Many people still think that professional translation is just a matter of languages, that anyone who has translated at school can become a translator and that translating is something rather easy and straightforward.

It must be emphasized from the start that the qualified professional translator is a vital player, both economically and technically: professional translators are highly skilled technical experts, both on account of the contents they translate and of the various ever more sophisticated IT tools and software they must be able to use. They are in fact experts in multilingual multimedia communication engineering.

Languages are essential, but insufficient. What is needed beyond absolute linguistic proficiency is a perfect knowledge of the relevant cultural, technical, legal, commercial backgrounds, and a full understanding of the subject matter involved.

What is needed too, is a gift for writing, an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the stamina, thoroughness and sense of initiative needed to find any information (or informant) that might be required to fully understand that subject matter. And no translator can hope to survive and thrive without the ability to relate effectively and smoothly – both professionally and personally – with numerous partners: clients, colleagues, suppliers of information and terminology, revisers, employers, tax and social security officers, Internet access providers, and many more. A good grounding in marketing, management and accountancy will do no harm in this respect.

At the same time, those persons whom, for lack of a term that would encompass the whole range of activities involved in translation service provision, we keep calling translators can be all things to all men (and women), because:

– they come in many flavours, depending on the types of materials, modes of translations, domains, technologies and tools involved;

– the freelancer and the in-house (salaried) translator do not face the same kind of problems;

– the practice of translating can cover a wealth of different experiences, depending on the applicable combination of work organisation, translation tools used, and partners involved;

– although translators all belong to the same profession, there are in fact so many different translation markets that one could say there are many different translation professions.

Professional practices and conditions differ considerably and can be worlds apart, with the paradoxical result that those who know the least about the profession are often the translators themselves: freelance translators turn their backs on the world of salaried (in-house) translators and the latter deliberately ignore the freelancers (except when they happen to supply them with translation jobs). Translators on one side of the fence pretend not to know what is happening on the other side.

Be that as it may, all translators are united in that they face the same challenges, i.e. the general lack of consideration for their work, the complexity and technicality of the tasks involved, the impact of the ICT revolution on their working practices, the upheaval caused by the Internet, the industrialisation of the translation process and translating practices, market globalisation and job de-localisation, the increasing encroachment of language engineering applications, the rivalry between linguists and technicians, the stringent requirements of quality certification, the fight for official recognition of a professional status (where this is not already effective), or even the fight for survival of the more traditional cottage industry translators. Not to mention the fact that cost-effectiveness, both direct and indirect, both in the short-term and in the long-term, tends to be the be-all and end-all of professional practice, since most people who need or request translations want ever more for ever less.

Learn how to send your CV to more than 4800 translation agencies. Find Translation Jobs today. Go to Translator Jobs to find out what other translators think. Translation Work for you. Alex Holmes.

Alex Holmes. Email your resume to more than 4800 translation agencies at http://www.TranslatorJobPro.com

Author Bio: Learn how to send your CV to more than 4800 translation agencies. Find Translation Jobs today. Go to Translator Jobs to find out what other translators think. Translation Work for you. Alex Holmes.

Category: Career
Keywords: