Translator profession: description, pros and cons, skills required

Despite the fact that the translator is one of the oldest professions, this position remains popular today. This is a great option for anyone interested in learning foreign languages ​​and communicating with people.

The origin of the position is rooted in antiquity. The profession of a translator has existed since the days when people began to actively communicate with each other. As a rule, then translators were engaged in the translation of both written messages and direct speech. In history, this profession appears often. Such people were needed during military and political negotiations. On the territory of Russia, translators were called interpreters. They were quite negative about them, since they were engaged in collecting tribute during the reign of the Horde. Many were simply afraid of their appearance.

Now the translator is a person who does not depend on anyone. This is a specialist who deals with translation and interpretation from one language to another. He should know all the rules and features of a foreign language, after all, mistakes in translation often lead to a complete misunderstanding between people. Sometimes it comes to a conflict situation between certain groups and even countries.

There are several main specialties of translators. The main feature here is that they are divided into oral and written. Everything is clear here: the former are engaged in spontaneous translation, while the latter are working with written text.

Interpreters, in turn, are simultaneous and consecutive. Let's see what the description of these varieties says.

• Consistent. Such translators, as a rule, are present at all kinds of business meetings and negotiations, where there are people speaking different languages. The job of a consecutive interpreter is to translate the speaker's phrases during a short pause. This gives him the opportunity to formulate a phrase before speaking it to native speakers.
• Synchronous. It is much more difficult for simultaneous interpreters to work. The problem is that the person involved in this business must speak the language at a very high level. He has to translate the speaker's speech without pauses. That is, the translator listens to what is said to him and immediately gives out the translated text.

Many people find it easier to work as a translator. You can choose different areas of activity.

• Technical translators. As the name suggests, they work with technical texts. They usually contain some precise information that needs to be conveyed correctly, as well as many terms. To become a professional, you need to present information emotionlessly and accurately. It is also very important not to neglect established grammatical structures. It should be noted that such translators have to work with various schemes and tables. Therefore, it is necessary to know a variety of popular acronyms and abbreviations.
• Legal. Translating legal articles or documents is also a very complicated process. The task of a legal translator is that he needs to translate specific texts. They must be accurate and correct. Legal translators usually work with contracts, legal opinions, powers of attorney, notarial certificates.
• Artistic... Literary translator is one of the most difficult professions. A person has to work with ready-made literary texts. It is desirable to translate them in the style of the author. To do this, you need to know not only the language, but also the peculiarities of working with such a format. A linguist-translator must be well-read, be able to convey someone else's style. To learn this, you need to work a lot with texts. Only in this case there is a good literary taste and skills in working with words.
• Medical translators work with relevant texts. These are all kinds of scientific articles. Knowledge of special terms is also required there. The text should be impersonal and neutral.

Such a profession as a guide-translator is no less popular. The main difficulty here lies in the fact that you have to constantly actively cooperate with different people. At the same time, it is very important to know not only the language, but also the culture of the area in which the excursions are held, its history. In addition, you always need to be prepared for impromptu and answers to unexpected questions.

Like any job, it has its advantages and disadvantages. It's worth starting with the strengths of the profession.

• First, it should be noted that this specialty is in demand in many areas. You can be realized by both an interpreter and a translator. The opportunity to work with various foreign books, magazines and films is also available. You can always choose the most interesting area for yourself.
• Since the demand in the labor market is quite high, you can always find a job that will be well paid. In addition, such work is prestigious, and rarely does anyone hesitate to be a translator.
• Such work is also interesting because a person has the ability to communicate with a variety of people. Usually they are representatives of other cultures who have something to share with those who are ready to listen to them.
• The travel lover will love the fact that many translators often go on paid business trips... This is a great opportunity to see the world without spending huge amounts of money.
• If desired, a person with the appropriate education and knowledge of the language can work as a freelancer... This gives him great freedom of action, because he has the opportunity to plan his working day on his own.
• There is also no clear income ceiling. A person earns as much as he can. Usually this amount depends on 2 points: the ability to work and the ability to devote enough free time to your work.

In fact, this work is always relevant. After all, no matter how hard people try to create something like a single language, they fail. Therefore, you have to learn new languages, and to fully understand each other you need to use translators. Even well-developed programs created specifically for translation cannot cope with such a task.

However, even such a good job has its drawbacks. You should also pay attention to possible difficulties in work. Both major drawbacks are related to money. First of all, it is worth noting the fact that work as a translator is often unstable... The fact is that at one time he may have many orders, and at another he may not be at all.

You have to work hard and be guided by the fact that sometimes you have to complete tasks from different customers in the shortest possible time... In addition, the translator's salary is also not always immediately handed over to him. It happens that the company delays payments, this is due to the responsibility of the customer.

To become a translator, you need to master several skills at once. And it only at first glance seems that everything is so simple. Consider what a professional needs.

• Proficiency in one or more foreign languages. It is desirable that the level of proficiency in each language be confirmed by appropriate documents. These are usually diplomas or various certificates.
• Knowledge of the mother tongue at a very high level. This is also very important, because you have to correctly convey the context of the conversation and its small details.
• Striving for self-development... Since the language is constantly being updated, as are the rules related to translation and editing, a good specialist must be able to adapt to new trends. It is equally important to know the culture of one's own and foreign countries.
• If a person is engaged in oral translation, then he also needs good knowledge in psychology.... This allows you to find a common language both with customers and with those with whom you have to communicate at work.
• Translators must be prepared to master literary editing skills... This allows you to make the finished text really readable and pleasing to the eye.

In addition, it is worth paying attention to certain personal qualities. The translator must analyze his tasks well. He must also have an excellent memory. This is especially important for a translator who knows several languages ​​at once. It is important to be both a very educated person, as well as patient and considerate. The translator must carefully proofread his texts so that there are no logical errors or typos.

For a similar position communication skills are important. You still need to be able to quickly navigate and react to changing situations. To earn enough it is important to be very efficient. After all, sometimes you have to work the night shift or simply many hours.

To become a translator, you must definitely get an education. The classical education of a translator is 4 years of study. It will take 5 years to get a master's degree. To apply for a translator, you need to pass subjects such as a native and foreign language, as well as literature. It is important to know them at a decent level, then it will be much easier to learn.

An easier option is to take the appropriate courses. After that, the person can receive the required diploma. The cost of such courses is quite low. It is profitable and convenient, but there is also a certain problem.

For many translators, salary is one of the most important factors when choosing a job. It should be noted here that the salary in the provinces and in the capital is very different. In addition, there is a difference in the salary of a person who works with local and foreign customers. In the second case, the profitability is, of course, much higher.

The average salary of an English translator is 50 thousand rubles, but these figures can increase with career growth, as well as if the texts are technically complex. The salaries of interpreters, especially simultaneous interpreters, are even higher. Specialists who translate from other languages, for example, Portuguese, Chinese, also receive decent remuneration for their work. Italian and Japanese translators are especially highly appreciated - their salary level can reach 100 thousand rubles. The minimum wage is 16 thousand, it is received by beginners.

Career growth also depends on the place of work. The simpler the company in which a person works, the more difficult it will be for him to develop in the future. In order for the salary to increase over time, it is very important to constantly engage in self-development. You need to learn either new languages ​​or some peculiarities of your language in order to be on a level above others.

A good translator with a good education has many prospects. A person can choose several paths of his development at once. First of all, this is work in all kinds of media and publishing houses. This is a great prospect for those who truly love literature and the book publishing industry. In the same case, you can work in libraries or museums. This is not a very promising job, but if a person is genuinely interested, he will still like it.

There are also suitable development paths for those who want to progress by working with other people. In this case, you can go to a travel company, engage in interpretation or get a job at a television center. The education of a translator allows a person to work in the field of journalism. At first, you can translate information from foreign sources, and as it develops, it will be quite real to do professional journalism.

Many of those who have received the appropriate education, attracted by the hospitality industry... It seems unprofitable only at first glance. In fact, a person with good knowledge of languages ​​can grow to a manager, and then acquire the necessary acquaintances that will help him in the future.