Poll: Did you pick translating or did translating pick you?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Oct 10, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Did you pick translating or did translating pick you?".

This poll was originally submitted by Ryan Saxon Montcalm. View the poll results »



Thelusmin Bertil
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 17:16
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Translation picked me! Oct 10, 2018

I didn't start out my career as a translator. Then translation found me: part-time for a few years followed by 20 years as full-time in-house translator and reviser (retired now). If I could do it all over again I would probably start at a younger age than I did but then again I wouldn’t have all the useful knowledge and experience I had gleaned over the years…

Ryan Saxon Montcalm
 
Bruno Veilleux
Bruno Veilleux  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 13:16
English to French
Translation picked me Oct 10, 2018

I offered my services as a reviewer at a company that wasn't hiring, and they told me "We don't really need that, but can you translate to English for this new project we're about to launch?" Getting the job was as easy as saying yes, and I was eager to be out of school, so I went for it and never considered doing a different job after that point. "Right place, right time" couldn't be more true.

The funny thing is I never really considered doing translation for a living and was seri
... See more
I offered my services as a reviewer at a company that wasn't hiring, and they told me "We don't really need that, but can you translate to English for this new project we're about to launch?" Getting the job was as easy as saying yes, and I was eager to be out of school, so I went for it and never considered doing a different job after that point. "Right place, right time" couldn't be more true.

The funny thing is I never really considered doing translation for a living and was seriously considering review - and now I love translation and want nothing to do with review most of the time!
Collapse


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 18:16
Spanish to English
+ ...
A bit of both Oct 10, 2018

I always fancied translating, and enjoyed the translating exercises in the language courses I studied. However, when I finished university with my degree in Russian and French, the main job opportunities were with the UK Ministry of Defence, which I didn't fancy at the time, mainly due to having to sign the official secrets act. So, I came to Spain and tried my hand at TEFL, found that I liked it, and eventually went back to study the RSA Dip TEFLA in Edinburgh. After that, I returned to Spain a... See more
I always fancied translating, and enjoyed the translating exercises in the language courses I studied. However, when I finished university with my degree in Russian and French, the main job opportunities were with the UK Ministry of Defence, which I didn't fancy at the time, mainly due to having to sign the official secrets act. So, I came to Spain and tried my hand at TEFL, found that I liked it, and eventually went back to study the RSA Dip TEFLA in Edinburgh. After that, I returned to Spain and continued teaching for a few years, and most of my first translation assignments came to me through contacts I made when teaching. As time passed, I gradually began translating more and more and teaching less and less, and have been translating full-time for the past fifteen years now.Collapse


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 14:16
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I did Oct 10, 2018

And I took just too long to do it. I insisted in other professions, thinking translating was not so promising. What a foolish mistake!

 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 18:16
French to English
bit of both Oct 11, 2018

I wanted to be a translator among other things when at secondary school, and certainly given that I got top marks in languages without putting in the slightest effort, it looked like it was what I was cut out for.

Then they made us do a computer test which confirmed this. Then the careers advisor told me that there was no point hoping to be a translator because it was only the children of diplomats who learned a new language every five years who could ever achieve the level necessa
... See more
I wanted to be a translator among other things when at secondary school, and certainly given that I got top marks in languages without putting in the slightest effort, it looked like it was what I was cut out for.

Then they made us do a computer test which confirmed this. Then the careers advisor told me that there was no point hoping to be a translator because it was only the children of diplomats who learned a new language every five years who could ever achieve the level necessary. So I gave the idea up and went down other routes, although I did take translation as an option while studying French when I first moved here.

Then when I was heavily pregnant with my second baby, I was asked by a friend to do a translation for his company. I just managed to hand it in before giving birth. I then worked as a freelancer for a while, and was lucky to be asked to do a translation for a friend working at Unesco. It had to be labelled as something else because I wasn't an official translator for them. Unfortunately for me the friend retired from Unesco shortly afterwards, but I stuck the experience I did have on my CV and it still looks good, and it has furthered my career no end.
Collapse


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:16
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I picked translation Oct 11, 2018

I decided I wanted to be a translator in 8th grade.

 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Did you pick translating or did translating pick you?






CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »