The translation industry encompasses a variety of services that benefit communication in both the professional and personal spheres of life. From the translation of written manuscripts to the interpretation of verbal and non-verbal communication, the industry offers excellent prospects for career growth.
Career prospects in the industry
Even though English is a global language, only a fraction of the world’s population speaks it natively, with a mere 20% holding a certain degree of fluency and command over the language.
Businesses are expanding overseas, which involves the mediation of several different languages, often without the use of English, and thus the need for translators grows ever-increasing.
Translators can provide services in various professional backgrounds, from healthcare and legal to education and corporate settings. The industry is currently valued at 54.8 billion USD, and with globalization, it’s expected to grow even further.
Working in the Industry
Working in translation is all about accurately grasping the gist of the original language and rendering it in the desired language with its unique style, tone, and intention.
It’s a fulfilling career path for anyone who possesses exceptional communication skills (both written and verbal) along with a knack for analytical reasoning and linguistic capabilities. The responsibilities call for significant cultural awareness along with immaculate attention to detail.
Businesses hire translators mainly for document translation services, but your options are not just limited to that! You have an array of options to choose from based on your inclinations, i.e., whether you want to translate verbal/non-verbal exchanges or written manuscripts.
In this article, we describe the work that translators undertake and name six enticing career choices for those who want to get their foot into the industry – Continue reading to learn more!
Six career opportunities in translation
You can work in a wide range of linguistic and cultural contexts, depending on your expertise. Here are six career paths to kickstart your career in translation.
- Medical settings
Medical interpreters and translators operate in healthcare environments. They facilitate patients’ interactions with medical professionals such as physicians, nurses, and technicians.
Because of the nature of this job, translators in the medical area need to be well-versed in the original language, the medical jargon, and treatment practices of the health sector. Patients and doctors alike can benefit from their ability to translate medical literature, drug information, consent forms, condition-specific pamphlets, and other data.
As they are responsible for correctly interpreting material that might impact a patient’s treatment quality, health and medical translators must demonstrate an extreme sensitivity towards the requirements of their clients. Furthermore, much like any other employee in the healthcare industry, translators and interpreters in the healthcare sector have a responsibility to uphold a code of ethics and confidentiality.
- Literary settings
To put it simply, literary translators take works of literature written in one language and render them in another. They analyze the significance and intricacies of literature, such as novels, scholarly articles, poems, and short pieces of fiction.
Literary translators are responsible for staying true to the author’s voice, style, and intent in their work. To accurately convey the original author’s intended meaning, literary translators need to focus on the text’s underlying themes and historical background, which are certain to be very culturally distinctive.
- Judicial settings
Those who translate and interpret the legal and judicial systems do so in diverse venues, including courts, law firms, and government agencies. They translate papers and conversations during legal processes, including depositions, hearings, arraignments, and trials.
Like their medical counterparts, professional legal translators need in-depth familiarity with legal jargon and the protections afforded to clients. Those specializing in legal translation sometimes play crucial roles in the judicial system, acting as advocates for those whose English fluency is restricted.
- Business settings
Expertise in the field to which the business belongs and familiarity with industry jargon are necessities for this kind of translation.
Newsletters, reports, corporate accounts, memoranda, and other forms of written business communication are all examples of material that get translated as part of business document translation. Apart from that, translators often translate discussions and presentations at conferences for participants whose first language is not English.
Business translators and interpreters often find employment in international relations, commerce, and journalism. However, they can also work for any institution or business that needs interpreting services between two or more languages. For this reason, business translators often speak three or more languages fluently. Moreover, simultaneous interpretation is a common task for many such translators.
- Localization settings
Business blogs and websites, manuals, documents, commercials, and campaigns utilize texts and visuals that localizers convert from one vernacular to another. The process of localizing involves making it appear as if it was created in another country.
Businesses can hire localizers to translate the text and visuals of a product from its native language into another. For example, in France, the product would be marketed in French.
Hence, it is incumbent for localizers to be familiar with the technical details and vocabulary of their respective fields. Localizers also often use computers and web-based applications to render the final results.
- Non-verbal settings
For individuals who aren’t proficient in American Sign Language (ASL), sign language interpreters are an essential link in the communication chain between persons with hearing impairments and everyone else. They communicate effectively using sign language, fingerspelling, and other non-verbal signs, utilizing various strategies to convey meaning.
Some deaf people can read lips and understand what is being said when a sign language interpreter converts their native language to English. For the lip-reader to grasp what is being said, Sign language translators must utilize the proper emotions and movements throughout the procedure. Tactile signing is a subset of sign language interpretation that aims to bridge the gap between the visually and auditorily impaired.
Conclusion
Multilingual and multicultural workplaces are becoming increasingly common thanks to globalization, and the demand for effective communication is at an all-time high. As a translator, you can work in diverse environments, utilize your linguistic and communication skills to overcome communication barriers between two parties, and help people with their communication needs.
However, proficiency in your language is essential to convey the intended meaning and tone of what you’re saying instead of simply switching words.
Working as a translator can be a gratifying career path, and we hope this article helped you better understand the career prospects of a job in translation.