cheaply.
Agencies give a beginner a chance but they don't pay much an... See more Nowadays, about 90% of translation jobs are post-editing jobs (MTPE), i.e. you don't translate but you proofread and edit computer-translated texts. Try this if you like but be careful as to the profitability, I mean how much time you have to invest in optimizing the text and how much they pay you for it. Calculate carefully and realistically whenever you get a job (before and after working) and don't sell your services cheaply.
Agencies give a beginner a chance but they don't pay much and they are not interested in specialised translators because they simply cannot pay them their due. Try to become specialised in a field you are really interested in (in the best case, something technical but you should love it!) and study this field and its terminology profoundly. A specialised translator does not only know his languages but also the technical background of what the text means, e.g. how a certain machine functions. Translators are much more than a dictionary.
This is the only chance you have to become a real translator - if you really want to get one.
However, I would rather advise you to use your linguistic skills in a regularly paid job like teaching, journalism, tourism, writing offers in a foreign language for a company's clients, etc., depending on your field(s), because pure translation is not a safe money-maker any more. Things are gettting worse and worse, and I don't see an end to this. And I have 20 years of translating experience.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
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Thank you very much for all the advice, I will keep pushing to find the right place for me
| | | | | Think of what you are interested in or what you like | Aug 7 |
Maybe you already have various skills or would like to gain new ones. Knowing the language(s) is just the first step, you need to know about the aspect of world you want to specialize in. The future of translation is quite uncertain, so probably it would be best to gain skills in another field and combine them with language. Possibilities are almost endless, it could be anything from agriculture, through beauty, cosmetics to sport and zoology.
So that you could combine translation with a p... See more Maybe you already have various skills or would like to gain new ones. Knowing the language(s) is just the first step, you need to know about the aspect of world you want to specialize in. The future of translation is quite uncertain, so probably it would be best to gain skills in another field and combine them with language. Possibilities are almost endless, it could be anything from agriculture, through beauty, cosmetics to sport and zoology.
So that you could combine translation with a potential career in another, AI-prood field.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 18:48
English to Russian
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With 2 years of some general experience in common pairs? Today?
Wow. Please ask your adviser, whoever h/s was, to take a hike. A long, one-way hike... Please read a few previous posts on the same subject.
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