Tuesday, November 26, 2019

BECOMING A TRANSLATOR - IMPORTANT TIPS FOR BEGINNERS


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."