| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Would you like your children to consider translation as a career? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Would you like your children to consider translation as a career?".
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A forum topic will appear each time a new poll is run. For more information, see: http://proz.com/topic/33629
| | | | Julio Torres
Mexico
Local time: 16:26
English to Spanish
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I would like my children were... happy. If they want to be translators I would support them in order to achieve his or her goals.
I'm happy when they're happy.
| | | | Özden Arıkan 
Germany
Local time: 00:26
Member
English to Turkish
+ ...
| What could be added to this? | Dec 4, 2005 |
Julio Arturo Torres Jaubert wrote:
I'm happy when they're happy.
My child -14 years- has no plans to be a translator, and finds this job 'boring' But she certainly is talented in languages, and in case she changes her mind in the future, of course I'll do my best to support her. I mean, I would never say, "No, choose something else, this job gives you all gray hair, lots of weight, back ache, headache, sour eyes, arthritis... you name it!" But I would say, instead, "It will give you lots of insight to all walks of life, wider horizons, flexibility of thought, so many friends of all cultures ... you name it!"
[Edited at 2005-12-04 15:42]
| | | | ilker ingiz
Türkiye
Local time: 01:26
German to Turkish
+ ...
| I said no, but ... | Dec 4, 2005 |
maybe i should say, not in Turkey. Because of the prices. If this changes in the next 15-20 years, if a translator (literature or technical) can live with the money he/she earns a good (normal?) life, than i will do my best to help my daughter with my experience. But as long as you have to translate about 500 pages in a month (in Turkey) to have an income like 1500 Euro (before taxes), i dont like to consider this career. I thing no one would under this cirucmstances. Right?
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Brandis (X)
Local time: 00:26
English to German
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| I also said no | Dec 4, 2005 |
My chile is 19 years and speaks, frech, italian and german fluently, additionally she is visiting a special music school in switzerland and a wonderful saxophonist. But if she chooses to become, the decision would be hers. I can only support. Brandis
| | | | Steffen Pollex (X)
Local time: 00:26
English to German
+ ...
| To me it is quite scaring that | Dec 4, 2005 |
nearly 50% of those who have responded to this poll so far state they have no children.
Is it because they are so young an do not want children yet, because they have so much work and they can't take care decently, or, maybe, they have to struggle to survive themselves and cannot afford children by there income?
I fear it is the latter reason, which would correspond to some other recent polls, where 40% state they cannot make a decent living on translation (vs. only 2-3... See more nearly 50% of those who have responded to this poll so far state they have no children.
Is it because they are so young an do not want children yet, because they have so much work and they can't take care decently, or, maybe, they have to struggle to survive themselves and cannot afford children by there income?
I fear it is the latter reason, which would correspond to some other recent polls, where 40% state they cannot make a decent living on translation (vs. only 2-3% who say they are very satisfied with their income), and some 30% say they have no health insurance because they can't afford, if I can recall the figures. This would also mirror my own experience - so far, I am still part of the 40%. :-|
What is your opinion? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 01:26
Member (2004)
English to Russian
+ ...
| Would I like? For sure :) | Dec 4, 2005 |
Brandis wrote:
But if she chooses to become, the decision would be hers. I can only support
I think most of us don't want to impose our will onto our children and enforce them in what they don't want to do. Sure, I will support my son in whatever vocation which is his choice (unless it's an illegal one ).
My son is just 9 year old, so I don't really know which kind of vocation he will choose, and I have my reasons to believe that it's unlikely that he'd become a translator, still *I would like if he will do* - in this case it's much easier for me to help him and to share some experience I have in the field. For a while, he shows his interest in how things work from inside, so I suppose he would become a biologist or an engineer, but the time will show...
I believe the only thing we can do is to show our children as many of different ways as possible and to share everything we know about the fields without propelling them to any of them. When my son and me are watching `Animal Planet' I tell him what I know about creatures, and when we watch `Discovery Civilization' I tell him about history, and we watch `Viasat Explorer' I tell him what I know about the universe, stars and planets. Every topic is incredibly fascinating so I think our goal as parents is to show *the wide choice of opportunities* and to bring out this feeling of being fascinated my the world. Then, of course, we have to let our kids to choose what they love most. Without any pressure from our side.
[Edited at 2005-12-04 16:19]
| | | | | I would like my son to be something else | Dec 4, 2005 |
But, of course, it's up to him to choose and he's only 1 month old... :0)
I would like him to be something else but if he chooses to be a translator I will support him and maybe I can give him my clients' contacts for him to have a better start than his mother.
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Sandra C.
France
Local time: 00:26
English to French
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| I don't have children | Dec 4, 2005 |
nearly 50% of those who have responded to this poll so far state they have no children.
Is it because they are so young an do not want children yet, because they have so much work and they can't take care decently, or, maybe, they have to struggle to survive themselves and cannot afford children by there income?
Having children or not is a personal choice which is likely unrelated to being a translator. You assume in your comment that everyone wants to have children but that they just haven't yet. This is obviously not the case. And then there are those who cannot have children for physical, hormonal and other reasons that aren't well known to me.
In any case, I don't think the object of this poll is to speculate on the reason why people have or don't have children... to each their own!
| | | | Andrea Ali
Argentina
Local time: 19:26
Member (2003)
English to Spanish
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| I would, of course | Dec 4, 2005 |
Julio Arturo Torres Jaubert wrote:
I would like my children were... happy. If they want to be translators I would support them in order to achieve his or her goals.
I'm happy when they're happy.
My kids are 8 and 6 so they still have a long way to go before they choose a career. As long as it is an honest career/job, I will support them
Back to work!
Andrea
| | | | Sandra C.
France
Local time: 00:26
English to French
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only 246 people have participated in the poll so far. Can't get a very good idea of the majority yet (upwards of 600 usually answer the polls).
| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:26
Flemish to English
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| No, Non, Njet, Neen, Nein, Ie, nej, | Dec 4, 2005 |
I don't have kids,but perhaps a future step-daughter.
Should she choose translation I would be against and I would certainly not be the one who would finance it or advise this translation as a career. First the figures, than the language or in other words first the business course and maths and then,languages which can be learnt during summer courses.
Society considers translation as a secretarial task- with all due respect for secretaries- and, except for international inst... See more I don't have kids,but perhaps a future step-daughter.
Should she choose translation I would be against and I would certainly not be the one who would finance it or advise this translation as a career. First the figures, than the language or in other words first the business course and maths and then,languages which can be learnt during summer courses.
Society considers translation as a secretarial task- with all due respect for secretaries- and, except for international institutions, there is not career-ladder or growth with translation, only volume growth at lessening rates.
Besides in now and 15 years, technology will have advanced in such a way that translation will only consist of correcting machine-translated texts. ▲ Collapse
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Özden Arıkan
Germany
Local time: 00:26
Member
English to Turkish
+ ...
| I cannot wait to see... | Dec 4, 2005 |
...the machine that'll be translating literature 15 years later!
Williamson wrote:
Besides in now and 15 years, technology will have advanced in such a way that translation will only consist of correcting machine-translated texts.
[Edited at 2005-12-04 18:00]
| | | | Atenea Acevedo (X)
Local time: 16:26
English to Spanish
+ ...
| fully agree... | Dec 4, 2005 |
Sandra Chiancone wrote:
nearly 50% of those who have responded to this poll so far state they have no children.
Is it because they are so young an do not want children yet, because they have so much work and they can't take care decently, or, maybe, they have to struggle to survive themselves and cannot afford children by there income?
Having children or not is a personal choice which is likely unrelated to being a translator. You assume in your comment that everyone wants to have children but that they just haven't yet. This is obviously not the case. And then there are those who cannot have children for physical, hormonal and other reasons that aren't well known to me. In any case, I don't think the object of this poll is to speculate on the reason why people have or don't have children... to each their own!
...with Sandra. I'm one of those who have no children and will not have any because I've never felt the desire to do so. I'm pretty sure even if I were a millionaire I wouldn't have children.
Atenea
[Edited at 2005-12-04 17:29]
[Edited at 2005-12-04 17:29]
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My daughter is an Architect and she loves translating. She says she will help me one day.
It would be her personal decision. I think it would be great!
Cheers.
Inés
[Edited at 2005-12-04 18:53]
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