Best Tips for Translators

Congratulations! You’ve decided to pursue your dream and join other translators in becoming your own boss. This may have been because you love languages, want to be able to work remotely, or for a bunch of other reasons.

After you’ve taken the first step to becoming an English translator and researched where to start, what comes next? You keep studying and practicing, but may wonder if that’s all. How can you improve? 

If you’re looking for the best tips a translator may need , keep reading. We’ve compiled great information for you to help you grow in your new career.

Upgrade Your Skills as a Translator

Review all documents

To begin, be sure to carefully read all of the documents and files sent to you by the client. This is critical because they contain the instructions on how to do the job correctly. Some clients might be particular, so you want you want to adhere to how they want you to approach the translation. 

Also, reviewing the documents ensures that you have received all of the necessary files to conduct the translation. 

Subject matter and language style

Be sure that you are comfortable working with the subject matter and language style of the translation job. If you don’t feel confident translating a medical book or religious text, don’t do it! 

Although it’s not always best to turn down work because you want to grow your business, but it could cost you. If the client is unhappy with the translation job you did, you could end up with a bad review and lose future project opportunities. 

Specialize

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip. We briefly speak about this in a previous blog post, but it deserves a spot on this list. 

Specializing in a subject or two will give you a competitive advantage in marketing your services, which could be the final reason why a client selects you over your competitor. 

If you specialize in a specific area, let’s say biochemistry, it will be much easier to translate content on this topic because you will be familiar with technical jargon. This will enable you to do the translation quickly and effectively. 

Familiarize yourself with the file format

If a client specifies a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool, do not use an alternative. You might be used to a different software program that delivers similar results, but it wouldn’t be wise to return a translation job in a different format to your client. Doing this could take up a lot of your client’s time trying to reformat the document. Again, it’s a recipe for a bad review and an unhappy customer.

What can you do? Become familiar with as many formats you can and make sure that you understand the one your client wants for the translation. Your ultimate goal is to have a satisfied client!

Reference materials

If your client has taken the time to put together style guides, glossaries, and terminology databases, use them!

It’s likely that you are not the first translator they have worked with. Using the information you were provided helps ensure the client’s documents are translated with consistency in style and terminology.

Communication is key

If the original material you’ve been given for the translation job has some quality control issues, let your client know. You don’t want to assume you know what was trying to be communicated. Inform your client that there’s a problem with the source text and ask them how they would like you to proceed. 

If, for some reason, you can’t get in touch with the client, do your best to follow what has been done for previous translations. This might mean working in a way that differs from your personal style or preference. 

Also, make sure you keep notes while translating so that you can share the information with your client once the job has been completed.

Research

We can’t emphasize how important research is when working as a translator. You can go online and look up references about the subject of the translation. Doing this will help you become better informed in case the topic is a little out of your comfort zone. 

When conducting your research, explore technical jargon, slang, and anything else that might be useful for the translation. Review the client’s website and even the sites of their competitors as a starting point.

Don’t be literal

If your client wanted a word-for-word translation, there are tons of software programs that can get the job done. As a professional translator, you can use your knowledge about the nuance of languages to make the words come alive in the target language.

Make sure you take a natural approach to translating. That is, unless you’re translating technical material. 

Compare and contrast with the source text

Go through both the original document and the final translation text you worked on. It’s best to always do to so that you can make sure you didn’t miss any important information or details. 

Also, double check that the style is correct one, then make any changes accordingly. 

Editing

Once the text has been translated, you should move on to self-editing and proofreading. This vital step cannot be overlooked because, as a professional, you should not deliver work with typos. 

For helpful tips on how to self-edit, check out this post! Find out how to self-edit a blog post, manuscript, or other texts.

Takeaway

As a translator, there are lots of things you can do to grow professionally. Applying these simple tips will get you a few steps closer to becoming an amazing English translator!

If you’re just starting out or thinking about beginning a career in translation, read our previous post about how to become an English translator”.