Translator FAQ

Not done it for money. I did some 'Improve your English' lessons with a Korean couple for a month.
What kind of translation are you planning on doing?
What languages, what direction and what medium(Essays, I presume you're talking text translations, but I like things to be clear)?

Then you have to decide where on the spectrum you want to fall:
LiteralInterperetation
I find it best to be flexible on that and bend to what the situation (and often the intended reader is very important) requires.

SO. I'll help if I can. I hope I can, I've been doing pro-bono English lessons/tutoring for kids for 2 years. The first set of kids I worked with were fluent when they returned to Japan.

I've translated professionally and have several friends who have done it as well, for various governments, The Hague, etc. You've got to be really (really!) fluent and pretty well-connected, generally speaking. Quite a lot rides on the languages one knows as well. French, Spanish, German - those are tough languages when it comes to landing any sort of gig (when the 'other' language is English), for the simple reason that there is no shortage of qualified people. To be a translator of literature, well, I wouldn't attempt it with those languages without (at least) a Master's. German? (I'm assuming, since you mention Berlin) - that's very very tough for an American, especially if you're not absolutely fluent already as an adult. Personally, I wouldn't even try - lots of heartbreak ahead. (Mind you, if you speak good German and have a business or economics degree or something like that, you could do quite well - just not as someone who is solely a translator, in all likelihood.) Even with Spanish, for which there are many jobs in America where a skill in that language is a big plus, the need for translators specifically is not so great.

But, if you know German and English and want to go ahead, the way to do it would be to add a third language - one that's a little more unusual. There is a big need for people who can speak an unusual trio (or more) of languages. Some combinations aren't that desirable (for instance, Hungarian/German/English, as in that case because there are plenty of Hungarians fluent in German and English), but when you start getting around to slightly less logical combos such as French/English/Serbo-Croatian, the need is huge. Well, bigger than you'd imagine at any rate. Stick in even a little of something else and you're golden. I speak Serbo-Croatian, English, German, French, Hungarian, Russian, Italian and Spanish all at least to an intermediate level, plus bits of several others. It's no problem getting a job! (But I found translation pretty boring - most translators do, and start adding languages just for kicks. Translators tend to be astonishing language geeks, and I know several that can speak more than a dozen languages fluently with great skills in a dozen more. Translation is built for people like that!)

Of course, if your native language isn't say, French or German, but rather Dutch or Swedish or Portuguese, you only need to learn one other language to make a sure bet of it, at least if it's something vaguely unusual. I know two Dutch / Hungarian translators, for instance. They make loads.

If I were you, I'd add a third, easy-to-learn language that just doesn't have great sex appeal (in the way that Italian or French does). Romanian would be a good choice - probably three inexpensive months in the country would allow you to get some sort of job if you have German and English already - maybe not at the governmental level, but you'd probably land something with a company. And if you're really ambitious, you'd look into languages the US government is clamoring for - Turkish (and relatives like Azeri), Urdu, Arabic, Pashto and so on. There will be *huge* money to be made for native English speakers who can communicate in languages native to Central Asia. I myself will learn Romanian this summer, improve my Hungarian, and start on Turkish by the end of 2007.
Bulgarian and Romanian are good also for the reason that they've been admitted to the EU and need translators for everything - product lists of ingredients, EU documents, and so on.)

I wouldn't mess with grad school though - just go to the relevant country and work hard on getting the language down. Attend a language school, bolster the tongues you already have and get out and talk and read as much as you humanly can.

In addition to the above:

Familiarise yourself with translation tools.

Think about specialising in an area such as legal translation or some avenue of technical translation.

Think about interpreting.

Farsi and Pashtun, etc, would be good languages to have at the moment.

It is an advantage to speak American English, so that's good.

www.proz.com is a good place to start for translators, with forums, tips, specific language help and so forth.

I'm a full-time translator and if there's anything I can help you with, feel free to contact me.

I've just had a look at proz.com for the first time in years, and the user interface is as cluttered and ugly as ever. But trust me, it really is a useful resource.

PJ Miller mentioned specialisation. I remember the first time I contacted a translation agency they asked what my specialisation was. I said i wasn't sure, so they re-phrased the question: what do you know about? Tempted though i was to say pop music and football, as they really are the only two subject areas I can claim any kind of in-depth knowledge about, I just told them sheepishly I didn't really have one, and I suppose it didn't come across too well.

I found out this week that Heriot Watt does an undergraduate degree in Modern Languages that specialises in translation - I think it's the only course of its kind in the UK. Have to say, I think I'd get bored stiff doing translation for 4 years but I guess it'd save a person doing a postgrad if that was the career they were after.

FWIW, what I did was a degree in French and Linguistics, followed (several years later) by a post-grad in translation.

Wow. Thanks, everyone. I'm humbled and enlightened haha

The specific type of translation I was considering was literary translation from either Spanish or French into English. (I'm in German class right now, so, yes: yet another language not dying for more speakers). I'm not a master of either language, but I can speak them both fluently (more in the literal sense of the word) and I read in both constantly. I was inspired by a 2005 New Yorker article about the translation duo Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. Pevear only speaks basic Russian, so his wife prepares an initial, literal translation, which he then renders into English. The article showed me that, especially in literary translation, proficiency in a language (to a certain point) is secondary to the, er, artistry of translating ideas and your ability to express them in your own language.

I know, Translation 101 haha. I don't mean to sound presumptuous; graduation is near, I'm scrambling to find something other than waiting tables, and I've always loved language study. Also, when I compare translated texts to the original--(especially plays)-- I find they've done such a crap job. Entire passages can be left out, and so much of the language is outdated. (WORST EVER: characters with idiosynchratic speech rendered into English as Cockney!)

I feel kind of like George in the Seinfeld episode where they're sitting around trying to think of what he could do for a living:

George: What about a sportscaster?
Jerry: I think they want people with, you know, experience in sports.
George: Hm.

Again, thanks for the info.

Just a thought, but it might be a decent idea to use your knowledge of these other languages to teach native speakers of them English.

That's what I'm planning to do professionally eventually. I'm currently gaining connections with Japanese people. Made alot of friends so far, which has helped me find lodging for when to go there on the 21st(sweating my ass off about my passport arriving on time).

How is L1onbr1dg4, Giraffe? Are you in Reading?

I'm a Dutch translator. Once I've had more coffee I'll tell you more about it.

Hey, Li0nbridge! I've been trying to figure out your invoicing system. I've done a lot of work for Lionbridge offices in Framingham, Dublin, Denmark, Amsterdam...

I haven't done literary translation, but my impression is that you don't make money doing it until you're well-established. I do a lot of legal translating - it's my bread and butter. It pays the bills and allows me to take on lower-paying, more interesting jobs, like for museums.