Tips for new translators/interpreters.

Basics of this job

I was also a new graduate in Translation. I was really looking forward to start translating real texts for real customers.

During my 4-year translation studies at University I did many translations and my teachers were translators themselves. They taught me a very practical approach by using real texts and I was longing for translating for a client or a translation agency.

Every day we receive many emails from students who have just graduated or have been in the translation business for a short period. And what strikes me most is their desire to get a job as translators.

I was the same when I graduated.

However, at that time, I made many mistakes and I would have liked it if someone had given me some basic advice. That’s why now I'm writing some suggestions for those who are starting off this career.

I don’t feel I’m an expert in CVs, resumés or presentations, but I believe I can give some good suggestions for recent graduates in translation or interpreting.

Below are some basic tips that you may want to keep in mind:

●?????? your email Address

●?????? Who to send the email to

●?????? Write correctly

●?????? The subject of the email

●?????? The text of the email

●?????? The attached resumé

Your Email Address

Choose a standard email address, such as firstnamelastname@.

When I was at university, I used a bizarre email address but then I realized I could not use it anymore for work emails.

I notice that many applicants continue to use an extravagant email address that does not make a good impression.

Who to send the email to

Most translation agencies have a dedicated email inbox that you can find on their website. There is no need to send the application to all of the email addresses. In fact, this can be counterproductive.

Write correctly

Typos, spelling errors, or grammatical errors do not contribute to making a good impression because they show little care.

Words are everything in our job, so making oversights in the application is not acceptable.

Your CV might be immediately rejected.

The subject of the email

First of all, a subject must be added to the email.

The subject should be clear and explicit. Writing only “Application” or “Expert Translator” is a poor subject description

Instead, you may want to write “Application for Italian/ English/ French translator,” “CV for IT/EN/FR Translator,” “Collaboration for Italian/ English/ French translations.”

Remember that you are writing to a translation agency that is familiar with using abbreviations for the languages translated.

There is no such thing as a perfect email subject. But there is good “Subject” as opposed to a poorly one.]

The text of the email

In Italy, we do not send very long and detailed cover letters.

But if you send only a very short your email, like “I attached my CV for working with you” this may seem a bit too concise.

The best thing would be to write clearly what you are offering, your areas of expertise, your language pairs.]

So, briefly introduce yourself and specify how you can help us and what your language skills are.]

It’s optional to indicate your rates.

The attachment

Remember that translation agencies receive many CVs every day.

It would be preferable to save your CV as “Last name First Name CV_year” rather than an anonymous “CV”.

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