Personal experience
I graduated from Henan Normal University on 20 1 1, majoring in English. After starting a translation course in college, I found myself in love with translation. I went to the library and read books related to translation. What impressed me most was Mao's translation-related books such as Multicolor Translation, Exploring the Forest and Translation Aesthetics. Now I still have some notes I made in college. At that time, I felt that translation had opened up a new world for myself, and I vaguely felt that I would be engaged in related work.
After graduation, I had little contact with translation-related work at that time. So, I worked in a training institution in Zhengzhou for several months, and found that I would still ponder translation when I was free. At that time, I would go online and choose some articles for translation when I have time, which is purely my hobby.
In the training institution, the work is not busy and the treatment is good, but I still "miss" the translation. So, I finally resigned and decided to fight for my ideal once. So, after struggling, I quit my job as a translator. At that time, I found a studio to recruit translators. So, I went to the interview myself. This studio is located in a shabby neighborhood with a small area. Before me, there were three translators. At that time, I remember that the basic salary was less than half of my last job, and I needed some translation. At that time, I thought, even if I don't make money, I will insist on doing translation. But a month later, I struggled again. At that time, the translation was 1000 words 10 yuan. I did the math myself, so I worked hard. How much can you earn in a month? Translation should not be so embarrassing, right? So, I resigned decisively. To tell the truth, I have basically learned nothing this month, and I still know almost nothing about translation.
I found another job, saying it was a translator, but it didn't really matter much. I just introduce foreign teachers to domestic schools. In the evening, I will find a part-time job online and do a trial draft. In a group, I met Lao Cao, and the translation was endless. He gave me a test and said I could go to their company. At that time, I felt flattered and a little worried that I would be cheated. April 20 12, I resolutely quit my third job and went to Yanjiao with my backpack.
This is where I really enter the business. Here, I want to thank Cao Ge (translated as endless Cao Xudong), the project manager Daqing and my colleagues who have helped me, some of whom we have kept in touch with. Now that I think about it, I couldn't eat for a while in Yanjiao, but I persisted. I think I have the ability to be a translator. Finally, it was gradually recognized and established a long-term cooperative relationship with the company.
20 14 years, due to personal reasons, I left the translator endlessly, but kept cooperating, which was equivalent to a full-time job in a different place. Later, I got married in my hometown and had a family. Now my son is over two years old. Later translation business was decreasing, and I established a long-term cooperative relationship with another translation company, Chagu Translation, which was later Chinese-foreign translation, and we are still cooperating.
The above is my own general translation process. Next, I will introduce what I can learn about translation from the following aspects, which is also a glimpse:
Introduction to translation
Now, with the development of technology and network, many college students are now doing part-time translation. I suggest that friends who want to do translation for a long time stay in a translation company for one or two years, get familiar with the industry and learn some related translation software. Then, you can consider doing SOHO. This varies from person to person. There may be some people who are very capable, have never been to a translation company, and have never been short of work. You can consider taking the CET-3 and CET-2 translation exams, which means that you have the ability to get started in translation. Some people say that the translation test has little to do with commercial manuscripts on the market. In fact, I feel that the two are not contradictory. The exam is not just about the content, but in the process of passing this exam, you have the ability to quickly understand the source language and switch between two languages quickly. Translation, in a sense, is a craft that needs practice. Only after a lot of practice can you really get started.
When I do translation, I am obsessed with technical and commercial translation, which is very different from my own imagined translation and university study translation. This requires us to adapt and make ideological changes. At the same time, we should also have the ability to learn new knowledge quickly, and discover and verify new knowledge accurately and quickly.
In a word, I suggest combining theory with practice to get started quickly. In this industry, the personal threshold is low and the level of translators is uneven. If you really want to be a translator, you will stand out as long as you are willing to work hard.
Translation salary
The translation industry, as a general translator, may not be rich and expensive, but it is enough to support the family. I have always doubted whether I can support my family as a translator, and it turns out that I can. Basically worked with two companies, and later gradually became a customer introduced by other PM or friends. The advantage of establishing long-term cooperation with a company in this way is that you don't have to worry about the source of the manuscript, and PM and the interpreter have a certain tacit understanding before. The disadvantage may be that once the staff of the cooperative company is adjusted or the source of the manuscript is reduced, it may not be handled in time, and it may face an embarrassing situation of no manuscript for a long time. This is because it takes a certain period to develop new customers, and cooperation is gradually established step by step from small drafts. Some translators suggest constantly developing new customers and raising their own unit price. This varies from person to person. I may be a little lazy.
Don't ask how much a translator earns a day, because everyone spends different time. You can ask the translation unit price and translation rate. Then you know something about his income. Don't complain about the chaotic industry and low wages. Ask yourself what your ability is first. If you have the ability, there are still many high-end manuscripts. High-end, terminal and low-end manuscripts will always be done by someone. You can find your own position or set your own price bottom line after receiving the manuscript.
Transfer area
Translation is just a general concept, and there are many subdivided fields. I find that the longer I work, the more cautious I am, and it is easy to refuse to accept the types I am not good at. This is because it is painful and slow to do it yourself in an unfamiliar field, and you don't know the quality of your translation after you chew it down. You won't feel any sense of accomplishment when you're done. When we are novices, maybe we are often ignorant and fearless and dare to do anything. After doing it for a while, I will choose one or three fields that I can control, and then have a deep understanding of the professional knowledge in this field. Most liberal arts students may choose law, contract, culture and other related fields. Science students can choose fields related to their major. But it doesn't necessarily depend on your own interests and the types of manuscripts you may come into contact with. As a liberal arts student, I am particularly interested in science and technology, computers and so on, and now I have come into contact with many manuscripts about big data and cloud migration, so I can buy relevant books, expand my knowledge in this field and have an overall understanding of this aspect.
Advantages and disadvantages of freelance translators
As a freelance translator, I don't belong to any unit or company, so I am relatively free and can arrange my working hours reasonably. I have relatively fixed working hours every day, and sometimes I am even more tired than working hours. During the epidemic this year, many people may be "trapped" at home and do nothing. I have been writing a manuscript since New Year's Eve. Since we can't get together and go out, we made an appointment with a famous domestic technology company years ago, so let's start writing a manuscript. As a result, this project has been done for more than forty days, which is busier than usual. The epidemic seems to have no effect on myself, because that's what I usually do.
But as a freelance translator, there are still many disadvantages. I am at home every day and rarely communicate with others. Sometimes I feel that I have trouble communicating with others. After a long time, some people are reluctant to communicate with others. Moreover, I have to face practical problems such as no social security. Moreover, when people ask me about my job, I often don't know how to answer. After I say it, I'm afraid others won't understand, and then I have to explain. Now that I'm back home, everyone around me thinks I'm teaching, and I'm too lazy to explain. I remember when I first lived in this neighborhood, my daughter-in-law took care of the baby at home and I made a manuscript at home. In the community, an aunt takes care of her baby every day. Finally, she couldn't help asking her daughter-in-law, how can you live if neither of you works at home and your husband doesn't go downstairs all day? When my daughter-in-law told me, I said helplessly, it seems that I have to wander downstairs often.
At the same time, as a translator, facing the computer every day will have adverse effects on your eyes, cervical vertebrae and weight. At present, I have begun to face up to my own problems, insist on running and exercise, and actively adjust my work status. Health is the capital of revolution. Without a good body, this kind of physical and mental work can't last long. In fact, no matter what occupation, we should pay attention to our health. The older you get, the stronger this awareness will be. Please take care of yourself!
Machine translation and human translation
In recent two years, machine translation has made a certain breakthrough, which has had a great impact on translation. In some simple or relatively fixed fields such as patents, machine translation may have been able to meet the demand. These days, my friend pushed me several articles about machine translation. Now there are more and more MTPE (machine translation+post-translation editing) projects. The unit price for translation is often half of the translation price. I really haven't touched this kind of project. This may become a normal state of translation in some fields, and you may need to adapt to it. Otherwise, you can improve yourself and refuse to accept such projects. I believe that machine translation can't replace human translation at present. However, we still have to embrace technology and use it.
translation software
At present, most professional translators should use CAT software tools. Trados, Memoq and other mainstream software are still relatively easy to use. There are also many related learning videos on the Internet, which can be fully utilized. I currently use the domestic cat software "Snowman". Some people may not know this software, but I have been using it myself. I feel that the operation is simple and the function is very powerful, which fully meets my translation needs. I started using Trados and Memoq, and now I basically use snowman. An interpreter skilled in using one or two CAT softwares will get twice the result with half the effort.
Old Translator and New Translator
Old interpreters are slowly coming from novices. When new translators first come into contact with translation, they often don't know how to start and are very scared. I've had this experience myself. Therefore, when I have been a translator for several years, if a novice asks me questions about translation, I usually give priority to encouragement, and then I will give some suggestions and provide some learning materials. Moreover, if possible, I will help introduce a translation company. Everyone is from a novice. Some people have been doing it for many years, and their level may not be high. Some people have been doing it for a year or two, and they may soon be handy. I'm still happy to help others. Therefore, I suggest that old translators give more encouragement and help if they come into contact with new translators.
I have no specific translation content for this article, it is all dry goods introduced by other translators. I just want to briefly introduce my translation experience by chatting with my friends. "It's hard to understand what you write on paper, but you don't know how to do it." If you want to be an interpreter, take action. Everyone's situation will not be exactly the same. I believe you can also find your own unique way.