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¿Se habla English? Life of a Translator

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Be careful what you wish for

The other week, I was complaining of not having enough to do. Funny, every time I do that, the universe solves the problem for me.

I am in the midst of completing some rather interesting and challenging projects at my day job. A pro bono assignment has come my way. A paid assignment will come my way as well.

posted by jo-hanna at 2:04 PM

3 Comments:

  • I am a native speaker of Bulgarian, and I work as a translator as well. However, the local translation industry has some different aspects. For instance, I'm 17 and I was hired by an agency half a year ago. I usually do technical texts and I can't really say that I'm thoroughly enjoying it - even though I understand the language perfectly well, I sometimes feel as if I'm drowning in the vast ocean of terminology that pours out of the pages.

    I've been studying Spanish for a few years (I passed the DELE Intermedio exam and got a 740 on the SAT Spanish with Listening Subject Test), and once I even had a chance to actually work with the language. I was working as an interpreter at the European U-20 Basketball Championship in Varna, and since none of the Portuguese spoke English, I had to communicate with them in Spanish. Anyway, I have a few question regarding language training in the USA, namely:

    1. I am planning on enrolling at an American university. According to what I've read, a score of above 700 on the SAT Spanish test means that I can enroll at the Expert Spanish Course at a certain top-tier university. I didn't find the test difficult, so I was wondering if language tuition is at an adequate level in the States. I hope you can help me :)

    2. How much does a translator earn in the USA? Are translators from more, um, exotic languages, such as Bulgarian, needed?

    Thanks in advance.

    By Blogger Govnyo, at 3:21 AM  

  • Hi Orlinator.

    1. I am assuming you are asking about providing this type of service. Keeping that in mind, some areas may have more demand for this service than others.

    2. Your best bet would be to do a search on "salary survey" and translators/interpreters. Let me just say that the figure reported by say, the ATA (American Association of Translators) is considerably higher than the one I found out by my home state. There are several variables: location, experience, whether you are credentialed, specialty (medical translators are in big demand where I live).

    I would also keep in mind that certain pairs are more competitive than others. English-Spanish is extremely competitive. As for Bulgarian, I am not well informed in the subject. You may want to check http://www.proz.com

    Buena suerte.

    By Blogger jo-hanna, at 5:02 AM  

  • It's probably what I might call the "translator's fate". Or at least it's what always happens to me when I just start thinking "I have not so much to do... I feel bored!"
    All the best,
    Chiara

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:47 PM  

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