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Whether or not to study to get a translation degree is an important decision to make when you decide to become a translator. But is it really necessary? Well, yes and no.
Having formal education as a translator, for example a Bachelor degree from a university, will certainly make it a lot easier to find your first job. When you are first starting out as a translator, you will most certainly face the famous catch 22: Any good translation agency will certainly ask for translators with experience, but how can you gain that experience if no agency will hire you?
If you have a recognized translation degree, however, agencies are more likely to take a chance on you even if you have no experience. Ideally, the translation program you choose will even include an internship so that you do gain work experience before you graduate.
Of course, there are other ways to gain your first work experience, but more on that later.
Once you've been in the translation business for a few years, your education will become less and less important, and your work experience and good references will be what matters. I have some formal education as a translator, but I moved from Germany to Canada before I could complete my degree and certification. I believe that my education was what landed me my first job, but now I don't stress it too much on my CV anymore and I believe that it's my extensive work experience that makes new clients hire me.
There are of course exceptions when you do need a degree. Many government jobs are open only to translators with a formal education. In many countries, you need some sort of certification in order to officially certify a translation for legal matters. And of course there are translation agencies that advertize that they only use certified translators, so having a degree would also open those doors for you.
What about other education?
As a translator, you need a good foundation of the area of specialization you translate in. No translator can produce a good translation of a text she doesn't fully understand. I specialize in technical and patent translations, and my degree in physics has certainly been very helpful both in convincing agencies to give me work and in producing good quality translations.
In general, I think that there are two good ways to become a translator. You can either have a translation degree and acquire expertise in your area of specialization on the side. Or you can have a degree in your specialization and try to gain the necessary skills and experience as a translator in a more informal manner. Of course, this is not a rule set in stone, but I do strongly believe that some sort of university education will be extremely helpful in being a good translator and in getting work.
It would be wonderful to have both a degree in translation and in your area of specialization, but in my opinion that would be overkill and is much too costly and time-intensive to acquire. My recommendation would be to opt for one or the other.
Source:translation-and-languages.com
Having formal education as a translator, for example a Bachelor degree from a university, will certainly make it a lot easier to find your first job. When you are first starting out as a translator, you will most certainly face the famous catch 22: Any good translation agency will certainly ask for translators with experience, but how can you gain that experience if no agency will hire you?
If you have a recognized translation degree, however, agencies are more likely to take a chance on you even if you have no experience. Ideally, the translation program you choose will even include an internship so that you do gain work experience before you graduate.
Of course, there are other ways to gain your first work experience, but more on that later.
Once you've been in the translation business for a few years, your education will become less and less important, and your work experience and good references will be what matters. I have some formal education as a translator, but I moved from Germany to Canada before I could complete my degree and certification. I believe that my education was what landed me my first job, but now I don't stress it too much on my CV anymore and I believe that it's my extensive work experience that makes new clients hire me.
There are of course exceptions when you do need a degree. Many government jobs are open only to translators with a formal education. In many countries, you need some sort of certification in order to officially certify a translation for legal matters. And of course there are translation agencies that advertize that they only use certified translators, so having a degree would also open those doors for you.
What about other education?
As a translator, you need a good foundation of the area of specialization you translate in. No translator can produce a good translation of a text she doesn't fully understand. I specialize in technical and patent translations, and my degree in physics has certainly been very helpful both in convincing agencies to give me work and in producing good quality translations.
In general, I think that there are two good ways to become a translator. You can either have a translation degree and acquire expertise in your area of specialization on the side. Or you can have a degree in your specialization and try to gain the necessary skills and experience as a translator in a more informal manner. Of course, this is not a rule set in stone, but I do strongly believe that some sort of university education will be extremely helpful in being a good translator and in getting work.
It would be wonderful to have both a degree in translation and in your area of specialization, but in my opinion that would be overkill and is much too costly and time-intensive to acquire. My recommendation would be to opt for one or the other.
Source:translation-and-languages.com
