Translation — Industry and Career Information

1. Translation — Industry andCareer Information Kim Vitray, Operations Manager Ralph McElroy Translation Company Austin, Texas

2. Ralph McElroy Translation Company • In business since 1968 • One of the top 5 largest single-headquarters companies (12-15 million words/year, 40 employees, 100+ regular contract translators) • Primarily Japanese, German, Chinese, Dutch, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish • Technical translations (legal, scientific, medical) and web site localization

3. Translator Statistics Source: 2003 ATA T&I Services Survey • 31% were born in the U.S. • 31% are accredited by ATA • 45% are full-time independent contractors • 59% have master’s degree or higher • 23% have 0-5 years experience

4. Definition of Translation Source: The Translator’s Handbook • Translation — “Rendition close enough to the original not to alter any of its meaning, full enough not to omit any detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, and elegant enough to provide at least some of the stylistic character of the original text”

5. 10 Requisites for Professional Translators Source: The Translator’s Handbook • Have thorough knowledge of both source and target languages — vocabulary equivalent to university education • Be “at home” in both cultures • Keep up with growth and changes in languages and subject matters

6. 10 Requisites for Professional Translators • Translate from another language into your native language • Translate in more than one area of knowledge • Have facility for writing, quickly and accurately • Develop good speed

7. 10 Requisites for Professional Translators • Develop research skills and ability to acquire and use references • Use the latest technological developments • Realize certain languages are in high demand

8. Being in Business for Yourself • Résumé and cards • Rate range and subject specialties • Professional business materials • Equipment, tools, and resources • Recordkeeping and taxes, insurance • Marketing and networking

9. Translating for an Agency • Pros • they handle clients • steadier flow of work • Cons • less independence • less money

10. Getting Started with an Agency • Testing • Confidentiality contract and independent contractor statement • Translator instruction manual, instruction sheet, and templates • “Beginner’s” rate • Close review of first jobs

11. Understanding Agencies • Processes • Schedules • Formatting • Quality • Communication • Type of work

12. Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator • Format your résumé so that pertinent points can be easily noted • native language • language pairs • years of experience • subject matter specializations • representative types of projects

13. Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator • Be accessible — check fax, e-mail, and voice messages frequently • Say "no" when necessary — but be open to workable solutions • Say "yes" to a nuisance job every now and then • Give advance notice of looming disaster and bring up problems

14. Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator • Express your preferences • what you enjoy most • what you hate • what dictionaries you have • how you prefer to receive work, get messages • if you always or never work on weekends • if you routinely work through the night so please don't call before noon…anything!

15. Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator • Miss only one deadline per job • Keep up with the industry • Teach your client — if you find yourself mentally listing all the things you wish your client knew, go ahead and offer some education • Turn in jobs early!

16. Freelance Translating • Pros • lot of independence • more money • Cons • developing and maintaining clientele • maintaining steady work flow

17. Types of Employers • Law firms • Corporations • Federal, state, and local government • Major organizations • Publishers

18. Common Misconceptions Source: The Translator’s Handbook • Anyone with two years of high school language, or who lived in another country for three years during early childhood, or who can type in a foreign language, can translate • Translators can translate both ways just as easily

19. Common Misconceptions • A good translator doesn’t need any reference literature • A good translator gets it right the first time, without any editing or proofreading • Translators will soon be replaced by computers

20. Common Misconceptions • A 100-page technical manual that took four months and three persons to write can be translated by one translator in two days • Translating is just replacing each word in the source language with the same word in the target language • Spanish is Spanish, all around the world

21. Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) • Translation memory or terminology management tools that aid the human translator in producing applicable kinds of work better, faster, cheaper, easier • Required by some agencies and end-user clients

22. Computer-Aided Translation • Requisites • electronic file • consistently and well written • sufficient length • repetitive content and/or developed glossary OR job that will be updated • Star Transit, Trados, déjà vu, SDLX

23. Interpreting — Required Skills Source: The Translator’s Handbook • Exceptional articulation • High comfort level speaking in front of an audience • Complete ease in both languages • Ability to listen, remember, and summarize • Subject area knowledge and experience

24. Interpreting — Required Skills • Good people skills • pleasing personality • professional appearance • good manners • patience • social savvy • good sense of humor

25. Types of Interpreting • Consecutive — negotiations, social services, court • Escort — government related • Phone (OPI) — customer service, 911 • Simultaneous — conferences (requires equipment) • Sight — documents done on the spot

26. Interpreter Certification • U.S. Federal Court • Spanish, Haitian Creole, Navajo • National Center for Interpretation Testing, Research, and Policy, University of Arizona • Proficiency level is 14+ years formal education in both languages • Some states

27. Training Programs • Austin (Texas) Community College • University of Texas at El Paso • Localization Institute (www.localizationinstitute.com) • Monterey Institute, California • Bellevue College, Seattle • New York University

28. American Translators Association • Over 9,000 members • Conference • Accreditation • www.atanet.org • Chronicle & directory • $120 membership fee

29. National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators • 900 members • Conference • www.najit.org • Proteus & directory • $95 membership fee

30. Resources • The Translator’s Handbook by Morry Sofer • A Practical Guide to Localization by Bert Esselink • MultiLingual Computing & Technology • FLEFO (CompuServe Foreign Language Forum)

31. Resources • Web sites • www.accurapid.com/journal • www.lai.com/companion.html • www.transref.org • dictionaries & glossaries

32. Ralph McElroy Translation Co. 910 West Ave. Austin, TX 78701 phone 472-6753 fax 472-4591 www.mcelroytranslation.com