| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] > | Considering a career change Thread poster: Red5
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Nicole Schnell 
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
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In memoriam | Translation courses | Jul 16, 2012 |
They ARE necessary - but you don't need a university degree.
Why classes are crucial
I was working as a translator already in my field of specialization (marketing, management, PR and advertising - my profession). Then my clients started to ask for translations in other fields, and I realized how little I know about translation. I enrolled at the New York University. Because they didn't offer any classes into my native language German, I took all classes in my reversed ... See more They ARE necessary - but you don't need a university degree.
Why classes are crucial
I was working as a translator already in my field of specialization (marketing, management, PR and advertising - my profession). Then my clients started to ask for translations in other fields, and I realized how little I know about translation. I enrolled at the New York University. Because they didn't offer any classes into my native language German, I took all classes in my reversed language pair.
The most important semester was the very first one because we learned about the rules in 10 different fields in translation:
- How to translate newspaper articles
- How to translate birth certificates, high school diplomas and university degrees
- How to translate legal texts such as contracts, divorce decrees, etc.
- How to translate technicals texts
- How to translate medical texts, such as doctors' letters
- How to translate IT-texts
- How to translate a patent
- How to translate recipes
- How to translate short stories / literature
- How to translate advertising texts
In this order, BTW. You can not do without.
This first semester was the most important one ever. I haven't finished my studies yet, chiefly because I didn't feel like paying tuition for two semesters of medical translation (required, but I don't want to do medical translation), and I was too busy making money with translating.
However - without those basic studies I would be rather clueless. Paid projects are not recommendable for training... ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Watch your knowledge of your native language | Jul 17, 2012 |
To me one very critical aspect --apart from the completely vital translation training other colleagues have mentioned-- is to check, polish, and improve your knowledge in your native language (Spanish). It would be a good investment to take classes for a while to make sure your Spanish has a high standard.
I was a software developer ages ago, and jumped into localisation and then gradually into translation by mere chance (when I took a job as a localisation engineer), so a successfu... See more To me one very critical aspect --apart from the completely vital translation training other colleagues have mentioned-- is to check, polish, and improve your knowledge in your native language (Spanish). It would be a good investment to take classes for a while to make sure your Spanish has a high standard.
I was a software developer ages ago, and jumped into localisation and then gradually into translation by mere chance (when I took a job as a localisation engineer), so a successful career change is possible if you take it seriously.
May I also mention that IT translation is certainly not the best place to be in the long run, given the fact that your end customers are precisely those companies who think that translation is very expensive and they need to push automatic translation to the maximum consequences. The fields in which you might make better money and where you will be treated better are related areas in technical translation. As soon as you start your career as a translator, try to move ahead from IT translation and learn about other fields, like power generation, electronics, science, etc.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Tomás is right. | Jul 17, 2012 |
Tomás Cano Binder, CT wrote:
try to move ahead from IT translation and learn about other fields, like power generation, electronics, science, etc.
At least try to take on IT-translations solely on enterprise level, which is well paid. Don't do cheapo end-consumer stuff.
| | | | Elke Fehling
Local time: 02:01
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
You mention the classes you had to take, but what exactly do you learn? Could you give me an example of something I couldn't have learned just by reading/doing?
This is no critisism, I would very much like to know if there is really something I can do to improve my skills...
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Aside from the highly valuable, gorgeous and fun first semester... | Jul 17, 2012 |
Elke Fehling wrote:
You mention the classes you had to take, but what exactly do you learn? Could you give me an example of something I couldn't have learned just by reading/doing?
This is no critisism, I would very much like to know if there is really something I can do to improve my skills...
...they didn't teach me anything. We had one assignment per week (one translation per week, that is, related to the semester's main topic, plus a ton of reading). The results were discussed during our weekly live video conferences, which was fun because all of the students came from all over the world and would meet, more or less sleepy due to the time zones, online via live-conference. That was about it, though.
Our prof was cool, she would answer all my gazillions of extra-questions via personal email, she taught me about Trados, formating, rates and what-not. Things, that were never mentioned in class...
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Forgot one important thing | Jul 17, 2012 |
At NYU they teach you how to do proper research. They teach you serious hard-core research skills. They will also lace all of their assignments with hidden, mean, devious errors in the source text and they want to see if you found them. Their classes are rather an ongoing IQ-test than dull translation theory. I like that! That's all I wanted to learn.
| | | | | I'm intrigued! | Jul 17, 2012 |
Nicole Schnell wrote:
- How to translate newspaper articles
- How to translate birth certificates, high school diplomas and university degrees
- How to translate legal texts such as contracts, divorce decrees, etc.
- How to translate technicals texts
- How to translate medical texts, such as doctors' letters
- How to translate IT-texts
- How to translate a patent
- How to translate recipes
- How to translate short stories / literature
- How to translate advertising texts
In this order, BTW. You can not do without.
Why would you have to study your how-tos in this particular order? I'm curious, especially when I see that translating recipes is the recommended prelude to translating short stories and literature.
Please do tell!
[Edited at 2012-07-17 12:36 GMT]
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:01
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| I disagree... | Jul 17, 2012 |
Red5 wrote: Hello, I am a middle age guy considering a career shift from software architecture to language translation (English to Spanish). As a software architect I do a lot of writing, but I have not done any translation work professionally. The only related experience I have is 6 years of writing and designing natural language processing applications for the marketing industry combining semantic parsing and artificial intelligence techniques to analyze consumer preferences segmented by various demographic criteria. As far as credentials, I have a BS.BA with a minor in CS. from an accredited University and 18 years of experience in programming, software architecture, and management primarily in the market research, marketing, and e-commerce industries. The question is: do you feel this is a feasible career move or do you think I am way off since I do not have a Masters in translation or equivalent degree / experience? I appreciate any feedback! 
I disagree with all the recommendations about taking classes and courses, qualifications, etc. Instead I would recommend learning by doing. In other words, jump right in and start translating for money. If your work is good, you'll prosper - although you'll find it slow for the first year or two as you build your profile, reputation, and client base.
Aside from language matters, it's very important to run your new business professionally, reliably, and efficiently.
Always keep your clients 100% happy with first-class translations free of mistakes, delivered on time. That way you'll get more work. They won't care how many qualifications you have, how many bits of paper, how many letters after your name, how many courses you've taken. They'll only care about what you deliver and if it does the job for them.
The sooner you get started, the better - and good luck !
[Edited at 2012-07-17 12:58 GMT]
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
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In memoriam | Hello versanglais | Jul 17, 2012 |
verslanglais wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
- How to translate newspaper articles
- How to translate birth certificates, high school diplomas and university degrees
- How to translate legal texts such as contracts, divorce decrees, etc.
- How to translate technicals texts
- How to translate medical texts, such as doctors' letters
- How to translate IT-texts
- How to translate a patent
- How to translate recipes
- How to translate short stories / literature
- How to translate advertising texts
In this order, BTW. You can not do without.
Why would you have to study your how-tos in this particular order? I'm curious, especially when I see that translating recipes is the recommended prelude to translating short stories and literature. Please do tell!
Can't tell. In a way it does make sense, though. The newspaper article was easy and great to warm up. Then we were taught that there might be jobs that require certain formating (Aha!), then it got worse with the legal texts (good grief... I am supposed to know this stuff???), the technical texts (You must be kidding... they call this thingy WHAT???), etc.
I learned highly important things about recipes (I am a passionate cook myself) - for example, that it is not sufficient to convert any measurements from gram to ounces - it will not work out. That you need to find substitutes for e.g. Quark which is not available in the US, that you have to modify recipes because Germans use alcohol for baking and cooking all the time which might kill poor, innocent and sacred American children just by glancing a the cake... if you get my drift. That recipes must be modified due to import/export regulations due to possible alcohol content. All recipes must tested in a test-kitchen before they can be published.
This class was fascinating!
After import/export the short story seemed to be some kind of vacation. Haha!! It was kind of a surreal, nearly kafkaesque, yet humorous story that needed to be seriously localized to get the sarcasm across.
This is the kind of stuff that NYU will teach you. Not bad. Not bad, indeed.
| | | | | Interesting! | Jul 17, 2012 |
Thank you Nicole!
| | | | Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Tom, I disagree. | Jul 17, 2012 |
Tom in London wrote:
I disagree with all the recommendations about taking classes and courses, qualifications, etc. Instead I would recommend learning by doing. In other words, jump right in and start translating for money. If your work is good, you'll prosper - although you'll find it slow for the first year or two as you build your profile, reputation, and client base.
Aside from language matters, it's very important to run your new business professionally, reliably, and efficiently.
Always keep your clients 100% happy with first-class translations free of mistakes, delivered on time. That way you'll get more work. They won't care how many qualifications you have, how many bits of paper, how many letters after your name, how many courses you've taken. They'll only care about what you deliver and if it does the job for them.
The sooner you get started, the better - and good luck !
Taking classes is not about showing off stupid diplomas - it's about learning and acquiring know-how. Since when is learning a bad thing. Are you promoting amateurism, seriously? That's ridiculous. Do you want him to learn it the hard way and fall flat on his face?
Cynical...
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:01
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Nicole Schnell wrote:
[Are you promoting amateurism,?
Cynical...
No. Perhaps you should have read my post more carefully. You know: every word of it.
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:01
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam | Otherwise there wouldn't be a reply, right? :-) | Jul 17, 2012 |
Tom in London wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
[Are you promoting amateurism,?
Cynical... No. Perhaps you should have read my post more carefully. You know: every word of it.
Here we go:
Tom in London wrote:
jump right in and start translating for money.
That's amateurism.
The rest sounds like some motivational speech that - if you replace a few words - will also work beautifully to sell time-shares, real estate or vacuum cleaners.
Aside from language matters, it's very important to run your new business professionally, reliably, and efficiently.
Always keep your clients 100% happy with first-class translations free of mistakes, delivered on time. That way you'll get more work. They won't care how many qualifications you have, how many bits of paper, how many letters after your name, how many courses you've taken. They'll only care about what you deliver and if it does the job for them.
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Tom in London wrote:
Always keep your clients 100% happy with first-class translations free of mistakes, delivered on time. That way you'll get more work. They won't care how many qualifications you have, how many bits of paper, how many letters after your name, how many courses you've taken. They'll only care about what you deliver and if it does the job for them.
Although I am one of those people who dared to enter this industry with no specific luggage other than writing as a hobby, my knowledge of my previous career, and being fluent in three languages, as soon as I started taking courses on translation my career improved immediately in terms of productivity and quality. Additionally, the market 18 years ago was completely different to today's market, for a number of reasons.
I do not think that today, in 2012, with so many excellent translators in the market and many more flowing out of translation schools, it is possible to start a successful career in our trade without proper training.
| | | | | Lots of insightful comments! | Jul 17, 2012 |
I’m not worried about performance. I did a few translations in the past without any surprises. I can interpret from English to Spanish and vice versa without having to stop and think. I also keep up to date with expressions, current events and cultural changes. I don’t foresee having problems in any of my potential areas of specialization. Training is good and constant improvement is great, but I wouldn’t even consider making this move if I didn’t feel I was ready.
Langua... See more I’m not worried about performance. I did a few translations in the past without any surprises. I can interpret from English to Spanish and vice versa without having to stop and think. I also keep up to date with expressions, current events and cultural changes. I don’t foresee having problems in any of my potential areas of specialization. Training is good and constant improvement is great, but I wouldn’t even consider making this move if I didn’t feel I was ready.
Language acquisition is a long process with a steep learning curve and the same thing goes for translation and writing. One either has the ability or one does not.
The real challenge for me will be selling, finding direct customers and offering my services. Specifically, I am concerned about demand and market conditions. I have no problem branding myself and developing a good marketing and segmentation strategy, but if the demand is not there or if potential customers are already locked up by competitors, it will be an uphill battle. ▲ Collapse
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