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How to get started ?
Thread poster: Emma2001
shannonyu
shannonyu
United States
Local time: 08:50
English to Chinese
+ ...
How long did it take to land your first job? Nov 29, 2001

I have joined proZ, checked the SCATIA job posting everyday, a couple other job posting groups, enrolled in a translation class from a university extension course, joined ATA, all of this for about 3 or 4 months now, I did 2 translation tests, sent out about 15 resume online, responded to about 15 postings with my resume, none of these things has been able to land me one single job yet( my language pair is English-Chinese), I can\'t help but wonder how long does it take, or to be more precise, W... See more
I have joined proZ, checked the SCATIA job posting everyday, a couple other job posting groups, enrolled in a translation class from a university extension course, joined ATA, all of this for about 3 or 4 months now, I did 2 translation tests, sent out about 15 resume online, responded to about 15 postings with my resume, none of these things has been able to land me one single job yet( my language pair is English-Chinese), I can\'t help but wonder how long does it take, or to be more precise, WHAT does it take, to land one\'s first translation job? I am very discouraged, to be honest, I don\'t think I\'m holding out for long to get translation jobs. Any comments or thought on this?Collapse


 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 16:50
French to English
Specialise Nov 30, 2001

As almost anyone can decide to be a translator, your client needs to know why he should use your services. You have to tell him. This means that YOU have to know why HE should use your services. Writing to say \"hello, I\'m a translotor\" will not be enough.



Where to start? Ask yourself the following questions :



- what subjects interest me?

- what subjects do I have knowledge of?

- what subject areas can I bear reading and writing ab
... See more
As almost anyone can decide to be a translator, your client needs to know why he should use your services. You have to tell him. This means that YOU have to know why HE should use your services. Writing to say \"hello, I\'m a translotor\" will not be enough.



Where to start? Ask yourself the following questions :



- what subjects interest me?

- what subjects do I have knowledge of?

- what subject areas can I bear reading and writing about?



When you can answer these questions you may start to have a picture of the sort of field(s) you may be able to work in.



Next step, credibility. To be credible, you have to be enthusiastic and sure of the type of work you intend to do. And you have to be able to do it. And do it well.



Again, once you have thought about it long enough, a range of potential clients should become apparent. It will in time, if not to start with. Spend time working on your target and then contact them in much the same way as you would if you had decided to seek employment with them. It\'s pretty much what you are doing anyway.



Find out about the company. Find out about its business, its clients. Most companies like to boast about their activity and many have web sites overflowing with information. Use it! Once you know about their business, (and the client\'s history, people, figures, progress and intended ways forward) you will find that you are in a much better position to contact them and sell yourself.
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Patricia Myers
Patricia Myers
United States
Local time: 08:50
English to Catalan
+ ...
Jan 12, 2002

Quote:


On 2001-06-20 12:34, schaitel wrote:

I am a 27 year old american. I\'ve never lived outside the USA and don\'t currently speak any other languages, however, translating and studying linguistics has been a dream of mine since highschool. Am I to old? am I starting to late? Am I just living in a pipe-dream and should just stay in the IS field? I dream of learning French, German, Latin and Spanish and perhaps Greek and Hebrew l... See more
Quote:


On 2001-06-20 12:34, schaitel wrote:

I am a 27 year old american. I\'ve never lived outside the USA and don\'t currently speak any other languages, however, translating and studying linguistics has been a dream of mine since highschool. Am I to old? am I starting to late? Am I just living in a pipe-dream and should just stay in the IS field? I dream of learning French, German, Latin and Spanish and perhaps Greek and Hebrew later. Without living abroad is this just a silly idea? I think I can do it, I have learned many programming languages quickly, my brain seems to function well



thanks



Jason Schaitel





I don\'t think it\'s ever too late. I speak a few languages already and I want to learn more. It doesn\'t matter how old you are you can do it. If it\'s something you always liked go ahead and do it. I always wanted to be a translator. When I was little languages were all I could think about and now I have a degree in Translation and I\'m a translator. Don\'t give up. My husband learned to speak Spanish when he met me. In only two years his Spanish was good enough to have a real conversation and he never really went to classes, he learnt it from me so imagine if he had studied it.

Like they say age is nothing but a number.

Good luck ▲ Collapse


 
Patricia Myers
Patricia Myers
United States
Local time: 08:50
English to Catalan
+ ...
Jan 12, 2002

Quote:


On 2001-11-29 15:02, shannonyu wrote:

I have joined proZ, checked the SCATIA job posting everyday, a couple other job posting groups, enrolled in a translation class from a university extension course, joined ATA, all of this for about 3 or 4 months now, I did 2 translation tests, sent out about 15 resume online, responded to about 15 postings with my resume, none of these things has been able to land me one single job yet( ... See more
Quote:


On 2001-11-29 15:02, shannonyu wrote:

I have joined proZ, checked the SCATIA job posting everyday, a couple other job posting groups, enrolled in a translation class from a university extension course, joined ATA, all of this for about 3 or 4 months now, I did 2 translation tests, sent out about 15 resume online, responded to about 15 postings with my resume, none of these things has been able to land me one single job yet( my language pair is English-Chinese), I can\'t help but wonder how long does it take, or to be more precise, WHAT does it take, to land one\'s first translation job? I am very discouraged, to be honest, I don\'t think I\'m holding out for long to get translation jobs. Any comments or thought on this?





With your language pairs I can assure you you\'ll get lots of jobs!!!! Just be patient. I felt the same way when I started but then I got a job and one job lead to another. Keep on trying and you\'ll see how you succeed. You should try writing to agencies in the Bay Area (California) there is a lot of work for Chinese translators.



Good luck ▲ Collapse


 
Ron Peek
Ron Peek  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:50
German to English
+ ...
Thank you all Feb 13, 2002

Hello. I\'m a 27 year old in a \'career change\' who loves learning and working with different languages (Dutch, some dialects, German, English and some Spanish and French). I found all the above very encouraging and am now more convinced to apply for an MA in Applied Translation Studies and get on the track of translation. Thank you for the remarks you have posted. All the best.



Ron


 
Przemek Kalemba
Przemek Kalemba  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:50
Member (2011)
English to Polish
+ ...
A great place to start your Translation Career Mar 27, 2017

A great place to start your career as a translator is this Guide on How to Become a Professional Translator: http://www.columbustranslations.co.uk/language-translator. I have put a lot of work into it but I would still love to try and improve on it. That's why please feel free to share and comment and if you'd like to suggest your favourite resources, let me know in the comments below the article so I can add them as and when they come in. Many thanks. Any questions, let me know.

How to Become a Pro (banner 600x200)


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:50
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
A 2002 thread revived - to what effect? Mar 28, 2017

Przemek Kalemba wrote:
A great place to start your career as a translator

I think the OP has either got 15 years of experience by now, or has left the profession.


 
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