It is one of the oldest professions in the
world: translators have already made knowledge and writings available to our
ancestors in a foreign language, without which our culture would have developed
in a completely different way. Today, translations play a major role,
especially in business and politics – and few know the modern translation industry as well as Yigit Aslan. He has been in charge of business
for more than 14 years and has more than 1000 translators worldwide. In
the interview, he gives newcomers tips and talks about career opportunities,
particularly sought-after translators in the market and why the increasingly
clever translation programs still can't give a professional the water.
YIGIT ASLAN SPOKE FOR TODAY'S POST ON THE HIGHLY TOPICAL TOPIC
"TRANSLATORS ARE BECOMING SO MODERN"
Mr Aslan, what do you need a translator for
today? Who do you work for?
Yigit Aslan: "The
first question is quite simple to answer: anyone who has to deal with people
outside their own mother tongue. This includes private individuals, as
well as companies, foundations, public authorities, governments, etc. — and
they are all part of our target group. Looking at the last 14 years of my
managing position at Easytrans24.com, I see that our most frequent customers are companies (of all sizes), i.e. large
corporations or public limited companies as well as small, medium-sized and
sole proprietorships. The second group, i.e. sMEs, is one of our largest
customer base."
Would you advise a young person today to
become a freelance translator?
Yigit Aslan: "Very
clear answer: Yes! Because you should always do what you enjoy the
most. But you should take a close look at the market. While there are
many excellently trained translators for the southern European languages,
especially Italian, we note a great shortage of well-trained translators for
the Scandinavian languages.
This problem is also home-made, because
firstly, the (small) Scandinavian countries simply produce too few translators
in terms of their population. Second, these few translators are heavily
recruited by the European state institutions – especially the European
Commission. There are only a few left for the market, which results in
high prices. As a result, as a Swedish translator you can earn really
well, but as an Italian translator you may have to make a living."
So you have to be a native speaker, no
matter how well you learned a second language?
Yigit Aslan: "Yes,
you have to be a native speaker in any case. And in a single
language. Personally, I do not believe in the statement of some
translators that they are native bilingual speakers. The mother tongue is
the language that you have learned from childhood and with which one has
followed one's educational path. For example, if you were born as a German
and went to the USA to study after graduation, there is a break
there. Many then claim that they are "native speakers of two
languages", even though they are neither one nor the other. If, on
the other hand, someone translates into their non-native language, this is at
best a semi-professional translation and cannot be used for professional use.
You can enter the
profession of translator either through a targeted training as a linguist, or
you can become a lateral entrant from another field. For example, we have
many outstanding engineers under contract who have found their calling for
translation. In any case, you should also have an affinity for languages
as a lateral entrant."
