Perhaps you want to get into it but are doubtful whether to go for it or not. Well! I can’t tell you what to do, but I can share with you what I feel as a translator.
It’s different
It was not like this before. I was busy doing something else that involved similar kinds of jobs every day. Yes, I needed to perform some research and there were also follow-ups involved, but once a process was set up, I could follow it again and again, until a new challenge came up. But once I entered a translator’s world, I realized that there was a world of difference!
We work with doctors, and firefighters too
Every project and every file comes with a challenge. Since the original text can be from any part of the world, there are challenges arising from that. The language is culturally influenced, which can be very much different from my culture, and there may be phrases that would make me do a lot of research. It can be too technical, and then I need to call someone from that field. I remember calling a doctor last week to understand something from just a 200-word long text. I called a fire officer last year when I was translating a manual. Sometimes, I look up pictures on the internet to understand the meaning, especially when it is related to tools and procedures. I watch YouTube videos to understand a process, which then helps me figure out the real meaning of the text.
Choosing the right language is too complicated
One can be a translator, a good one. But when it comes to communicating something, along with translation skills, the sense of what kind of language to use also matters. This means, again, that I need to take advice from some specialist in a particular field about what is commonly used in their industry. In the end, we are writing for their understanding and not teaching the language.
It’s not just about the language
After stepping into the world of a translator, I have realised that it’s not just about the language. It’s about cultures, religions, philosophy, psychology, and so much more. Somewhere in the world, the sunshine can be beautiful and soothing, but in some other part, it may cause a headache. While doing a translation, I have to connect myself to the writer and start feeling good about the smell of coffee, even if I hate that smell.
Dictionaries do not help sometimes
When I worked in informal language, I realised that not every word we use is found in the dictionaries. Sometimes a combination of words emerges as a new word. One has to dive deep and see how the word is formed to understand it. People create new words, even by adding two words from two different languages.
I walk in the dark and find the light
You cannot predict what it’s going to be. Once you have a text in hand, you never know how much time it may take and how much research will be required. You can just get an idea, but when you actually work on it, new problems arise, and you have to find their solutions in your own way. There is no roadmap for every challenge. I make so many decisions, do this or that, and somehow just reach the destination—which is a translation with a similar meaning.
There is a performance appraisal every day
Every project, every single file, is reviewed, and whether you will receive the next project or not will depend upon your performance on this project. One has to be very careful about everything that is delivered—every day—or it may become the reason for losing a hardly-earned client.
Now, let’s see what the surprises are when you choose translation as your career:
Recognition and satisfaction
It’s overwhelming to listen to a book summary, on a book summary app, which is written by me. I feel immense pride in seeing people taking online courses that have been translated by me. I get surprised to see a website content translated by me.
It has different colours
One has different things to do every day: translation, localization, transcreation, writing, review, etc. One day you write about weight loss, and the next day you feel like the leanest body trying hard to gain weight.
It gives you intellectual friends
People related to language and literature are intellectual beings. They have their own opinions and excellent language skills to express those opinions. It’s wonderful when your profession lets you get in touch with such individuals. I am so fond of and also proud of the fact that I am in contact with such individuals.
No limit to expansion
You can learn new things every day and keep expanding the area of your work. Today you may do only legal translations, but tomorrow you can prepare yourself for general-investment-related texts by studying their basics—if you are interested. This is how you can keep expanding your area of knowledge and translation. Your earning capacity increases as you expand your knowledge or become an expert in a particular field.
By Vinita Sharma Dubey
Vinita Sharma Dubey has been in the translation industry for the last five years. Her childhood dream of working at a radio station came true when she was selected as an announcer. In addition to writing many radio scripts, she had the chance to learn the correct language. She developed the habit of writing and speaking perfect Hindi while working at a Hindi radio station. A multifaceted professional with expertise in marketing, business, gaming, technology, marketing, agriculture, she has worked for many agencies, direct clients, and NGOs. She enjoys what she does and believes in striving hard to deliver a perfect translation, and likes to guide the newcomers who approach her for the same. One can reach her via email at [email protected].
आपने अनुवादक की पीड़ा और अनुवाद की गहनता और गम्भीरता का पूरा खाका खींच दिया है। लगभग 40 साल से अनुवाद के क्षेत्र में हूं, और मैंने भी रात दिन इसका अनुभव किया है। पहले तो इतनी सुविधाएं नहीं थीं, सभी प्रकार के कोश तो एकत्र किए ही, कई विषयों का भी अलग से अध्ययन करना पड़ा। अर्थशास्त्र, बैंकिंग, कम्प्यूटर तो खैर मेरे अध्ययन के विषय थे इसलिए इनका अनुवाद सहज रहा, लेकिन चिकित्सा, वायुयान, के विषय खासे रोचक रहे।
मैंने आप सभी का स्वर बनने का ही प्रयास किया है। आप इससे स्वयं को जोड़कर देख पाए, मेरा प्रयास सफल रहा।