Until last week, I looked at things translation companies should think about in the translation field, which has entered an era of infinite competition.
But translation companies aren't the only members of the translation industry. Translators, who can probably be said to be the core of the job of translation, are also people who must prepare for an era of infinite competition. As the number of translation platforms increased, the threshold was lowered, and anyone can work as a translator if they have a desire and a certain level of skill. However, as quantitative supply increases, the level difference between personnel will grow instead. Therefore, from the client's point of view (until the translation is requested and the results are received, or until the results are actually applied), it is not easy to properly understand the abilities of the translator they have chosen. Also, translation is something that anyone who knows a foreign language can try without a separate national certification. This is also why translators are professionals, but it is not as easy to differentiate themselves from non-professionals as other professions.
Gone are the days when translators were precious.
In the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties, separate government offices such as “Ministry of Translation ()” were established to oversee the interpretation and translation of foreign languages at the national level. Because of this, they were treated more professionally, and there would have been no oversupply. Even if it didn't go back in time, that was the case even in the days when traveling and studying abroad were not as free as they are now. There were few people who spoke foreign languages, so there were only a few people who could translate. But now, a completely different era is unfolding from those days. Machine translators can now translate right away, and even their skills are improving day by day. Even with machine translation, competition among human translators is becoming increasingly intense. As mentioned earlier, as we enter an era of limitless competition, translators can only survive by appealing and developing their own expertise and skills.
Language skills have become even more important
Above all else, it is essential to have strong basic skills in both native language and foreign languages. It seems like a no-brainer, but as more people enter the translation and interpretation market just by being able to speak a foreign language, the actual ability varies widely. It's easy to think that you can be employed as a translator at any time if you have foreign language skills acquired through the experience of living abroad before doing a proper job as a translator. However, if you try to solve something you just understood in your head in writing, it's not easy to output it. In other words, understanding with the head is one thing, and reproducing in writing is one thing. In order to smoothly transfer what you understand, you must have a strong foundation in both your native language and a foreign language. Not only is it difficult to fill that gap with just conversation skills, but as you move towards professional translation, you run into limitations.
A job you must study for the rest of your life
You need an attitude of always trying to learn. The translator business itself must continue to study and be open to new fields. The translation process is also a time for research and thought. However, some people who are just starting out on the path of translation or who dream of becoming a translator in the future often choose this path “because their income seems good at first glance” or “because they feel comfortable working from home.” You can't do anything for a long time if you start with a goal such as money rather than commitment or aptitude for the business itself. Also, just as everything requires investment and effort to achieve results, it is necessary to invest accordingly in order to become the wonderful translator of your dreams. And that investment is studying and learning. There is bound to be fewer and fewer translations that can only be done with what I know without expanding the scope of knowledge I know. Furthermore, this kind of translation will first be replaced by machine translation.
Above all, have your own expertise
The last one is securing new challenges and areas of expertise. You must diligently experience new technologies and trends and diligently secure your own field of expertise. However, technology and trends can be easily accessed through various media, so depending on how diligent you are, you can catch up. But having your own field of expertise is a slightly different story. In fact, it's not easy to secure your own expertise and stick to that path. I have a lot of questions about what kind of field I can specialize in, what field of expertise I should choose to work for a long time, etc. In fact, even among those who work as professional translators in one field, there are quite a few people who started by chance and became their own field of expertise. Also, depending on the language, the demand for translation itself is relatively low, so it is often difficult to choose only a specific field to work in. Therefore, you can't blindly rely on specialized fields you might stumble upon, and it's not a matter of deciding which field you should only translate from today. First, you should start with the field you are interested in. Even if it's not a field of expertise such as finance or IT, it could be a hobby you usually enjoy, a game or animation of a specific genre, or any kind of sport. In this case, since interest and understanding of that field is already high, it may be easier to create your own field of expertise. Also, professional translators often switch to translators in that field after doing a completely different job. Typical examples would be a medical and pharmacy translator from a medical school, and a legal translator from a lawyer.
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After all, in order to survive as a true professional translator, constant self-development is necessary. You can never be recognized for your expertise by simply stating that you have completed your studies abroad, stayed abroad for a long time, or received professional translation training. You must have not only the translation business itself, but also specific translation achievements in a specific field, the efforts you have made to develop expertise in that field, and the initiative and flexibility to actively forge your own path (not just sit back and wait for requests). This applies not only to current translators, but also to all those who dream of becoming translators in the future, and they must continue to practice this work as long as they continue.
*This content has been transferred from Gicon Studio to Letterworks.
