What does a translator do and how to become one

The art of translation is often compared to building a bridge that connects people from all over the world and makes intercultural communication possible. There is no universal way to build such a bridge, as each translation type requires a different approach – and a different “constructor”. Today, we will talk a bit about what working in the translation industry is like, what it takes to be a good translator, and what the in-house linguists at locatheart do.

Working as a translator

There are several paths that lead to becoming a translator. Though it is believed that most people who work in the industry have finished philology and translation studies, there are also translators who are self-taught and skilled enough to produce great target versions of texts without having majored in any language studies.

The representatives of the latter group might be so fluent in a given language pair that translating audiovisual projects or literary works would not pose any problems for them whatsoever; however, they might find it difficult to translate specialised texts – provided that they are not already familiar with the jargon of such fields as economy, law, or medicine.

“I’m a translator” is a rather vague statement, as most people work in a few fields simultaneously. The most popular translation types include:

• literary translation,
• interpretation,
• specialised translation,
• audiovisual translation,
• linguistic localization.

Perhaps the greatest thing about being a translator is that the job is not confining. Sure, there are people who only do subtitling work and are totally fine with it – others absolutely loathe its spatial and temporal restrictions and opt for the more “forgiving” literary translation. There are lots of areas to choose from, so you do not have to worry if you find that translating certain texts is not really your cup of tea anymore.

As for the industry itself, it can be quite demanding. While some translators work full-time, the overwhelming majority of them work as freelancers, and just like in any other line of work, there are two sides to every coin.

When there is an abundance of projects, freelance translators have the freedom to choose what they want to work on and decide how much time to devote to each task. If they have enough experience and a high rate, they might even earn more than those with a steady in-house job. Then again, there is no guarantee whether there will be something to do in the first place. Short deadlines and complex projects are also extremely common when it comes to the translation industry, limiting some of the best-paid opportunities due to other commitments.

Ultimately, it all depends on which path a translator chooses, what kind of translations they specialise in, and what skills they possess. If you are curious about other stereotypes regarding the profession, you can read about them in our blog article which also serves as a guide for everyone who wants to be a translator.

Laying the groundwork?

There is a general misconception that in order to excel at their job, translators should be, above all, fluent in a foreign language. Everyone who is actually part of the industry will agree that it is their mother tongue which they should first and foremost know like the back of their hand. The main goal of every translation is to produce a text that not only conveys the meaning of the original, but also sounds natural in the translator’s native language.

That is why locatheart’s recruitment process always involves a few stages and several multilingual tests of varying difficulty – they allow us to verify whether the candidate is competent, inquisitive, and creative enough to work with us. The entire process is quite demanding and can take up to a few weeks or even months; however, we are prepared to go to great lengths to find the right person for the job, as we strongly believe that quality is not something to compromise on. When a new member joins our in-house translation team, they are supervised from day one and their work is always reviewed by senior colleagues. Having every single file analysed helps new linguists learn certain contexts, avoid any potential mistakes, and gain expertise in a given field.

Our linguists

The ever-growing translation and localisation industries require a lot of skill, flexibility, and inquisitiveness. By recruiting only the best of the best, we make sure that all projects go as smoothly as possible and are of the highest quality.

It is also extremely important to us that our in-house linguists be multi-taskers, as their job is not limited to the translation stage. The versatile team also works as editors, proofreaders, and copywriters. They all have to pay great attention to detail and be exceptionally thorough, as they also verify most subtitling projects, looking for technical mistakes and overseeing the general quality of the text so that the viewers get the most out of each production. On top of that, they prepare English master versions for large-scale projects involving translation through a pivot language.

It is high time we busted the myth that being a translator means countless hours spent alone in front of a computer screen. Our in-house team is immensely passionate about what they do, extremely supportive of each other, and always happy to have brainstorming session. Their different personalities and various interests create the perfect balance – we can proudly say that we have managed to create an A-team of true professionals. If you wish to learn more about what makes our linguists so special, read our article – “Linguistic wizards of locatheart”.?

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By Alicja Jas