When I was at university studying Russian and German, I swore to myself I would never become a translator. The idea of sitting at a desk and doing what was essentially homework for eight hours every day bored me to tears. But a year after I graduated, I found myself in a translation job by chance and discovered that actually, I love translation – who knew!
I started my career as an in-house translator for a translation agency, working with all sorts of texts from both Russian and German into English. The general nature of my job was the best thing for me at the time, as it gave me an opportunity to try different types of translation and find a specialisation that suited me. I found that I have a natural flair for technical writing, and so technical translation seemed a good direction to go.
Technical translation is less about style and creativity and more about writing clearly and being specific. As with any kind of writing, knowing your audience is important, and as with any kind of translation, knowing both your source and target languages well is essential. But a technical translator should also be a good researcher and have a flair for logical thinking. Because technical terms are not part of the general population’s lexicon, a technical translator needs to know not just what these terms are and how to use them, but also how to explain them in layman’s terms without “dumbing down” the text too much.
When I first started translating technical texts, I drew a lot on my personal second-hand experience. My father is a civil engineer who loves talking about his work and sharing his knowledge, so I already had a great deal of “technical immersion” whilst growing up. In the first few months of my translation career, I rang him occasionally to ask his professional advice for describing certain mechanical components. I also collaborated closely with my clients, asking questions about the products or about how certain components function, and I then used that background knowledge in my research during the translation process. Additionally I did a fair amount of background reading on general technical topics in my target language; for example, if I was translating a text on refractometers, I would find a few good articles about refractometry in English (my target language) on the Internet from reasonably reliable sources and read those before starting the text and searching for specific terms. These are all things that definitely helped me develop good research methods in my first year of translation. Recently I also began A-level courses in Maths and Physics and I plan on doing a degree in civil engineering in the near future.
A few years on in my career, I am still working as an in-house translator while also doing some freelancing in my spare time. For the last six months I have been translating texts for one client alone, a company in Austria that develops lighting systems. This is my favourite client, and I am their number one choice for English translation, even to the point where they have delayed launching certain products because they want me to translate the work. We have a solid working relationship built on mutual respect. I cannot stress enough how important that is! I recently went to visit this client and look at their products up-close and in person, which was a great opportunity to build on our existing relationship and also play with the products with which I have become so familiar.
For those who might be considering a career in technical translation, there are a few things they should keep in mind: technical translation may not seem to be as exciting as other types of translation, but it can be a very satisfying job. The important thing is to stick with it for a few months and find some solid research methods that work for you (and preferably a reliable, decent-sized technical dictionary). I have found that the longer you do it, the less of a chore it becomes, and the greater the enjoyment you receive from it.
A few other tips for budding technical translators: consider taking a technical writing course and also getting more specific qualifications in your chosen field of expertise. While I do not necessarily think a whole extra degree is required (like my future engineering degree), even just a simple electrician’s course may provide useful knowledge to rely on in future and can also be used to attract new clientele, both in the form of agencies and direct clients. Also, do not be afraid to ask the client questions about the text, but do avoid general queries such as “What does X mean?” and instead think of targeted, logical questions that will encourage helpful responses from the client (such as “How does X interact with Y? Does X have a sensor that allows it to function in this way?”).
From the agency side of things, a few things I have learned from my work as an in-house translator is that freelance translators should not be afraid to turn a job down and should make every reasonable effort to respond quickly to queries regarding their availability for a job. Agencies appreciate quick responses, even if those responses are that you are unavailable. If you produce good quality work and respond promptly to correspondence, most project managers will certainly keep you in mind for the next job when you actually are available.
Hopefully my experience will help those considering technical translation in their quest for a fulfilling profession. Technical translation may not seem exciting from the offset, but it does provide incredible job satisfaction.
I started my career as an in-house translator for a translation agency, working with all sorts of texts from both Russian and German into English. The general nature of my job was the best thing for me at the time, as it gave me an opportunity to try different types of translation and find a specialisation that suited me. I found that I have a natural flair for technical writing, and so technical translation seemed a good direction to go.
Technical translation is less about style and creativity and more about writing clearly and being specific. As with any kind of writing, knowing your audience is important, and as with any kind of translation, knowing both your source and target languages well is essential. But a technical translator should also be a good researcher and have a flair for logical thinking. Because technical terms are not part of the general population’s lexicon, a technical translator needs to know not just what these terms are and how to use them, but also how to explain them in layman’s terms without “dumbing down” the text too much.
When I first started translating technical texts, I drew a lot on my personal second-hand experience. My father is a civil engineer who loves talking about his work and sharing his knowledge, so I already had a great deal of “technical immersion” whilst growing up. In the first few months of my translation career, I rang him occasionally to ask his professional advice for describing certain mechanical components. I also collaborated closely with my clients, asking questions about the products or about how certain components function, and I then used that background knowledge in my research during the translation process. Additionally I did a fair amount of background reading on general technical topics in my target language; for example, if I was translating a text on refractometers, I would find a few good articles about refractometry in English (my target language) on the Internet from reasonably reliable sources and read those before starting the text and searching for specific terms. These are all things that definitely helped me develop good research methods in my first year of translation. Recently I also began A-level courses in Maths and Physics and I plan on doing a degree in civil engineering in the near future.
A few years on in my career, I am still working as an in-house translator while also doing some freelancing in my spare time. For the last six months I have been translating texts for one client alone, a company in Austria that develops lighting systems. This is my favourite client, and I am their number one choice for English translation, even to the point where they have delayed launching certain products because they want me to translate the work. We have a solid working relationship built on mutual respect. I cannot stress enough how important that is! I recently went to visit this client and look at their products up-close and in person, which was a great opportunity to build on our existing relationship and also play with the products with which I have become so familiar.
For those who might be considering a career in technical translation, there are a few things they should keep in mind: technical translation may not seem to be as exciting as other types of translation, but it can be a very satisfying job. The important thing is to stick with it for a few months and find some solid research methods that work for you (and preferably a reliable, decent-sized technical dictionary). I have found that the longer you do it, the less of a chore it becomes, and the greater the enjoyment you receive from it.
A few other tips for budding technical translators: consider taking a technical writing course and also getting more specific qualifications in your chosen field of expertise. While I do not necessarily think a whole extra degree is required (like my future engineering degree), even just a simple electrician’s course may provide useful knowledge to rely on in future and can also be used to attract new clientele, both in the form of agencies and direct clients. Also, do not be afraid to ask the client questions about the text, but do avoid general queries such as “What does X mean?” and instead think of targeted, logical questions that will encourage helpful responses from the client (such as “How does X interact with Y? Does X have a sensor that allows it to function in this way?”).
From the agency side of things, a few things I have learned from my work as an in-house translator is that freelance translators should not be afraid to turn a job down and should make every reasonable effort to respond quickly to queries regarding their availability for a job. Agencies appreciate quick responses, even if those responses are that you are unavailable. If you produce good quality work and respond promptly to correspondence, most project managers will certainly keep you in mind for the next job when you actually are available.
Hopefully my experience will help those considering technical translation in their quest for a fulfilling profession. Technical translation may not seem exciting from the offset, but it does provide incredible job satisfaction.
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