| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Getting started in the translation industry. Is a Masters worth it? Thread poster: Ellie Phillips
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| subject knowledge is necessary | Jun 1, 2021 |
Sadek_A wrote:
However, specialist texts DO require knowledge of the terminology (hence, dictionaries and glossaries), not of the subject.
Linguistic skills might train you to look at grammatical features like word order, parts of speech, agreement, and grammatical position, but merely knowing terminology without understanding the concepts behind the terminology or its practical application in that subject domain is not enough to understand or accurately translate the source text.
For example, there is linguistic ambiguity in the phrase وقته, which can mean ‘his time’ or ‘its time’ depending on the context. In a passage about a pious man in Islamic history, a famous British academic from the early 20th century translated كان يصلي في أول وقته as ‘He prayed in the beginning of his time’ meaning that he prayed when first began his spiritual training, but he no longer needed to pray after attaining spiritual realization. Although the thought of being so spiritual that one no longer needs to pray is fascinating to the imagination, it should have been translated as ‘He prayed in the beginning of its time’ meaning that he would not only pray, but he would consistently pray at the first possible opportunity in the beginning of the prayer time.
Despite a lack of training in the traditional Islamic sciences that would have made this mistake easy to point out, in a way, this example actually shows us that the translator was linguistically gifted. Otherwise, how would we have enough interest to analyze the details of his translations 100 years later?
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Daryo wrote: How do I become a UN translator? At minimum, a Bachelor's degree in the relevant area is required, but an advanced degree is preferred. Most candidates have additionally earned a degree from an accredited translation school. All candidates usually must be able to translate into their main language from at least two of the other official UN languages https://www.asta-usa.com/united-nations-translations-accreditation/ So, what you MUST have is a Bachelor's degree in the relevant area [the area of specialisation of the UN agency you'll be working for], while a degree from an accredited translation school is only a nice bonus if you happen to have it.
I'm not sure why are you using the example above to prove your theory. Having an advanced degree us not a "nice bonus", if you have it, you get the job instead of someone with a simple Bachelor's degree. I don't have a master's, only a Bechelor's, but your example doesn't make much sense to me.
| | | | Sadek_A 
Local time: 17:42
English to Arabic
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Peter Kovacik wrote:
For example, there is linguistic ambiguity in the phrase وقته, which can mean ‘his time’ or ‘its time’ depending on the context.
No, it can NOT. See below please.
Peter Kovacik wrote:
Despite a lack of training in the traditional Islamic sciences that would have made this mistake easy to point out, in a way, this example actually shows us that the translator was linguistically gifted. Otherwise, how would we have enough interest to analyze the details of his translations 100 years later?
In fact, the example you provided "كان يصلي في أول وقته" is itself flawed, which is causing you to think that there is any ambiguity at all.
كان يصلي في أول وقته means, without any other possible interpretation, "he prayed at his earliest time."
كان يصليها في أول وقتها means, without any other possible interpretation, "he conducted prayer at its earliest time."
You can't use "وقته" to refer to the time of the prayer.
And:
- "He prayed in the beginning of his time" is to be translated into "كان يصلي في بداية/مستهل/مطلع عهده/عصره/عمره" not into "كان يصلي في أول وقته".
- "He prayed in the beginning of its time": whose "its"? it can't be referring to the noun "prayer" because that noun was NOT mentioned in the sentence at all.
I know all of the above because I'm formally taught in language.
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule |
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:42
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Back on topic | Jun 1, 2021 |
In my opinion it's far more important to have demonstrable previous professional experience as a translator. That's what clients are looking for; not pieces of paper or letters after your name. So the time (and money) you spend working for a Master's would be better spent working, earning, gaining experience, and building your reputation in the real world.
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | Sanjin Grandić
Croatia
Local time: 15:42
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
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| The ideal situation... | Jun 8, 2021 |
Last year I completed a 264 pages technical project related to PPE for workers in heights such as Fall arrest blocks, manuals on how to anchor properly the cables in different circumstances, and so forth but I was in constant CONTACT with the British engineer who designed the whole thing and I think that this is the best possible solution to translate a demanding text. The AGENCIES should try to provide some feedback from the client regarding the material provided if needed. It would save time a... See more Last year I completed a 264 pages technical project related to PPE for workers in heights such as Fall arrest blocks, manuals on how to anchor properly the cables in different circumstances, and so forth but I was in constant CONTACT with the British engineer who designed the whole thing and I think that this is the best possible solution to translate a demanding text. The AGENCIES should try to provide some feedback from the client regarding the material provided if needed. It would save time and avoid costly mistakes.
[Edited at 2021-06-09 15:24 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Ellie Phillips
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:42
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Samuel Murray wrote: Ellie Phillips wrote:
I eventually want to work freelance but I assume to get there I will need to work my way up from in-house experience, to be able to work independently. This is an ideal path but only if you're lucky. In your situation, I recommend starting doing freelance work immediately. You can do that by contacting translation agencies individually or registering at their web sites. Use the Blue Board for a list of agencies. Be prepared to be rejected or ignored by 90-95% of agencies. I am also highly bewildered by setting rates and choosing specialisations, as I still do not have the relevant experience to allow me to do so. Tell clients that you charge EUR 0.08 per word, and that you are a "general" translator. Be flexible and be prepared to be hammered down to EUR 0.06 or even EUR 0.05 at the end of negotiation. I fear that if I don't do the MA, I will be sitting here getting nowhere. You won't. If you want to sit and get nowhere, you just need to wait and do nothing. Should you do an MA? Yes, if you can do an MA within a year or two, and you can afford it, I would recommend it. Your brain is still wired as a student and this is the best time to do an MA. But an MA is a multi-year study, isn't it? Not the ideal thing to do in the middle of emigration. [Edited at 2021-05-25 15:36 GMT]
Thanks for your advice. I did actually take that on board and I went through the Blue Board to find agencies in Spain. I must have contacted over 50+ and only got three responses, haha. I did actually manage to join an agency but it pays very very little. They pay around €0.012 per word... It goes up 15% after so many words translated, and then 25%, but it is still very low. I am taking it for now as I am a beginner but it does not seem a very fair pay to me... I am trying to find other agencies to hopefully collaborate with but it is proving difficult.
I also just received my first big project of over 20,000 words, which was assigned yesterday. However, it ended up being cancelled today... I had already started work on it and translated around 2000 words but they said they will compensate what I have translated so far, they paid me €30 only and did not even add it on to my translated word count towards the 15% raise. I feel a bit down now because of this, but hopefully soon I will find something better and more fair.
I am still considering the MA but have yet to receive responses anyway. Bristol University seems to be discriminating against me due to my undergrad being from the Open University, which I am trying to attest but so far have received no response. I am currently waiting for a response from Portsmouth University, which will probably be my preference if any of them accept me anyway.
Thanks once again.
| | | | Ellie Phillips
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:42
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Tom in London wrote:
In my opinion it's far more important to have demonstrable previous professional experience as a translator. That's what clients are looking for; not pieces of paper or letters after your name. So the time (and money) you spend working for a Master's would be better spent working, earning, gaining experience, and building your reputation in the real world.
Thank you Tom. I totally agree with your point but even getting your foot in the door of the industry with no formal experience is very hard. I have now managed to join an agency but the pay is little as I have stated in my post above, but hopefully now with this experience on my CV I will start finding more work elsewhere; so I hope anyway.
| | | | Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| Did you type that correctly? | Jun 17, 2021 |
0.012... as in 1.2 cents??????
If true, RUN!!!
Also, that automatic raise after a while thing smells fishy. It's probably an anti-renegotiation tactic or an outright scam.
With normal places, you just TELL them you charge more (big business) or haggle with somebody senior (small shops).
Ellie Phillips wrote: Samuel Murray wrote: Ellie Phillips wrote:
I eventually want to work freelance but I assume to get there I will need to work my way up from in-house experience, to be able to work independently. This is an ideal path but only if you're lucky. In your situation, I recommend starting doing freelance work immediately. You can do that by contacting translation agencies individually or registering at their web sites. Use the Blue Board for a list of agencies. Be prepared to be rejected or ignored by 90-95% of agencies. I am also highly bewildered by setting rates and choosing specialisations, as I still do not have the relevant experience to allow me to do so. Tell clients that you charge EUR 0.08 per word, and that you are a "general" translator. Be flexible and be prepared to be hammered down to EUR 0.06 or even EUR 0.05 at the end of negotiation. I fear that if I don't do the MA, I will be sitting here getting nowhere. You won't. If you want to sit and get nowhere, you just need to wait and do nothing. Should you do an MA? Yes, if you can do an MA within a year or two, and you can afford it, I would recommend it. Your brain is still wired as a student and this is the best time to do an MA. But an MA is a multi-year study, isn't it? Not the ideal thing to do in the middle of emigration. [Edited at 2021-05-25 15:36 GMT] Thanks for your advice. I did actually take that on board and I went through the Blue Board to find agencies in Spain. I must have contacted over 50+ and only got three responses, haha. I did actually manage to join an agency but it pays very very little. They pay around €0.012 per word... It goes up 15% after so many words translated, and then 25%, but it is still very low. I am taking it for now as I am a beginner but it does not seem a very fair pay to me... I am trying to find other agencies to hopefully collaborate with but it is proving difficult. I also just received my first big project of over 20,000 words, which was assigned yesterday. However, it ended up being cancelled today... I had already started work on it and translated around 2000 words but they said they will compensate what I have translated so far, they paid me €30 only and did not even add it on to my translated word count towards the 15% raise. I feel a bit down now because of this, but hopefully soon I will find something better and more fair. I am still considering the MA but have yet to receive responses anyway. Bristol University seems to be discriminating against me due to my undergrad being from the Open University, which I am trying to attest but so far have received no response. I am currently waiting for a response from Portsmouth University, which will probably be my preference if any of them accept me anyway. Thanks once again.
[Edited at 2021-06-17 19:10 GMT]
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 15:42
French to English
Adieu wrote:
0.012... as in 1.2 cents??????
If true, RUN!!!
Also, that automatic raise after a while thing smells fishy. It's probably an anti-renegotiation tactic or an outright scam.
With normal places, you just TELL them you charge more (big business) or haggle with somebody senior (small shops).
I can't agree more.
You're a beginner, so you're working slowly. How long do you think you'd have taken to translate that text?
If you look at how much you'd be paid for it, and divide that sum by the number of hours, you'll get your hourly rate.
It might pay your rent if you're living in a shanty town in outside Ho Chi Minh City, but no way can you earn a decent living, the kind of money you'd expect to be earning with a degree, at that rate, unless you translate as fast as Google.
And believe me, the agency won't forgive mistakes either.
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Ellie Phillips
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:42
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Adieu wrote:
0.012... as in 1.2 cents??????
If true, RUN!!!
Also, that automatic raise after a while thing smells fishy. It's probably an anti-renegotiation tactic or an outright scam.
With normal places, you just TELL them you charge more (big business) or haggle with somebody senior (small shops).
Yes... It's ridiculous. I am only doing it for now to get some experience under my belt. Once I have that, I will approach more agencies that actually give decent pay. It is a legit agency as I have completed work already for 'big companies' so to speak, but the pay is very bad. I expect lower pay as I am a beginner and I am working for a Spanish agency, where the living wage is less, but even for Spain the pay is very bad.
| | | | Ellie Phillips
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:42
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Kay Denney wrote: Adieu wrote:
0.012... as in 1.2 cents??????
If true, RUN!!!
Also, that automatic raise after a while thing smells fishy. It's probably an anti-renegotiation tactic or an outright scam.
With normal places, you just TELL them you charge more (big business) or haggle with somebody senior (small shops).
I can't agree more. You're a beginner, so you're working slowly. How long do you think you'd have taken to translate that text? If you look at how much you'd be paid for it, and divide that sum by the number of hours, you'll get your hourly rate. It might pay your rent if you're living in a shanty town in outside Ho Chi Minh City, but no way can you earn a decent living, the kind of money you'd expect to be earning with a degree, at that rate, unless you translate as fast as Google. And believe me, the agency won't forgive mistakes either.
I definitely agree, the pay is very bad. I am hoping to do this full time eventually so I will need to achieve a better rate. The problem is finding an agency that will accept me as someone with little experience, although I do have a degree in linguistics, I understand it is not exactly a gateway to work. I am going to reach out to more companies in the coming days, in the UK as well, so hopefully I find something better. Thank you...
| | | | | Foot in the door and vice versa | Jun 18, 2021 |
With 0.012 cents, this is not a foot in the door, it's a door on the foot.
May I remind that this is a website for professional translators. At least those who can market themself as such…
I don't know about a degree in linguistics, but a little business acumen can go a long way.
[Edited at 2021-06-18 01:05 GMT]
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