What you need to start making money transfers. “This is an absolutely thankless profession”: young translators on the pros and cons of their work. Consider the disadvantages of the translation profession

The profession of a translator and everything related to the work of a professional translator - two of my sites are entirely devoted to this:

Translation-Blog.ru What are the types and genres of translation. Glossary of translation terms. Overview of useful Internet resources for translators
website How does the translator translate? Theory and practice of translation

In doing so, I drew on my own nearly 40 years of experience in interpreting and translating. I hope that the information contained on these two sites will be useful, first of all, for novice translators and those who are just going to study as a translator.

In forums and translation portals, novice translators often ask questions about the profession of a translator, often having a rather vague idea of the profession of a translator, the nature of translation work and the qualities that a professional translator must have in order to successfully translate, receiving from this not only moral satisfaction, but also providing yourself with financial stability.

Yuri Novikov

What qualities should a translator have?

Everything will depend on what specific type of translation you choose for yourself and how intensively you will deal with it.

But there are qualities that are very useful to any translator:

Good memory

Broad erudition

High literacy in native and foreign languages

Flexibility in relationships with clients and fellow translators

Clarity and Commitment

High performance and diligence

Willingness to constantly maintain at the proper level and improve their language translation skills

Willingness to master new subject areas and types of translation, if required by the situation on the translation market

Mobility (for an interpreter), that is, readiness (especially while young) for constant traveling and flights both within the country and abroad

What qualities and professional skills does a translator need?
(on the site Translation-Blog)

How to become a translator?

For starters, of course, there must be a desire and ability for languages.

Learn a language to a professional level

Learn to translate (in a specialized university, on courses or on your own - that is, doing practical translations).

Of the professional translators, not all have a language education. Probably not more than half or two-thirds. Of those who graduated from language universities, only a few become professional translators.

At the same time, many of the practicing translators have never studied the theory of translation and, at best, have only heard about it at some short-term courses or translation seminars.

Translation is a profession where the final result is important, and not a piece of paper about completed courses or a successfully passed exam.

If you persevere in language and translations, you can almost always achieve a good level of translation ("Learning by Doing") over time.

It takes about 10 years of experience for a translator to "make a success". And then there is development in breadth. Therefore, it is very important in these first 10 years to decide what types of translation to engage in and from which languages to translate. By the age of 35, you need to decide on a professional plan.

Although it often happens that the work of a translator becomes only the first step in a career, a kind of passing stage. And then the person goes into business, finance or some other field of activity. Sometimes related to the language (then a good knowledge of a foreign language will be a good help). But not at all necessary.

Yuri Novikov

What are the best translations?

These days, most aspiring interpreters want to become simultaneous interpreters right away after hearing that they are allegedly being paid some incredibly large sums of money. But at the same time, few people think that not everyone can become a simultaneous interpreter.

Simultaneous translation is one of the most difficult types of translation. Excellent knowledge of the language and the basics of translation theory is not enough for this. Before becoming a simultaneous interpreter and interpreting in a booth at conferences, you must first achieve a high level of non-synchronous interpreting, expand your vocabulary of general and general technical vocabulary as much as possible. After the very first experiences of simultaneous translation, some people have problems with pressure - and the dream of simultaneous translation has to be abandoned forever.

Therefore, choose those types of translation that you can afford and where you will feel comfortable. Do not immediately start with a translation extreme.

Yuri Novikov

All about simultaneous translation - on the site Translation-Blog

How much do translators get paid?

If your only goal is to "make money", then you should hardly become a translator. Translating does not guarantee a high level of income.

Then it’s better to immediately go into business, into the banking sector or promote some of your brilliant ideas.

Highly qualified professional translators have a good level of income. But it's still hard work every day. For example, a project manager with knowledge of the language is usually a less dusty job.

If you are looking for vacancies for translators without work experience, then you probably already understood how difficult it is. Once upon a time, I also started working without experience. And let me share with you my “secrets” of how you can find a job, even if you haven’t translated a single line in your life before.

And to begin with, let's figure out where it is better to look for vacancies for beginner translators. And do they even exist in nature?

Where to find vacancies for translators without work experience

If you asked me what the main problem of novice translators is, I would unequivocally say that this is a problem with work experience.

Nobody needs our language certificates and professional diplomas of translators. Everyone needs only this “experience”. Moreover, in vacancies they may require from one year. From three years, and even from five years of work experience.

This is what I call the "vicious circle of the novice translator". Jobs are not given because there is no experience, and there is no experience because there is no work. But where do new translators come from? No one is born immediately with five years of work experience.

So, the first - we need to decide where we will look for work. Translation clients are different. The most common type is a translation agency. They act as intermediaries between the direct customer and the final contractor.

Translation agencies are the most undemanding customers. It is with them that it is most convenient to “start” as translators.

Many more vacancies are usually placed by different factories and enterprises.

Why not "go to the factory"?

The fact is that at the factory you will always deal with the same topics. Accordingly, you will learn to translate only on one topic. And in other topics, you will remain the same beginner.

I often encountered this. An interpreter with 40 years of experience (literally!)

He has been working at the enterprise for 40 years, and now he is 60, he retired and wants to have Additional income from working as a freelance translator in a translation agency. You give him an order, but he "does not knit a bast."

At the plant, in his subject, he knew everything literally by heart. He didn’t even have to read the translation in order to immediately write everything correctly and quickly in Russian. The same terms, the same language constructs. And as soon as "a step to the left - a step to the right" - he is immediately lost and turns into the same "newbie" with no work experience.

Therefore, if your goal is to grow as a translator, it is better to start working with a translation agency. They won't let you relax there. Today instructions, tomorrow contracts, the day after tomorrow personal documents. Fill your hand so that you can handle any topic later.

But even translation agencies require experience.

If you have already tried to send your resumes to such agencies, then you have probably encountered the fact that they do not even respond to your letters. And neither the attached test translations nor language certificates help. No honors diplomas.

And here, let's figure out how to apply to a translation agency in order to receive an order.

How to submit a resume to get an order

And here is the first revelation for you, which you probably didn’t even know about. In fact, a translation agency does not need your work experience. Even if you write “10 years of experience from call to call” in your resume, they will most likely not answer you anyway.

The thing is, they don't know you. They don't trust you. Where did you work for 10 years? What result did you get? If you have been working for 10 years, why are you still cooperating with translation agencies and have not found your customers?

There are many questions, but the answer is one - just in case, we will not get involved. We will carry out all orders by the forces of those translators whom we have already checked.

And here there is a very simple way to “acquaint” the translation agency with yourself. Just give them a call.

Yes, it's that simple. If they even hear your voice, you will already stand out from dozens of daily faceless applicants.

And if you also personally look at them, then it will be absolutely great. There you tell about yourself, show what you are capable of.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to briefly summarize all of the above.

There are vacancies for translators without work experience. There are a lot of them, and they are literally under your nose. But they will not give you them, even if you have 10 years of work experience =)

Simply because they don't trust you. To inspire confidence in the translation agency (so that they at least once dare to give you an order) - call and go to them personally.

On the first orders - take everything that they give, and do not bargain at rates. First you need to enter the market, and only then look - where is warmer.

If you want to start making good money right away, get at least 3 years of work experience in 30 days. This can be done under the guidance of an experienced editor.

See you later!

Your Dmitry Novoselov

There are also high-paying jobs at home on the Internet for polyglots, and just for those who, in addition to their native language, speak at least one more. Working on the Internet as a foreign translator is more highly paid and in demand compared to the work of a copywriter, however, in this regard, it is also more responsible, requiring confident knowledge and skills.

How to start working as a translator on the Internet?

As a rule, all remote specialists can be divided into two types:

1. freelancers working through exchanges;

2. freelance specialists.

Freelancers are looking for a client for themselves, acting both as a translation specialist at home and as a manager who decides when and with whom to work. Communication with your customer often takes place at the level of directors. Freelance specialists mainly work as a translator for publishing agencies, translation agencies according to the scheme: received an order, made it, received a new one. Payment, as a rule, for such workers is much lower than that of their fellow freelancers, and communication with the customer here takes place at the employer-employee level. However, such specialists do not need to constantly worry about the regular search for a new client and whether there will be work on translating texts tomorrow, and this, undoubtedly, is a plus of this type of cooperation on the Internet.

Required skills to work as a remote translator

Work on the Internet is most in demand for the translation of German and English texts, as statistics show. But it won't make special work find a well-paid job on the Internet for freelancers who speak Spanish, French, Turkish, Finnish, Polish and Italian. Competent translation of texts into these languages, sometimes even more highly paid, due to the difficulty of finding the appropriate specialist in Runet, while English is studied by almost every schoolchild in the post-Soviet space.

Quite often, at exchanges for translators, when registering new users and before allowing them to perform tasks, the administration asks to fill out a special questionnaire indicating work experience and attach a scanned copy of a diploma of relevant education and a resume. Also not new is the implementation by new users and test task for translation.

Actual and proven exchanges for earning money as a remote translator

If you are an experienced specialist, confident in your competence and applying for high paying job translator at home, you can immediately start looking for the use of your abilities on the Internet in one of the major translation agencies, among which we can recommend the following:

perevedem.ru;
vacancy-translation.ru.

After mastering some of the skills of translating texts on these exchanges and completing your own portfolio, you you can confidently start looking for a more affluent customer. The requirements for working with the above projects are basically the same: you will be asked to provide a diploma, portfolio, references with previous places work (if any). If you qualify, you will be hired with probationary period, upon completion of which you will be among the remote translators of the agency. The average cost for translating texts at home for technical content is $12 per 1,000 characters, and for literary content is $3.50.

Separately, I would like to single out the Littera.ru agency, which has non-rigid selection measures for employees: working from home does not require a diploma or other official documents, just download a trial task, properly complete the translation, send it for verification, and that's it - you are accepted. The only caveat that this agency immediately mentions is a small fee. So, if you do not have a diploma yet, but you are fluent in a foreign language, welcome to Littera.ru, where the work of a text translator is always waiting for you.

In addition to specialized agencies, you can work online at home to translate various texts on freelance exchanges. The Copylancer.ru and FreelanceJob.ru exchanges are considered the best and most proven among such projects for making money on transfers. Earned funds are withdrawn here regularly via Сontact or Webmoney. For beginners in translation activities, we can recommend such projects for earning money as Weblancer, Free-Lance. Here, responsible and talented novice performers earn about $200 a month from home every month. Also good for new translators are such multifunctional projects as Etxt.ru, TextSale.ru, Advego.ru.

Working as a translator of written texts requires practice, knowledge and patience. This is a rapidly developing area where you will have the opportunity to constantly learn something new and work with different people. As a translator, you will help people get the information they need, learn, have fun, and communicate with each other.

Steps

Part 1

Where to begin

Learn a foreign language."Study" is kind of an understatement. You must be proficient in a foreign language inside and out, from formal dialogue to everyday conversations, including terms from sometimes the most unexpected areas.

It would also be a good idea to learn your native language. Most people speak their native language, but cannot explain in words how it works. Learn your native language not just as a native speaker, but as a linguist in order to better understand what rules apply in it and how foreigners learn it.

Get an education in the field in which you plan to work. You can enter the faculty of foreign languages and get a diploma in translation, but many go the other way. Do you see yourself as a bank translator? Get an education in finance. See yourself as a medical translator? Study biology or medicine. You need to understand what exactly you will be translating in order to be able to do it well and quickly, and the right knowledge base will help you with this.
- Also work on your writing skills. Many people think that knowing a foreign language is enough to work as a translator. In fact, to be a successful translator, you have to be a good writer. You need to not only learn the language and your specialty, but also constantly polish your written language. If you speak a foreign language, this does not mean that you can professionally translate a written text. The ability to clearly express thoughts in writing, a rich vocabulary, fluency in different styles (depending on the field of translation), excellent knowledge of spelling and grammar of the native language - without this you will not become a good translator.
Sign up for interpreting and translation courses. Translation requires true skill. A good translator makes tiny changes to the text they are working with to make the translation as appropriate as possible for the audience, culture, and context. If you are a student of another specialty or have already graduated from a university, sign up for translation courses: these can be courses professional retraining, second higher education or another form, depending on what your level is at the moment and how much effort, time and money you are willing to invest in additional education. An appropriate education will not only give you necessary knowledge and skills, but also help you sell your services to future employers.
- While you are studying, look for opportunities to work as an interpreter or translator within the walls of your educational institution. It is very important to start as early as possible in order to gain experience and get recommendations. You will need them later.
If possible, travel to a country where the language of your choice is spoken. The best way to appreciate a language, really understand it and see its nuances and travel to a country where this language is the official language. You will hear how people actually speak, learn local words and catchphrases, and truly experience the language in its natural environment.
- The longer you stay in this country, the better your second language will become. Spend more time with locals than other expats!
Part 2
Compliance with professional requirements
1. Volunteer. When you're just starting out, you'll most likely need to work for free to build up your resume and make connections. Talk to public organizations, hospitals, organizers of international sports events and see if you can help with the translation. Many translators start with this.
  - You may know someone who works in an industry that deals with people who speak different languages. Ask everyone you know if they need your free help. It is unlikely that you will be refused! If it's hard to find volunteer opportunities where you live, look online for them: non-profit sites sometimes need volunteer translators.
2. Get a diploma. Although a diploma of higher or additional vocational education is not absolutely necessary, having it will make it much easier to get a job. Employers will look at what kind of education you have received and trust that you have the skills to do the job.
  - In other countries, there are professional associations (such as the Association of American Translators in the USA) that independently certify translators. In Russia, this practice has not yet spread.
  - If you want to become a translator in the legal or medical fields, look for specialized courses in these areas. Domestic legislation does not require mandatory special certification.
  - Nevertheless, certification centers have already appeared in our country, where you can get a document confirming your qualifications. This can be useful if you speak a rare language that makes it impossible or difficult to find vocational education programs.
3. Pass a language proficiency exam. Take a foreign language proficiency test to show potential clients that you are really fluent in it. Although the results of such a test will not show how well you speak your native language, they will demonstrate to potential employers your level of foreign language proficiency.
  - Each language has its own testing system. For English - IELTS, TOEFL, Cambridge exams (CAE, CPE), for French - DELF, DALF, for Spanish - DELE. Find out on the Internet which exam you can take in your language, where it is taken, and how to prepare for it.
Part 3
Work searches
1. Register on the job search forum. Sites like ProZ and Translators Cafe (for translators only) and Upwork and Guru (for any freelancer) post freelance jobs that can help you jump-start your career. Some of them are free, some require a membership fee or charge a certain percentage of the rewards received - however, if you are serious, such payment is usually justified. There are translators who do successful career, working primarily - or only - through freelancing exchanges. You can make good money on them by fulfilling orders for foreign clients, but the competition is very high, which means that you will have to constantly prove that you are the best.
  - There are also sites like Verbalizeit and Gengo that require you to take a test, the results of which are then put into a database of translators that clients look up to find performers. If you are fluent in the language and have good resume try these sites for extra income.
2. Get an internship. Paid or unpaid internships are a very common way of gaining experience for interpreters and translators (as well as for many other professions). At the end of your internship, you may be hired on a permanent basis.
  - Working as an accompanying translator is a good opportunity for future interpreters to work alongside a more experienced colleague. If you are an interpreter, ask the potential employer if they need interpreters to accompany them.
3. Find your niche. Concentrate on one or two areas in which you know the language And the subject itself. For example, if you know medical terminology, it will be much easier for you to cope with medical translation. You will also be able to identify errors or inaccuracies in the original text.
  - It is often easier for translators to find work in areas with particularly high demand for language services. For example, business and legal translation is in demand. Well, if your niche is in one of these areas.
4. You can write to employers directly. Translation agencies are always looking for good translators. Specify brief information about yourself - name, contact details, language - and ask them to send you a text for a test translation. The longer your letter, the less likely it is to be read. Keep in mind that translation agencies usually have their own fixed rates, and they are usually quite low, but you don't have to look for clients yourself.
Part 4
career success
1. Install the required software. Computer-aided translation (CAT) tools are essential for translators, especially in business or academic environments where there is a lot of repetitive terminology and wording. In the field of, say, literary translation, they are completely unnecessary. And no, Google Translate doesn't count - CAT tools assume that the text is being translated by a person, not a machine; the program only helps to facilitate and speed up the process. we are talking about automated It would be a good idea to install, for example, free program OmegaT and the free Open Office suite for any project you plan to work on, or use the online Smartcat tool.
  - Unfortunately, many clients (especially translation agencies) may require you to work with Trados translation memories. When you can afford it, consider upgrading your software.
2. Translate only on the your native language. You will soon find that translating from a foreign language into your native language is much easier than vice versa. This is because for each project you will need to know certain vocabulary that you may not know in a foreign language and which you will need to do some research to master - and this is much easier to do for your native language. In addition, no matter how well you know a foreign language, if the text is complex enough, then certain nuances will immediately tell an experienced reader that it was not translated by a native speaker. In particular, this applies to literary or journalistic translation with a variety of idioms, slang, puns, and the like.
  - As you can see, you need to be fluent in Russian. A successful translation will come about when you translate on the native language texts on a topic that you know like the back of your hand. However, in the course of working with domestic clients or employers, you will often encounter the fact that you will be required to translate on the foreign language. Whether to agree to such projects is up to you.

On the Russian market The profession of translator is gaining popularity. What is this work? What activities does it include?

Who should study in this specialty? What is wage specialist? Let's talk about everything in detail.

Professional translator - description and characteristics of the profession

Some people think that learning a foreign language is enough for a job. But this activity is not as simple as it seems at first glance. From professional qualities a specialist sometimes depends on the success of negotiations, the conclusion of an important deal.

Translation is oral and written. Written specialists translate texts, fiction and other works, documents.

Interpreting is divided into consecutive and simultaneous. Consecutive interpreting is often used in situations where the speaker is speaking to a large audience. In this case, he pauses after a certain phrase, and the translator reproduces what was said in another language. Consecutive translation is also often used in negotiations.

Simultaneous translation is different in that it is carried out during the speech of the speaker. It is much more complex and requires the following qualities:

mindfulness;
literacy;
good command of the language.

In this case, the interpreter usually sits in a special booth. The work requires a lot of mental stress, so specialists work in shifts of 20-30 minutes with an hour break.

Professions related to foreign languages

With knowledge of foreign languages, you can master other professions. Foreign languages open up many new possibilities.

Who do people with knowledge of foreign languages work:

teacher;
linguist;
guide translator;
literary translator;
decryptor.

Knowledge of a foreign language may be required not only in professions related to it. Sometimes Russian companies cooperate with foreign ones. Then knowledge of the language will be a plus for an employee of such a company.

How to become a good translator

To become the best specialist, you need to know many nuances of the profession. For this should study the works compiled by qualified professional translators. In them you can find a description of many mistakes that prevent talented people from moving on.

For example, the most common mistake is literal translation. The goal is to convey meaning. It is important to understand that each language has its own style and way of presentation. You need to feel the language.

To do this, you can try to put yourself in the place of the author and ask the following question: “How would he say this phrase if he spoke my language or the language into which I need to translate?”.

One more point - English language no one will be surprised anymore. Good specialist must know several foreign languages, preferably rare ones.

Universities of Russia with a specialty "Translation and translation studies"

The peculiarity of the profession is that translators are required in various areas and spheres of life, for example, you can get the profession of a military translator. Therefore, the appropriate education is in the military, humanitarian, physics and mathematics, and in various other institutions.

Examples of Russian universities with this specialty:

Institute international law and Economics named after Griboyedov.
Moscow State University ways of communication.
Moscow International School of Translators.
Institute of Linguistics of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute.
Nevsky Institute of Language and Culture in St. Petersburg.
International Academy of Business and Management.
Far Eastern Institute of Foreign Languages.
Ural State Pedagogical University.

You can enter the first or second higher education. This The best way learn a profession.

University is almost the only way to get a profession. Colleges do not train translators. Translation courses are gaining popularity. However, it is better not to forget that a diploma can play an important role.

What exams do you need to take

To be eligible to become an interpreter, you must pass Russian language, as well as social science and a foreign language as additional subjects.

You can get a profession at the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

How many years to study as a translator

The time that will have to be spent on training depends on the choice of program. To study for a specialist is 5 years, for a bachelor - 4 years.

If you choose courses, then no one guarantees you either subsequent employment or the quality of knowledge. But the training period will be no more than 12 months.

Where can an interpreter work

The place of work of an interpreter depends on the direction of activity that he chooses. Most of the students already during their studies begin to earn money as written translations. This can be done without leaving home, via the Internet.

There are many platforms and online venues that require translators. True, you won’t earn much on this, but you can get the first skills.

After training, you can go into teaching, or get a job in a foreign company. The position of a personal assistant provides many opportunities for career advancement.

What is the salary of a translator in Moscow

Job pay varies. It all depends on the experience, professionalism, direction of activity, company.

Novice specialists will receive from 20,000 to 40,000 rubles per month.

With the acquisition of experience and professional qualities, new opportunities will open up. Over time, income can grow to 100,000-125,000 rubles.

Career growth and development prospects

Currently, international cooperation is only developing. The growth of the economy, the expansion of sales of many firms have made the profession of a translator in demand. Many companies are willing to pay high wages to specialists.

True professionals in the labor market are worth their weight in gold. That's why career and development depends only on the willingness of the translator himself to grow and improve.

Is it worth studying to be a translator: the pros and cons of the profession

Pros of work:

Opportunity to work as a freelancer. In this case, the employee has freedom of action. You can build a schedule and work at your own discretion.
No income ceiling. If you go to work with foreign bureaus or foreign customers, you can significantly increase income.
There is always an opportunity to work or, as they say, "you won't be left without a job." Translators are needed all the time. But even if there is no way to get a job in any company, again, you can do freelancing.

Cons of work:

Great competition and difficulties at the start. It will be difficult for a beginner translator to find a job without experience.
Health problems. They usually occur with freelancers. If you constantly sit at the computer, your eyesight will decrease. There is also the possibility of curvature of the spine and problems with posture.
Low wages in Russia. Not everyone manages to reach the international level in work, and wages in Russian companies no one is happy.

It is worth studying to become an interpreter for those who truly love foreign languages, reads books in the original, watches films, travels often.

Translation is not just an activity. It is possible that this will become a lifestyle. It is important to love your future profession to get satisfaction.

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