From a freelance translator
As an in-house translator
Hello 🖐️ Zikoni from Gicon StudioThis is it. Today I would like to greet all of you with a TalkTalk (TalkTalk) interview.
What is the Toktok interview A corner for interviews with translators and those working in the industry related to translation standardsThis is it. Since we are conducting interviews with people working in the business, I hope this post will be a direct insight for all visitors. 2nd Year Translator and Translator JohnI would like to introduce you!
Q. About me
Hello! Translator, please introduce yourself briefly.
Hallo I am After working as a freelance translator for over a year,
John is currently working as an in-house translator and is in his 2nd year of translation experience This is it.
I am Graduated from the Graduate School of SociologyI did it. I liked traveling, so I published travel essays, and I wanted to capture the stories of various people by planning essays in various fields as well as travel. Like that Single publisherI started. After running a publishing company for 2 years, I closed the business Lecturer at an English school for 5 yearsI worked as a teacher at a school after planning a one-year trip around the world, but COVID-19...
Hoshitamtam will fly away (?) While looking for opportunities, Start a translation job you've always been interested inI did it.
(John, who became a professional translator because of Koshi Guk..)
Q. First step
How did you complete the translator preparation process?
Complete an online translator degreeI did it. This process A method of taking an exam after attending a lecture for about 6 monthsThat was it.
It depends on the person, but taking classes, preparing assignments, submitting, and taking tests wasn't such a difficult process.
Q. Translator competencies
What skills do I need to become a translator?
If you like reading and writing I don't think there are any qualities as good as that. I've heard that there are many translators who wanted to be writers. If I had to pick one more thing Meticulous personality and patienceI'll select It seems like a free job (based on freelance translators), but surprisingly, the work itself is repetitive, and there are many details that need to be checked in detail, such as grammar, spacing, and spelling. You also have to sit for a long time.
Q. The work of an in-house translator
Please briefly introduce your daily routine as an in-house translator.
Go to work -> work in the morning -> eat -> work in the afternoon -> leave work. hehehe, is that too bad? But the truth is that.
Because the workload is piling up, and it's about getting it done. There are occasional meetings with PMs (project managers) and developers, but it's usually as simple as above.
Q. First contract
It would be important to get a contract as a freelance translator, but how did that process go?
The unit price (?) is to contact overseas companies directly first rather than domestic companies I heard that it was good, and various Start creating and posting a resume on an overseas siteI did it. in one day Support at least 7 locationsI did. I tested about 2-3 locations a week, and signed a contract with about one of them.
I signed the details of the confidentiality agreement and unit price agreement, and I thought the job would be given right away, but that wasn't the case, and I think this kind of thing was repeated over and over again for about a month. As time went by, businesses piled up.
Q. Translation volume over 2 years
How much translation work did you spend in 2 years?
This kind of calculation is very difficult. If you're a translator, you probably know that this isn't a very meaningful question.
Still, if you do the math, in my case The daily translation is about 4,000 words, and the review is about 8,000 words It was carried out.
If you calculate that you work 5 days a week About 1 million words a yearI think it will be.
Q. Translator pros/cons
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a translator?
I don't think I'll be able to talk about in-house until a little longer, so no matter who says anything about the advantages of being a freelance translator libertyJoe. Because I can work when I want and work as long as I want. (In principle... ^^;;) That's the downside stabilityThe point is that it falls. There can always be fewer jobs. Personal abilitiesTherefore, the fact that the evaluation is carried out immediately may also be a disadvantage.
Q. Translation industry insights
Insights from working as a translator? Know-how? Do you have a back?
Foreign companies rather than domestic companiesI would recommend knocking on the door of If you go beyond the fear of communicating in English, you can proceed with the translation on better terms.
Whatever the case may be, Being honestThis is good. As I work, I get punctures, things I don't like, and there are many things I'm sorry for, but it becomes more difficult if I try to hide them. If you speak honestly and try to accept the results, nothing is as big as you think.
Don't start by lowering the unit price too much from the beginning.. It's hard to post later.
Q. A small piece of advice
Please give me some advice for juniors who dream of becoming translators.
Where the market changes quicklyI have it. Advances in machine translation and artificial intelligence are hard to keep up with. There are many translation-related communities, but all Finding seniors or advisors who can read the market wellThis is better.
Because if you make a mistake, you might just spend the rest of your time as a translator at the part-time level. At the same time, it is important to note that it is difficult to change quickly. No matter how advanced machines are, they still overwhelm the speed and volume of translation compared to humans Because there are many things I feel uneasy about if I can't reach humans We need human translators.
(Don't be overwhelmed by the machine^^)
Q. Good translation
What does it mean to be a good translator?
Something that understands well and makes you understandI think so. To put it bluntly, The translator must be able to properly understand the work requested and convince people who see my workI will. Furthermore, in a world where machine translation is surprisingly fast and accurate, I think “understanding” is even more important.
Ability to understand the author's intentionI think this is more emphasized.
If you like to do things in a slow and steady way,
Don't let others make you feel as if you have to race.
If you like doing something slowly and steadily, don't worry about other people's opinions.
Because they'll make what you do feel like a race.
***
This is what American writer Susan Cain said. Looking back at the interview after the post, what I felt was that the flower of “steadiness” blooming under the name “career” seems to be an immutable truth that does not change in the past, present, or future. “Steadiness”. I think that if we live every day by simply comparing ourselves to yesterday and today instead of comparing ourselves to others, we can all live a fragrant person and a successful life.
I think the work of translation will eventually require intense thinking within the category of “how to communicate” to derive insights.
See you in the next post!
*This content has been transferred from Gicon Studio to Letterworks.
