| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Would you like your children to be translators when they grow up? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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John Cutler 
Spain
Local time: 02:32
Spanish to English
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| A better life? | Mar 15, 2007 |
[quote]Tomás Cano Binder wrote:
I am astonished about the low number of "Yes" replies.
I've also noticed that for the last several hours the no answers have been leading the yes answers.
Are many of us like the dockworkers, miners, manual/ domestic laborers of the last centuries?
Are we hoping our children find a "better" life than ours?
| | | | | It would be nice | Mar 15, 2007 |
I would like my girl to be a translator, but of course I will never force her. She's growing up almost trilingual, so why not? She could also help me with my growing family business. But I think my daughter is developing a natural skill towards either veterinary/medicine or painting.
Almost anything she decides to be, will make me happy
[Edited at 2007-03-15 17:12]
| | | | | The choice of the children | Mar 15, 2007 |
I completely agree with Emanuelle!
Emmanuelle Hingant wrote: I don't think I'd really have my say in their decision. They will probably do whatever they want and I'll support them as much as I can. I think they should choose a job in their passion, as I did with translation. If they can afford to work in what they love, then they can only be happy. I say all this but I don't have children... 
I am not in the business of pushing a child into the direction of the parent's profession. If my child wants to be a plumber or painter and decorator, so be it.
Any choice will be supported!
| | | | | Yes, of course! | Mar 15, 2007 |
I love my children, I love my job, why wouldn't I be thrilled at their being translators? Of course, I would be equally thrilled at any of thousands of other great choices they could make!
My three children are already adults. All three have done some translating, and two have done some interpreting (ASL as well as Spanish and English).
One has neither the aptitude nor the temperament for a full-time language-related career.
One has the aptitude but not the... See more I love my children, I love my job, why wouldn't I be thrilled at their being translators? Of course, I would be equally thrilled at any of thousands of other great choices they could make!
My three children are already adults. All three have done some translating, and two have done some interpreting (ASL as well as Spanish and English).
One has neither the aptitude nor the temperament for a full-time language-related career.
One has the aptitude but not the temperament.
The third has both.
Each already has a rewarding career. I doubt any of them will translate/interpret except on an occasional basis or as a volunteer.
But then, I became a translator late in life, so who knows? ▲ Collapse
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| A better life? | Mar 15, 2007 |
John Cutler wrote:
I've also noticed that for the last several hours the no answers have been leading the yes answers.
Are many of us like the dockworkers, miners, manual/ domestic laborers of the last centuries?
Are we hoping our children find a "better" life than ours?
Honestly, I don't think our life is that awful that we don't desire it for our children! And actually if any of my kids decided to continue my work, he would inherit a quite nice termbase and some customers to start with! The easy way... "Thanks daddy!".
| | | | | I respect my children | Mar 15, 2007 |
I always tried to help my children become independent human beings. Out of respect for their decision about their lives, my answer was: It depends.
It depends on what they want. It is a bit late though, one is a Navy pilot and the other is an art curator. It is not hard to imagine that I would rather have my son sitting in front of a computer all day long than flying a fighter jet or helicopter, but I respect his decision. That is his passion, as mine is translating.
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The eldest is already a Translation student and a Proz member http://www.proz.com/pro/62155 Can't wait for her completion of the course and taking some workload off my back
Another one loves Spanish language and culture, and even though she declares herself too lively t... See more
| | | | Denise DeVries
United States
Local time: 20:32
Spanish to English
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| They say it's "too difficult" | Mar 16, 2007 |
Viktoria Gimbe wrote:
I would like for them to do whatever makes them happy - if that's translation, so be it. I have no regrets, so I wouldn't be against it.
One huge advantage: they would have a mentor, and one that is really motivated in helping them to be successful. Nothing like motherly - or fatherly - love!
My grown children have tried to help me with my work, and they have the skill to do so, but they say it's "too hard," and they don't want to try. I love the challenge, but apparently challenge doesn't make them happy.
Maybe I'll have better luck with the grandchildren.
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Heidi C
Local time: 20:32
English to Spanish
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| The best laid plans... | Mar 16, 2007 |
Nesrin wrote: I have it all carefully planned out for them: The first will be a Nobel-prize winning physicist, the second will be secretary-general of the UN, the third will be an Olympic gold medalist. Translation doesn't fit into these plans I'm afraid.
Love it!!!!
But they will all have translation as a back up, or to do in their free time...
| | | | Heidi C
Local time: 20:32
English to Spanish
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| The best laid plans II... | Mar 16, 2007 |
Actually, they should choose what they want to do... It never works out when parents pick their children's path.
Funny, my father (a cardiologist) always wanted me to go into science. Actually, to quote him: "you should study medicine, after that, you are prepared to do anything!!!"
As an aside, I can tell you he was a successful doctor, loved and respected by all. Yet, he "moonlighted" as the translator of a medical magazine, I suppose he did it to "relax".
... See more Actually, they should choose what they want to do... It never works out when parents pick their children's path.
Funny, my father (a cardiologist) always wanted me to go into science. Actually, to quote him: "you should study medicine, after that, you are prepared to do anything!!!"
As an aside, I can tell you he was a successful doctor, loved and respected by all. Yet, he "moonlighted" as the translator of a medical magazine, I suppose he did it to "relax".
I began my university studies in Biology, and ended up in Literature and Translation. (And my Simon and Shuster is the one he used, never had to buy it!).
But I do believe that if you are a truly multilingual family, and your children live in a multilingual and multicultural environment, there is a natural path into translation.
So, who knows what might happen? My 18 year old son, the "future doctor" (my dad must be smiling somewhere), who next year will be a freshman in Biomedical Engineering, is completely bilingual and since the first grade in school has been interpreting for his classmates and translating stuff for school. ▲ Collapse
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But in the fisr place, I'd like them (so far, I've only got a little daughter) to be happy and satisfied with what they do. If it's translation, ok, that's fine.
So far, she's only in kindergarten and still has a lot of time to decide.
Nice poll, btw!
All the best,
Carolin
| | | | | He'd be good at it... | Mar 16, 2007 |
My son is 28 and has already had a 'checkered' career from biochemistry to physics to computer programming...
He would be good at translating if he tried it, and he did actually interpret informally between English and German at a university conference. (His first language is Danish, but he is pretty bilingual with English, especially after 5 years in the UK.) We have always been very language conscious and played with language to teach him English when he was little. We couldn't s... See more
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Heike Kurtz
Germany
Local time: 02:32
Member (2005)
English to German
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| certainly not the worst thing they could do... | Mar 16, 2007 |
I enjoy my profession very much - not only the work itself, but also the fact of being self-employed and therefore able to schedule my work according to the requirements of my "other" life as a mother and housewife.
Therefore, if they decided to become translators, I would certainly be happy - also because I could support them, then. (Which would be difficult if they chose to become Physicians or so...).
| | | | | N/A - not my choice | Mar 16, 2007 |
Hi,
I didn't answer "yes" because even if I like my job a lot, it's my personal choice and I would like my children to do exactly the same: find something they will enjoy doing for a living.
I have a big family so I had a chance to discover lots of different jobs before I chose my career because everyone is doing something different.
I didn't answer "yes" because I'm pretty sure that at least my daughter has no big interest in foreign languages. My 4-year old son he may have th... See more Hi,
I didn't answer "yes" because even if I like my job a lot, it's my personal choice and I would like my children to do exactly the same: find something they will enjoy doing for a living.
I have a big family so I had a chance to discover lots of different jobs before I chose my career because everyone is doing something different.
I didn't answer "yes" because I'm pretty sure that at least my daughter has no big interest in foreign languages. My 4-year old son he may have the abilities to become a translator, but I won't be disappointed if he chooses something else.
I'll try to help them find the job they want, as long as they're good at it and enjoy doing it - and it's honest work and they earn good money
Marie-Céline ▲ Collapse
| | | | John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 02:32
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Father translators | Mar 16, 2007 |
Yesterday I noticed that the no answers surpassed the yes answers (they still are in the lead).
Today, I can't help but notice that of the 28 answers up to the moment, only 3 have been from men.
Don't fathers who are translators take an interest in their children's futures?
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