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How does one break into the translation/interpreting field? I'm really good with languages and I think this is something I can have a lot of success in. I just have no idea where to start. When I look for translation jobs seems like everyone wants two years experience already, what are some places that beginner translators usually go to?
Have you been tested to verify your skill level? Most employers want to know what level of discourse you are able to handle. If you can only interpret or translate basic conversations or straightforward articles such as newspapers or magazines, you will find you options limited. If you can translate or interpret for interactions at higher levels of discourse such as political debates, court proceedings, scientific conferences, specialized technical topics, etc., you will find more opportunities. For scientific and technical translation and interpreting, the interpreter/translator is often expected to have a certain level of expertise in the topic (for example, physics, chemistry, computer science, medicine and medical specialties, etc.) and to have extensive specialized vocabularies in those areas.
I started by volunteering at a non-profit which helped immigrants. After that, I became well-known in the community and would get occasional requests for paying gigs. Now I am doing it just for pocket money even though an outfit is ready to have me work 20 hrs/week.
It also depends on the languages you are fluent in. French/Chinese/German have a lot translators already. But if you can speak Serbo-Croatian, Albanian, Burmese - you're golden.
What the others said. Some languages don't pay well at all (French, Spanish, Chinese, etc.) whereas other rare ones have better pay.
It also depends on where (geographically) you are. I occasionally translate Polish and am paid fairly well to do it. Demand isn't high, but neither is the supply of people who speak or read Polish well enough to translate it. I also only do translations in one direction: Polish to English. The ability to accurately translate in both "directions" makes you more valuable. I CAN translate into Polish but my written Polish lacks a certain elegance...so I don't do it.
I've worked translating other languages, but I don't do those for money anymore because I don't need it and people can always find someone else to do it. I haven't done translation as a full-time gig in a long time. I only do it nowadays when someone really needs it. The advance of AI that can do fairly decent translations will someday make this gig largely obsolete.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Originally Posted by BigDGeek
What the others said. Some languages don't pay well at all (French, Spanish, Chinese, etc.) whereas other rare ones have better pay.
It also depends on where (geographically) you are. I occasionally translate Polish and am paid fairly well to do it. Demand isn't high, but neither is the supply of people who speak or read Polish well enough to translate it. I also only do translations in one direction: Polish to English. The ability to accurately translate in both "directions" makes you more valuable. I CAN translate into Polish but my written Polish lacks a certain elegance...so I don't do it.
I've worked translating other languages, but I don't do those for money anymore because I don't need it and people can always find someone else to do it. I haven't done translation as a full-time gig in a long time. I only do it nowadays when someone really needs it. The advance of AI that can do fairly decent translations will someday make this gig largely obsolete.
I agree, in fact I have used Google Translate frequently to help lost tourists in the summertime in Seattle.
The real need is for people at the factories in China to translate to English on their signs, packaging and instruction manuals.
I'm an interpreter from home and I love it! I got my job with some luck and by accident. I didn't even know there's a demand for my language. I was desperate for a job and I came across a post that required the language. I revived the resume saying I did interpreting for 2 years as a "freelancer"= for family lolz.
I can only speak and I learn mostly from watching movies. I applied, got the interview, and set up for verbal test..all over the phone. I was shocked that I got the job.
From then on, I got hired easily with many agencies when they know I have experience and I don't need to do any tests.
To get started is easy if you feel confident in yourself and can pass the test. I found my position on indeed.com. Just enter the language you speak in the title section and search.
I don't do translation because pay is little and time consuming. Beside, I'm illiterate lolz.
Currently, I'm with Cyracom, CLI, Global, and Stratus. All I do is log in, get the call, interpret the call, and wait for the next one. Sometime, they send me to onsite work such as court or Dr. Office.
LOL. This reminds me of a toy I purchased years ago. It was a little electronic game in which you cared for a baby dinosaur or some animal and you needed to make sure you fed, cleaned, etc. on schedule. The instructions literally stated that if the animal “SH**” there was some action you needed to take... I never gave the toy to the child for whom it was intended...
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