How to Become a Translator ?

Perhaps you are a student in college trying to determine what major to take. Or you are in high school thinking about what you might like to do for a living. Or you are thirty years old, ready for a career change, wondering if your fluency in French can do anything for you.

If you love languages, translation work may be an ideal fit for you. This article will present some tips on how to determine if professional translation work is for you, and what you can do to make it happen.

First off, translators need total fluency in the language they are working with. For instance, a Japanese translator working with English speaking companies must be fluent in both Japanese and English. A couple semesters of Japanese may not cut it to become fluent. In fact, fluency may not even happen after four years of Japanese lessons. It all depends on your level of linguistic ability and your ability to work hard at it. If you are serious about translation work, be prepared to put in several hours of language study a day. Experts recommend a minimum of two hours per day to achieve fluency in a second language. However, most people require more than two hours per day and benefit enormously from total immersion.

If you were raised speaking a second language, you can pass up all those long hours of training. In fact, most companies who hire translators favor native speakers for their natural fluency. Therefore, if you are a native speaker of Japanese, who is also fluent in English, you could have a strong chance at carving out a living as a Japanese translator. For those of you who are not native speakers, take heart. If you love the language, anything is possible. It may take some hard work to prove yourself, but one thing that will help is logging in some years in the country that commands your language of choice. If French is your passion, move to France and commit to speaking with locals every day. Immerse yourself completely in the language and resist grouping up with Anglophones.

Once you have the language down, or are nearly there, start contacting translation companies to find out their requirements. Tell them that you are interested in professional translation work. Present yourself as an expert or near expert in the field. Be prepared that the company will test your skills. Talking to companies about what translation work entails is the best way to get your foot in the door for working there someday. Some people may be too busy to answer your questions, so do not be afraid to be persistent. Ask to speak with a professional translator. Then ask questions about the demands of the job, and problems that may come up.

Remember, if you become a professional translator you will be expected to be an expert in that language. Do everything you can to become that expert. Only you know if you have the passion to spend several hours a day speaking and writing the language. Do you truly enjoy working with the language? Or is it just a handy skill you picked up from your bilingual family? If you have the passion and you are determined to acquire the skills, professional translation work may be just the perfect niche for you.

About the author: Amy Brevard is a Writer for Innuity. For more information about professional translation or to find a Japanese translator or other translator, go to MultiLing