Are you a translator?

I assume that if your reading this you are. This blog is getting quite a few hits and though I have no idea who the readers are, I assume that you are translators.

"Who me?" you may ask. "I have not completed an MA in Linguistics. I have hardly any experience, except that I once translated my neighbor's favorite haiku in exchange for him mowing my lawn. But that doesn't entitle me a to call myself a translator. I don't want to mislead anyone. I'm not a real translator, just... a wannabee, an amateur, a hack, a rookie..."

If that sounds like you, I applaud your honestly. However, I have news for you... you are indeed entitled to call yourself a translator. There is no rule that states that a person may not present himself as a translator, unlike a doctor, or accountant, or lawyer, for example. If you decide that you are a translator, then you are.

The question is: what sort of translator are you?

There are plenty of awful translators out there, but I am sure that you will not be counted among them. I am fairly certain that they don't read blogs or any other materials about the art and science of translation. They generally figure that if they know two languages and how to type, they are fully qualified to inflict themselves on clients and readers everywhere.

There are many excellent professional translators. Thanks for reading! You know that, no matter how experienced and successful you are, there is always a whole world of learning still waiting to be discovered, which will benefit your professional satisfaction and standard.

Then there are plenty of inexperienced and unpolished translators out there. Are you one of those? If so, that may well be fixable. Perhaps you should go get that MA or join some sort of translation training program.

I must admit I never completed one (though I did start one). I do have a BA in Communications (with majors in languages and journalism). That strikes just the right chord on my resume. I'm not obligated to mention that the language I majored in was Thai (don't ask) even though I translate from Hebrew to English.

I built my translation career through a lot of passion, research and hard work. I cannot actually tell you how hard I sweated over my computer in the early years of my career.

I created my Translators' Training Program to give people a jump-start in the industry in three months without having to go through what I did over a period of about two years.

This week I read with interest on the Israel Translators' Association mailing list that there is an attempt to create an international standard for quality for professional translators. It will be based on BS EN 15038:2006, an EU standard. Apparently, that standard requires that translators have either:
1) formal higher education in translation (recognized degree);
2) equivalent qualification in any other subject plus a minimum of two years
of documented experience in translating;
3) over five years of documented professional experience in translating.

This standard sounds very sensible. In fact, I tell my students (who almost all have at least one academic qualification) that it will take them about two years of translation work to reach a first-rate professional standard. (I was also relieved to find out that if any of my clients find out that my major was in Thai, that I can tell them that I still qualify for the EU standard on two other counts!)

You don't need training to be a translator, but it certainly helps.

What kind of translator are you?