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Think you’ve heard it all? Dealing with translators

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After having read Catherine’s post on I-would-not-work-with-them-again types of PMs, I thought I could add to the story by sharing from my experience as a PM. The truth is that, after having worked for a few years as a translator and interpreter myself, and having come across all sorts of PMs, when I started my own agency and had to do project management, I already knew what to do and what NOT to do when dealing with translators. After all, they are the heart and soul of my business.

While most of the people I deal with are really nice and reliable, I have come across a few that are less pleasant to work with. As I mentioned in a comment to Catherine’s article, there was this very rude translator who sent a translator’s report full of capital letters and exclamation marks (she was obviously yelling at us), not to mention words that could only be rendered in writing by replacing letters with “*”.

Here are a few more:

  • Inconsistency:

A translation from English into Arabic in which the dates appeared in different formats throughout the document (e.g. 5.12.2000 and 5thDecember 2000). I emailed the translator and she replied (very defensively) that 5.12.2000 would not mean a lot for an Arabic speaker, while 5th December would. Fair enough, I was not challenging that since I don’t speak Arabic, all I was asking for was some consistency.

After complaining that she will skip lunch in order to make the changes (albeit it was quite a short document), she sent it back with all the dates in the format she had said it made no sense for Arabic speakers (!!!)

  • Formatting

I am aware that Word documents are preferred over PDFs. But if that’s what the client sends, that is what we have to work with. I would never expect a translator working from a PDF to come up with the exact formatting, especially if there are drawings/shapes etc. But I would expect to be able to understand which bit is which without knowing the language. Right? Wrong!

A translation from English into French. Started checking. All was going really well, until I reached the last three pages. Seriously, my eyes hurt and my heart jumped. Imagine random bits of text spread out over three pages – a little text here, a little there, bits of text everywhere!

In the original document, that was a table containing some shapes with text. As I said, I would not have expected the translator to spend a lot of time re-creating the exact shapes, but drawing a table and writing the text there in the order the shapes appeared on the text would have been nice. Or inserting comments, or a key… anything but what he had done (he had clearly used OCR, although the instructions on the PO said not to, not to mention he had not checked his work to see the end result).

I sent it back only to be told he will charge extra for doing what he was supposed to do in the first place. I then (as a proper computer geek that I am) recreated the table and drawings and asked him to at least place the text in the correct places. He refused. Luckily I speak French (yes, also a language geek), so I was able to do it for him. He agreed at least to check and said it was perfect!

  • Technicality

We had this translator that half way through the project decided the translation was too technical and could not do it. We had obviously sent her the document beforehand so she could have a look.

  • Questions

Can you ask the client if this is correct? We actually had one translator who emailed us this question. Needless to say the client did not speak the language, that’s why he had wanted a translator in the first place.

  • Comments

We all know that leaving comments helps. But leaving comments in the target language that neither the PM nor the client speaks?

But, as I said, these are exceptions, fortunately. There are plenty of translators and interpreters out there who are nice and a pleasure to work with. Just as there are PMs.

Author 

Alina CincanAlina Cincan

 

On Being an “Emerging” Translator

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By Noah M. Mintz

There is a lot of conversation around “emerging” translators—and a lot of jokes made about cocoons and metamorphosis. But the fact is that the practice of literary translation is a lonely pursuit, and the mechanisms of the publishing business are often dauntingly obscure to the uninitiated. So though the term may be hard to define and might evoke butterflies as much as it does devotees of international literature, it can be very useful to have systems of support available for us fledglings.

I produced my translation of Patrick Goujon’s novel À l’arrache, excerpted in Two Lines 29, through the American Literary Translators Association’s Emerging Translator Mentorship Program. I had chosen to work on the book after meeting Goujon on my semester abroad in 2014, and had typed up a few sample pages, but had no idea how to get the text from my own laptop into the hands of readers. The legalities of obtaining rights, the intricacies of the submissions process, and my total lack of a C.V. all felt like major obstacles—that on top of the actual work of translating the novel’s rich language, complex structure, and various linguistic registers.

ALTA paired me with a mentor, the translator and professor Emmanuelle Ertel, whose work includes the French edition of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. In addition to her insightful edits and notes on the level of language, she was also a guide when it came to navigating all of the steps in the process, from inquiring about rights to selecting samples and brainstorming outlets where the book might be a good fit.

Just as revelatory was ALTA’s annual conference. I attended in 2016 as part of the mentorship program, and gave a reading from my project along with the other “mentees.” The community was warm and welcoming beyond anything I’d anticipated. I kept in touch with many of the translators, editors, publishers, and scholars I met there, was glad to reconnect at the following year’s conference, and am always excited to run into them at readings and book fairs.

If I were to give one piece of advice to other “emerging” translators trying to spread their wings, it would be to reach out and find other people who are already doing it. There are also great resources online such as the Emerging Literary Translators Network in America (ELTNA) email listserv, PEN America’s translator resources page, and Susan Bernofsky’s “Translationista” blog. Find a mentor, if you can. Ask for help. Make friends. Translation, at every level, is hard; it helps to have support.

Read Noah M. Mintz’s first published translation in Two Lines 29—out now!

Funny mistranslations from around the world

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Every translator, linguist, language lover and grammar nazi has been there. Wherever we travel, our eyes are checking everything around us for grammar and translation mistakes.

The following mistranslations are some of the most ‘famous’ ones, they can be found in many webpages online. I won’t talk about the importance of professional translation services to avoid such (sometimes grave) mistakes, I’ll just let you enjoy the hilarious translation blunders.

Restaurants & menus

Restaurant window: Don’t stand there and be hungry. Come on in and get fed up.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for.
In a Tokyo bar: Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts.
In a Norwegian cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.
In a Nairobi restaurant: Customers who find our waitresses rude ought to see the manager.
In a New Zealand restaurant: Open seven days a week, and weekends too.
A menu in Vienna: Fried milk, children sandwiches, roast cattle and boiled sheep.
At a Korean restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand: We do not re-use the food.

Newspapers & magazines

In an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.
From the Soviet Weekly: There will be a Moscow Exhibition of Arts by 15,000 Soviet Republic painters and sculptors. These were executed over the past two years.

Airplanes & airports

Instructions on a Korean flight: Upon arrival at Kimpo and Kimahie Airport, please wear your clothes
Aeroflot advert: Introducing wide boiled aircraft for your comfort
In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions.
On an airsickness bag on a Spanish aeroplane: Bags to be use in case of sickness or to gather remains.

Shops

In a Hong Kong supermarket: For your convenience, we recommend courteous, efficient self-service.
Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs.
In a Bangkok dry cleaner’s: Drop your trousers here for best results.
Outside a Paris dress shop: Dresses for street walking.
In a Rhodes tailor shop: Order your summers suit. Because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation.
In the window of a Swedish furrier: Fur coats made for ladies from their own skin.
In a Tokyo shop: Our nylons cost more than common, but you’ll find they are best in the long run.

Cars & road signs

A sign on a car in Manila, Philippines: Car and owner for sale.
A sign at a vehicle repair shop in Bali Indonesia: Cat Oven.
On a highway sign in Australia: Take notice: when this sign is under water; this road is impassable.
From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor.
Detour sign in Kyushu, Japan: Stop: Drive Sideways.

Doctors

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.
Doctor’s office, Rome: Specialist in women and other diseases.

Other

On a South African building: Mental health prevention centre.
Sign at Mexican disco: Members and non-members only.
A sign posted in Germany’s Black Forest: It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose.
A laundry in Rome: Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time.
In a Czechoslovakian tourist agency: Take one of our horse-driven city tours — we guarantee no miscarriages.
Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own ass?
Sign over the information booth in a Beijing railroad station: Question authority
In an Italian cemetery: Persons are prohibited from picking flowers from any but their own graves.
On the faucet in a Finnish washroom: To stop the drip, turn cock to right.
In a Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man.
Instructions for a soap bubble gun: While solution is not toxic it will not make child edible.
At a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
A barbershop in Zanzibar, Tanzania: Gentlemen’s throats cut with nice sharp razors.

Sources
http://langs.eserver.org/mistranslations.txt
http://www.alphadictionary.com/fun/mistranslation.html
Book: Lost in Translation: Misadventures in English Abroad

Freelancing with baby: the first year

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This is a guest post by Rachel Sinn, a Spanish to English medical and pharmaceutical translator based in Colorado. I asked Rachel to write a post on her experiences managing her freelance business since giving birth to her first baby eight months ago. Specifically, Rachel has managed to juggle motherhood and freelancing while using little to no non-family child care. I get lots of requests from freelancing moms looking for real-life information, so I think you’ll enjoy this!

“So what are you guys going to do about child care?”

My friend smiled politely as my husband and I gave conflicting and somewhat vague accounts of our child care plans, because we hadn’t thought about it much. I was about five months pregnant. Later that night, that well-meaning question from a friend making small talk became a sleep-killing monster. What were we going to do about child care?

Of all the language-related trades, I chose translation at the tender age of 22 because I wanted to stay home with my future kids. At 30, with my first child kicking me on a daily basis, and with five years of translation work under my belt, I suddenly realized that it wasn’t going to be that easy. Cue several days weeks of panicked googling and calling around, only to encounter the dreaded daycare waitlist over and over again (30 months???).

After discouraging searches through hundreds of profiles on Care.com, endless daycare calls, and long talks, we decided to wing it. And I’m happy to say that I am still at home with my now eight-month-old daughter, and working close to full time. It has required a little creativity, and a reexamination of how we do life, but it’s possible and even enjoyable. Here are a few ideas if you’re looking to do the same.

Take a maternity leave
Childbirth is hard. Sleep deprivation is harder. As full-time employees, many women have the option to take 12 weeks of FMLA leave. I decided to give myself that amount of time as well. I notified all of my clients several months ahead of time, periodically reminded them nearer to the due date, and did so again the month of the due date. I also stopped taking projects with long deadlines the month of the due date. I took same day or next-day turnaround projects only (the opposite of what I did after my daughter was born!). I have two kinds of clients: giant translation agencies with hundreds of project managers and smaller, independent companies where I’ve been working with the same people for years. The former didn’t notice I was gone, and I had a good enough rapport with the latter that they happily congratulated me and told me to email them when I returned.

Ease back into it
When I decided I was ready to start working again, almost exactly three months later, I had to strategize how to do it. What worked for me was to “go back to work” for my best clients, a select few with whom I had a great relationship. You could call them my “A” clients. Great deadlines, interesting work, on-time payment, etc. Great deadlines were the key to the whole thing. I knew my schedule would be completely erratic for the foreseeable future (teething, sleep regressions, growth spurts, colds, the list goes on), which meant no same-day or next-day deadlines. I stuck with deadlines of two days or more at all times, and tried not to take more than one job at a time. I did this for about a month before going further. I’m happy to report that I was able to resume work with my “A” clients at about three months, and the rest around four to five months after my daughter was born. I didn’t lose a single client from going on maternity leave.

Rethink your schedule
My husband works full-time, so finding the time to get work done was tricky. I ended up translating during naps (an hour here, an hour there), and then in the evenings as well, when he or my mother-in-law could take the baby. I also ended up rearranging my workweek so that I worked over the weekend and took days off during the week. Far from being a handicap, this practice actually enabled me to take work other translators often refuse, thereby expanding my earning potential, and when I wanted to take the baby to story time at the library on a Wednesday morning, I didn’t feel like I was skipping out on work.

Beware the Mom-brain
Sleep deprivation is hard, and mom brain is real. You will put your phone in the fridge. You will find that your jeans have been inside out literally all day (how is that even possible?). I am fully aware that I might miss a deadline or make a serious error at any moment, simply because the baby was up five times the night before. I combat this problem by making the most of my productivity software. I set multiple reminders on my phone for each deadline (two days before, one day before, 4 hours before), I use Translation Office 3000 to track my projects and invoicing, and maybe most importantly, I use Google Assistant as my short term memory (e.g. “Ok Google, remind me to check on the term “X” in 10 minutes). Another tactic that has served me well is setting aside my translation for a good period of time, even overnight, and coming back to it with fresh eyes to edit and proofread. This is a good practice at the best of times, but as a new parent, it’s vitally important. A quality assurance tool like Xbench or Verifika may also be useful to check for number errors and consistency issues.

Working from home with an infant is an exercise in flexibility, but then so is parenting. By giving myself the time to recuperate and get to know my little one, starting back to work slowly, and putting plenty of safeguards in place to ensure my clients still benefit from my best work, I’ve been successful. Best of all, I get to be with my daughter for most of the day, and we don’t pay for child care. We are at eight months now, and still going strong!

Faithful vs. Effective Translations

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Posted on  by 

A Bridge Too Far

Most of the time, when we describe a good translation, we refer to the concept of fidelity. We believe the target text should be true to the source, respecting its style as well as the things it describes. However, at times, translators run the risk of over-egging the pudding, so to speak. The source text is translated so literally that the target text is difficult to comprehend. Thus, the translation’s function is not achieved. It’s times like this we must ask, “do we need faithful or effective translations?”

Let us take for example instructive texts, such as user’s manuals or cookbooks. English cookbooks tend to be more detailed than cookbooks in Spanish, laden with a lot of information that the Spanish reader takes for granted. Given a faithful translation of an English cookbook, a Spanish person would probably feel slighted and stop reading.

Something similar happens to copywriting. Imagine once again how an advertisement written for British audiences would fare in Spain. Most likely, a lot of references would be lost, and so the advertisement would lose its impact. Sales of the product would be less than expected, and the translator would have failed his mission.

Some Theory

In 1978, the linguist, Hans Vermeer, introduced for the first time the theory of skopos. Skopos is a word of greek origin (σκοπός) meaning “purpose”. The theory upholds that both translators and interpreters must keep in mind, above all other things, the function of the words they are translating. If, for example, the purpose of a piece is to sell a product, the target language should be adapted to achieve the same impact in the target audience.

This concept is not limited to language; it also comprises the customs, world views and preferences represented in this language.

Perhaps the importance of skopos is most evident in translations of movies, especially when children are the target audience. The purpose of dubbing is making sure children the world over are just as entertained as the children who speak the original language. And while perhaps a complete makeover of the soundtrack is uncalled for, a lot of it -word play, jokes, register- will have to be adjusted. Professionals tasked with translating this kind of material must really have the knack for it.

The Goal

To answer the question that set off this discussion, I dare say that, as a general rule for translations, effectiveness is more important than faithfulness. Of course, we would never change the meaning of the source text, but rather adapt anything that may be lost in translation. Preserving the author’s intent is always our first priority.

So you want to be a Freelance Translator (or Interpreter): Money Matters

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This post is the fourth (first post, second post, and third post) in a series of five posts written in response to questions we at The Savvy Newcomer have received, sometimes from people within the translation world, but also from bilingual friends and family who are interested in translation and interpreting (T&I). Our hope is that this series will serve as a guide for people who are considering a career in T&I and want to know where to begin.

In the first post in this series, I alluded to a question I’ve been asked several times since I began freelancing—sometimes more subtly than others: “Do people actually pay you to do that?” Some days it feels surreal that, yes, people really do pay me for this and I get to read in Spanish, write in English, and sometimes even correct other people’s spelling and grammatical mistakes (Grammar Police Alert!), but the underlying question is whether translation and interpreting are viable career options for bilinguals. The short answer is yes—if you have the right skill set.

If you’re just beginning to consider whether a career in T&I may be for you and are asking the same question, you are not alone. Some of the biggest questions many beginning translators and interpreters have about getting started also revolve around money: How much do I charge? What kinds of expenses will I have? How do I make sure my clients actually pay me (on time)? I’ll do my best to cover these tricky yet essential questions in the following lines.

What should I charge?

Translators often charge per word (source or target) or per hour, while interpreters may charge per hour, half day, or per diem rates. Rates can vary significantly in different segments of the market, while your specialization and language combination can also play a major role. Quoting too much relative to the importance and budget of a particular project may make it hard to secure enough work. However, quoting too little could put you in a vicious cycle where you work long hours at low rates. Long-term business prospects and finances can be affected by your choice of rates because it’s difficult to make time to find higher-paying projects and invest in the skills development and training needed to qualify for them if you are too busy with smaller or lower-paying projects and clients. And on top of all that, you could end up undercutting your colleagues.

While newer translators and interpreters may logically earn less than more experienced professionals—like in any other industry—you can earn fair compensation for your experience and education level, if you are putting the right amount of time and effort into your work and business development. But again, this begs the question: What should I charge? There are a few good ways to figure out what that means in terms of specific numbers.

First, the American Translators Association (ATA) has conducted and reported on a survey of professional translators and interpreters regarding their compensation and rates. The results of this ATA Translation and Interpreting Services Survey, Fifth Edition can be accessed for free in summary form or in full form (free to ATA members, $95 for non-members). The results cover information on rates, language pairs, and annual income.

Calpro is another resource you can use to determine what rate you should charge in order to bring in your target income, taking into account working hours, holidays, and other expenses. This spreadsheet was first developed by the Spanish association of translators, ASETRAD, and was adapted by ATA volunteers for use in the U.S.

Tracking the time you spend on each project is a great way to generate data that can help you figure out how much you actually are earning and which projects are more or less worthwhile for you. Start by using a time tracking tool like RescueTime or Timecamp and then use an Excel file or other method to compile your data and divide the total fee for a project by the number of hours spent on it to see how much you earned per hour. This will help you determine whether you might need to charge more next time for a similar type of text, or whether you would be better off rejecting a project that you will likely earn less on in favor of a project that would earn you more per hour, or even in favor of spending time on business development to grow your client base.

How do I make sure I get paid?

Two common issues when it comes to getting paid for freelance work are scams (where a fake client orders work from you and either never pays or scams money out of you by means of a fake check) and late payers. Several resources exist to help freelancers avoid these issues, including Payment Practices and WPPF (and check out this article on the topic).

How do freelance finances work?

I could write pages upon pages about freelance finances, but at the end of the day, the important thing is to understand that earning money as a freelancer (what we would refer to as “1099 income” in the U.S.) is vastly different from earning money as an employee of a company (“W2 income”). Freelancers need to send invoices to request payment from their clients, pay their own taxes (usually there is no withholding and you make estimated payments throughout the year), manage their own retirement savings, cover their own business expenses, and meet their own insurance needs. All of these are things that employers will often handle for their employees, while freelancers need to build them into their time and finances. I won’t go into detail about each of these topics, but I do want to provide a resource or two on each topic in case you need somewhere to start looking.

  1. Invoicing and Expenses

Some freelancers choose to create their own invoicing processes and others prefer to use software to help manage the process for them. The following are a few popular invoicing tools for freelance translators and interpreters: Xero, Translation Office 3000, Express Invoice.

  1. Taxes

Some freelancers choose to do their own taxes, but many prefer to outsource this service to a professional accountant or accounting firm. Since there are so many extra factors that go into freelance tax filings (e.g. multiple 1099’s, a Schedule C/1040, possibly other business filings depending on your setup and location, and deductions for business expenses), options like TurboTax and TaxAct would probably make for a stressful springtime… So unless you want to forego a lot of afternoons going crazy trying to decipher the tax code, I would suggest reaching out to other translators in your area to get recommendations for an accountant you can trust to take care of your tax needs.

  1. Retirement

Employers generally contribute to your retirement savings when you are a W2 employee, so it is extra important to start early if you’re a freelancer. Options for freelancers include traditional or Roth IRAs and SEPs, whether through financial planners or using online options like Vanguard and e-Trade.

  1. Insurance

Another expense that is often subsidized by employers for W2 employees is insurance (health, vision, dental, life, etc.) As a freelancer you’ll need to take care of this yourself, but you won’t be alone! Many options are available outside employer-sponsored health plans. For instance, Freelancers Union offers a private marketplace for members to connect with insurance companies (and Union membership is free!).

We hope this information has helped you get a better idea of what to expect as you consider a career as a freelance translator or interpreter! Stay tuned for the fifth and final installment in this series: Technology and Tools.

Image source: Pixabay

How Do You Manage a Work-Life Balance as a Translator?

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Mixing freelance translation and family life can be a complex juggling act at times. But it also has huge advantages. I’ve been at the coalface of parenting while freelancing for nine years now. Here’s my take on how to manage a work life-balance as a translator.

Isn’t working from home the holy grail for parents?

When I tell people, especially other parents, what I do for a living, I invariably get the same reaction: “Oh, you’re so lucky! I’d love to work from home.” And yes, I can see why they think that. It must look like the perfect solution for family life.

And in many ways they’re right. I’ve got no arduous commute. If one of the kids is off school, I can probably still get some work done while they watch films quietly on the sofa. I can pop a load of washing on in my lunch break. And I can take as much holiday as I want, whenever I want. What’s not to like?

In fact, one of the reasons I became a freelance translator was to have a better work-life balance. As I said in my blog, How to Become a Translator: One Translator’s Story, I used to teach English as a second language. In Spain, most TEFL work is afternoons and evenings. Once I had kids at school, my schedule meant I hardly saw them during the week.

Becoming a freelance translator meant I could work when they were at school. And I could be available for them in the evenings. But a freelancer’s life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. It can be a real juggling act.

What’s difficult about freelancing when you’re a parent?

The money is flexible too

Sure, the flexibility is great. I can choose when I work. But the downside is, of course, no work = no earnings. Even without worrying about affording time off, a quiet month can make you nervous, never mind a prolonged dry spell. There’s no monthly salary to fall back on. When you’ve got a family to support, that can be really nerve wracking.

When I’m working, I need to earn enough to cover holidays and dry spells. The bills don’t stop coming in because I’m at the beach. Setting my own hours sometimes means working weekends while my husband is at home to look after the kids. Or working late once they’re in bed. With a second set of dental braces needing to be paid for, there’s sure to be some weekend working this summer.

No grown-up chat by the watercooler

Freelancing can be a lonely place. Part of managing a work-life balance as a translator is coping with the lack of adult interaction. It can feel like you never speak to another grown up, especially when the kids are little. It can be hard making the switch from the intellectual and somewhat esoteric activity of translating to wall-to-wall Paw Patrol.

Even as they get older, refereeing arguments over the remote control isn’t most people’s idea of stimulating conversation. I know freelancers who miss the daily commute and the buffer it gives between work and home. Kind of like an air-lock from one world into the next.

For a bit of interaction with other translators in the same position, without leaving the house, try the Parents Who Are Freelance Translators group on Facebook. If you’re missing out on CPD or just want a break while you get on with something else, try podcasts: How This Freelance Translator Makes Washing Up an Exciting Learning Experience.

You still need an office

Even though you work from home, you still need a space to work in. Most professional translators have some kind of office space. Somewhere they can sit comfortably for long periods. When we bought a house, one of the requirements was space for an office for me.

If you don’t have the space, co-working might be a good solution. This is where you rent a space in an office. It means you meet other freelancers, not just translators. You get some social interaction. It can help you set specific working hours and make them easier to stick to because you can’t just “pop downstairs” when the doorbell rings.

Read this blog about co-working by Seville-based translator, Kim Causier.

How do I create my own work-life balance?

Managing a work-life balance as a translator isn’t always easy. But then, neither is managing a “normal” job and a family. Some of it’s trial and error. Here are some things that I find help me.

Planning holidays for the year and sticking to it

This isn’t always as easy as it looks. Spanish schools don’t publish their academic calendars until the year is well under way. Given there are a LOT of holidays in Spain this presents difficulties. And not just for freelancers. It’s made more difficult by schools having their own local holidays and a whole range of “extra days” they can tag on to make an existing holiday longer.

Being freelance means I can block out time if I need to. This flexibility is really important as my husband has a totally non-flexible job and we don’t have any family nearby to pick up the slack. Being freelance means I can bend a little to cover childcare.

But the schools are out for nearly three months in the summer. I can’t bend that much! We’re lucky that our village runs a heavily subsidised summer school throughout July and August. We sign the kids up for about six weeks and I take time off in the awkward two weeks between school and summer school.

Having set working hours

I work a slightly reduced day and concentrate on translating while the kids are out of the house. The childcare I organise gives me between 9am and 4pm. I try to leave admin and other tasks that don’t need as much concentration for later, to maximise the time I can translate uninterrupted. So, I work a full day, but prioritise the translation for when they aren’t around.

Keeping work and family time separate

Sometimes there’s a big project and I have to work overtime, in the evenings or on weekends. Sometimes I know there are expenses on the horizon, like braces or school trips. And sometimes it’s a project that’s too good to refuse and you’ve got bills to pay. (Who knew ten year olds could eat so much?).

But I try to have working hours that suit me and my family, and stick to them. Having an actual office space can help with this. Somewhere your computer sits and where you can walk away and shut the door.

It’s important to prevent work seeping into family time. Otherwise it can take over. I use an app Gwen recommended for dealing with emails in her article Useful App for Pro translators: Boomerang for Gmail Review. I can use it to schedule emails and pause my inbox so I’m not disturbed and tempted to reply to emails outside working hours.

How do you manage your work-life balance as a translator? What do you find are the biggest challenges? We’d love to hear your comments. If you’d like to keep up-to-date with our blogs about translation and freelancing, sign up for our newsletter in the column to the right.

Developing the skills to succeed as a professional translator

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Is there a future for professional translators, or will they soon be replaced by machines? There’s been extensive and animated online discussion on this topic in recent months. In this blog post, I’ll look at how to hone the key skills that are essential for your success as a translator, to help you raise your game, stay ahead of the machines, and build a fulfilling and fruitful professional career. [by Jayne Fox]

In my previous post (which I published a year ago – whoops!) I looked at the three most important skill sets for translators: translation skills, writing skills and subject-matter skills. Without these, it’s just not possible to deliver translations that are fit for purpose. Of course, translators need an exceptional mastery of the source language (obviously!) and must be capable users of technology. And we shouldn’t forget that freelancers need complementary skills in business in order to truly thrive.

It has always been important to cultivate these skills, but with recent advances in machine translation, it’s more crucial than ever. As you’ve probably noticed, we’re clearly not in Kansas anymore. I expect you’ve read The Economist’s ‘Why translators have the blues’, which summarises the current pressures on translators, albeit from the slightly clouded view of an outsider. Although my perspective is not as negative as the author’s, I totally agree with the veteran translator (hmm, who could that be?) who “counsels improving specialist knowledge and writing skills to get high-end work.” The article also notes that “not all can do that. Translators in the bulk and middle markets will inevitably be doing more editing, or will be squeezed out.”

Similarly, in his post on moving upmarket to escape the pressures in the ‘bulk’ translation market, Kevin Hendzel repeats his advice to translators to develop real subject-matter expertise, not just engage in ‘lightweight CPD’. It seems there’s a pattern developing here.

At the same time, it’s not just translators who need to upskill to stay relevant. Knowledge workers are becoming learning workers, and lifelong learning is recognised as an imperative for low- and high-skilled workers alike.

So how can we develop the skills we need to future-proof ourselves and succeed as professional translators? Here are some things you can do to raise your personal bar and ensure you won’t be replaced by a machine.

Translation skills

Obviously, we can’t translate anything effectively if we don’t have well-honed translation skills. But holding a degree in translation doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re ready to translate anything your clients throw at you.

Ideally, you’ll never stop developing your skills. But how can you make sure that development actually happens?

One of the best ways to improve your translation skills is to get feedback on your work. If you’re not receiving regular feedback from a reviewer, employer or agency, consider setting up a peer-review group in your language pair. Choose a text, give it to each group member to translate, and share the results with each other. This can be an excellent way to get feedback on your work and learn from your peers.

A few other ideas:

  • Join a translation association and work towards becoming a qualified member, if you’re not already.
  • If you don’t hold a formal qualification in translation, research what courses or examinations are available and take one as soon as you can.
  • Attend translation conferences, especially those with a strong focus on translation skills, like the “Translate in…” series for French<>English translators.
  • Analyse publicly available translations by comparing the source- and target-language versions. These may be books, articles or website texts. Note down any nifty translations and consider what you might have translated differently.
  • Research or study intercultural communication and apply your insights to your work.
  • Go to a translation slam or organise one to celebrate International Translation Day.

Source-language skills

As a translator, you’re bound to be highly proficient in your source language. But that doesn’t mean you can’t develop your skills even further. How many of the following do you engage in each year?

  • Spend time in your source-language country.
  • Go to relevant events in your source language.
  • Read, listen, watch: YouTube/radio/podcasts/books.
  • Take advanced language courses.
  • Participate in (or set up) a regular ‘language café’.
  • Read style and language guides (or the dictionary – a guilty pleasure!)

Writing skills in your target language

If you’re not an exceptionally strong writer in your target language, you won’t be able to translate convincingly. Crafting compelling target-language texts is always easier to achieve if you work from a foreign language into your native language, which is why this is standard practice in the major language pairs.

How does your writing compare to, say, that of your favourite journalist or author? What do they do well, and where do your own strengths lie?

No matter how polished our prose may be, we should never stop working on our writing skills. Here are some ways to develop them further:

  • Spend plenty of time reading texts in your specialist fields that were written in your target language. You should be deeply familiar with style and terminology used ‘in the wild’ and be able to produce texts yourself that are of the same standard. This is hard; it will take time and dedication.
  • Check whether there are any writing courses on offer at nearby universities. Or try this one on Writing with Impact.
  • Read books on writing. Like this one.
  • Get a style guide and refer to it often.
  • Write a blog, or write for online or offline publications. Bonus points if they’re in your specialist field.
  • Get creative. Strange as it may seem, engaging in creative and stimulating pursuits can have a positive effect on the creativity of your writing. So go ahead and visit that gallery, watch that play or take up tap dancing. Your mind will love you for it.
  • Most of all, don’t work alone. Collaborate with your peers and get feedback on your writing. This is not optional and is one of the most important things you can do to sharpen your skills.

Subject-matter skills

When you first start out as a translator, it’s tempting to think that your best way to get work is to be a jack of all trades. The more topics you can take on, the more work you’ll get, right? Well… yes, if you want high volumes. But if you want high value, things look quite different.

As you advance in your career you’ll probably find that, at least in the major language pairs, the translators who are really sought after are the ones who are experts in a particular area. This subject-matter expertise can make it easier for you to find interesting clients that are the perfect match for you and your skills.

The ideal way to develop skills in a specialist area is to go and work in the field. This can be very rewarding and give you a deep understanding of the subject matter and terminology involved. You may also have previous career experience that can provide an invaluable background for your translation work.

In developing subject-matter skills, once again, collaboration is paramount. Find a way to work with an experienced reviewer who specialises in your field. This is the only way to ensure your translations always hit the mark and you become a true master of your craft.

Other activities to continue developing your subject-matter expertise include:

  • Studying the specialist field at university level.
  • Joining a professional association in your field of expertise.
  • Going to conferences or events and developing contacts within the field.
  • Reading relevant books and trade journals.
  • Doing online courses or ‘MOOCs’ on the topic.

And a note of caution: don’t take on demanding, specialist texts with the intention of picking up the terminology as you go. This is a recipe for disaster that will give you nightmares while simultaneously ruining your reputation – or could even put lives at risk and land you in court.

Business and technology skills

Freelance translators and interpreters also need to develop a range of business and technology skills.

Thankfully, there are some excellent books available on business aspects of freelance translation. My personal favourites are The Prosperous Translator by Chris Durban and The Business Guide for Translators by Marta Stelmaszak. These two books are polar opposites in style and approach, but I found both immensely useful. Marta also has a wonderful Business School blog as well as a selection of other publications to download, including many at no charge.

For face-to-face training on business skills, contact your local Chamber of Commerce. It’s also worth checking out whether any local education providers offer business training, or having a look at the business courses offered through Coursera. One that I enjoyed is Introduction to Marketing, which is run by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Another interesting option is Seth Godin’s Freelancer Course, offered via Udemy. In this series of short videos, Seth explains how to produce remarkable work so that clients start coming to you.

As for technology skills, translators need to know their way around standard office applications. Many of us use computer-aided translation (CAT) tools, which can help increase consistency and quality, and speech-to-text applications such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking to boost productivity.

There’s a lot of information online about how to use these tools, including online help, YouTube videos and webinars. There are also a few tech books for translators that you might find useful.

Where to from here?

So what does this mean for you? Well, as we’ve seen, the need for ongoing professional development has never been greater. Lifelong learning is the only way to ensure your skills stay relevant to high-end clients.

By continuing to develop your expertise, the value of your work will steadily increase. But this will only happen if you’re committed to ongoing learning.

It’s up to you to carve some time out of your busy week and spend it on skills development. And as usual, there’s no time like the present. So why not start today?

By Jayne Fox, German-English translator with a focus on health care, sci-tech and corporate communications.

P.S. In my next blog post I’ll look at how you can put all of these development options together to create your own learning plan. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

Please note that I do not have a commercial relationship with any of the organisations or individuals mentioned above.