Job security
When the US tightened internet gambling laws back in 2006, this spelled bad news not only for the millions of casino-loving people who lived nowhere near the bright lights of Las Vegas, but online gaming houses and credit card companies too.
So, cyber casinos started looking elsewhere to generate income, given that a significant proportion of their revenue was tied-up in the US market.
In this case, the global translation industry did exceptionally well as online casinos began looking for non-English speaking cash to make up the shortfall.
And a similar situation looks set to arise with the credit crunch too, with many companies now forced to look for opportunities elsewhere in the non-English speaking world.
The upshot of this, if you hadn’t guessed it already, is that many more companies will need to invest in translation services as they seek to build business relationships in new and emerging markets.
In the open-all-hours age of the internet, language is one of the few remaining barriers left in creating a true global village. And unless everybody agrees to speak a single international language, it’s fair to say that translation is one of the safer professions to be in.
How to become a translator
Assuming you’ve studied a language and are ‘fluent’ in a foreign tongue, you are in a fairly strong starting position to become a translator.
Contrary to what many people think, however, this – in itself – isn’t enough. To provide convincing translations, you need first-hand knowledge of the culture of that language which is why most translators will only ever translate INTO their native language from a language in which they are fluent.
Language fluency is a necessary but not sufficient condition for successful employment as a translator. There are a number of courses available for those who wish to become qualified translators, and the American Translators Association (ATA) is a good starting point for those seeking accreditation in translating or interpreting.
On top of this, specializing in another subject area will give you a distinct advantage. Many professional translators are also graduates in law, mathematics, engineering or any number of other subjects. Their subject-specific experience will put them in a strong position with translation companies that carry out a lot of work for those particular industries.
The life of a translator
Having done all the hard work, and passed your exams, you need to know what to expect from a career as a professional translator.
Given the fluctuating demands for language combinations, many translation companies only have a handful of in-house translators, covering the more common languages such as French, Italian, German and Spanish (FIGS). This means that the vast majority of translators work on a freelance basis.
From a lifestyle point of view, this is great as you have the freedom to work where you want, when you want and for whom you want. All you really need is a networked computer, email address and you’re good to go.
Many translation companies work with freelance translators on a collaborative basis, which is a win-win situation for both parties; the freelancer gets work, while the translation company can work with a number of translators, having a wider selection to choose from, enabling them to match the right translator with the job in hand.
The one major downside to life as a freelance translator – and this is true for every self-employed person working from home – is that there is no cast-iron guarantee of work. The onus is very much on you to proactively seek the work.
But freelance translators usually work with several translation agencies simultaneously, meaning work can come in thick and fast from multiple directions, so it is important to register with as many companies as possible to ensure you have a regular influx of work.
Furthermore, freelance translation can be a lonely profession, involving sitting at a computer all day with little physical interaction with the outside world. But this is ideal for some people and if you like nothing more than to put your favorite music on and get ‘lost in translation’, then it can be a very good career move.
So, if you like being your own boss and having the freedom to pick and choose who you work for, how much work you do and how often, then freelance translation is the way to go.
© Lingo24
About Lingo24
Lingo24 is a global translation company with operations in four continents covering every industry sector. They have an international network of over 4,000 freelance translators.
I am the translator more than 25 years. I translate from Georgian and Russian into English, from English into Georgian, from Russian into Georgian. If you are interested I’ll be glad if you join me in your group and give me the job.