| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Poll: What is the first reaction when someone finds out you are a translator? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| Can't anyone translate? | Mar 6, 2006 |
She (on a surprised tone): Doesn't your boyfriend help you with your translations when you're so busy?
Me (equally surprised at her question): Well, he's a software architect...
She: But he does speak English, right?
It's happened to me recently.
| | | | Maria Tulbure 
Local time: 22:24
Member (2005)
English to Romanian
+ ...
| reply to Elena | Mar 6, 2006 |
it seems that's globally typical
Of course I´ve also seen people "disappointed" when you say you use dictionaries for your work. [/quote]
That holds good for Romania, too and as Nicole says for the USA, but I thing it holds good for everywhere. There are plenty of people pigeonholing you 'ignorant' if you are a translator and still use a dictionary.
[Edited at 2006-03-06 11:47]
| | | | | Positive reactions anybody? | Mar 6, 2006 |
I find that most reactions are positive, and I very rarely get the ignorant reactions that some of you seem to experience regularly.
Some factors which perhaps work in my favour:
- I live in a country which is largely aware of languages (and in particular the importance of my target language and native language, English). The public perception may be different if the nearest foreign language territory is thousands of miles away (North America, Australia, NZ) or at least over the sea ... See more I find that most reactions are positive, and I very rarely get the ignorant reactions that some of you seem to experience regularly.
Some factors which perhaps work in my favour:
- I live in a country which is largely aware of languages (and in particular the importance of my target language and native language, English). The public perception may be different if the nearest foreign language territory is thousands of miles away (North America, Australia, NZ) or at least over the sea (UK) and if people think their native language should be spoken by everyone in the world.
- I live in the country of my foreign language, and people find it easier to accept that I can offer my native language as a service.
- I work in subject areas that many find difficult even in their own language (contracts/architecture)
- People accept me as a linguist because they see how I can handle their own language ▲ Collapse
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Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 12:24
English to German
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In memoriam | Guess it depends on where you live | Mar 6, 2006 |
I very rarely get the ignorant reactions that some of you seem to experience regularly.
Ahw, Victor - I envy you. Come, visit me in Cowboy-Land. Nyuk, nyuk. (Suffer.) Greetings to you! Best, Nicole
| | | | Aurora Humarán (X)
Argentina
Local time: 16:24
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Another great poll! Thank you, Marcus. | Mar 6, 2006 |
A colleague was once contacted by a client she hadn't been in contact for years. He asked her:
"Hey there! Do you still translate?"
She answered: "sure, and tell me something, are you still an accountant?"
Oh, my... as if being a translator was a hobby.
| | | | | how do you get work? | Mar 6, 2006 |
by e-mail... to which funny looks follow... because they think I'm an interpreter...
Giovanni
| | | | Silvia Montufo Urquízar (X)
Spain
Local time: 21:24
French to Spanish
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| The most annoying | Mar 6, 2006 |
For me the most annoying is when they expect you to translate ALL languages in the world, and show disappointness when you tell them it's only THREE, actually.
Most people are puzzled and don't feel it's a real job, and luckly you also find nice people who show admiration and respect... I always wonder how come it's so unknow when it is a profession older than the times... What do you think?
Silvia Montufo
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kflatter
Local time: 21:24
German to English
I get, "oh well, that's really easy for you isn't it, because you're English".
No comment.
| | | | | Translator? Can you make a living out of that? | Mar 6, 2006 |
I get this question nine times out of ten, when somebody hears that I'm a translator. Quite a few people don't understand the size of the market and that there's a global need for translations.
And as already mentioned above, other people often speak about translators but in the end they simply meant interpretors.
I always start telling them about the imported devices and other electronical gadgest they have in their home, that the manuals sure needs to be translated.... See more I get this question nine times out of ten, when somebody hears that I'm a translator. Quite a few people don't understand the size of the market and that there's a global need for translations.
And as already mentioned above, other people often speak about translators but in the end they simply meant interpretors.
I always start telling them about the imported devices and other electronical gadgest they have in their home, that the manuals sure needs to be translated. At that point the other person can add some comments like "Yeah, I understand, I once had a manual which I didn't understand because of the bad translation" etc.
But I have long time ago given up trying to explain that any bilingual person isn't automatically a good translator, and that you need other skills as well...
Regards
Erik
**********************************
Erik Hansson ( SFÖ )
Technical translator DE-SV
Hansson Übersetzungen GmbH
Am Birkenwäldchen 38
D-01900 Bretnig-Hauswalde, Germany
Phone +49 - 3 59 52 - 321 07
Fax +49 - 3 59 52 - 322 02
E-Mail [email protected]
Internet www.hansson.de
Internet www.technical-translators.net
Internet www.wintitus.de
ProZ profile http://www.proz.com/pro/21654
*********************************** ▲ Collapse
| | | | Cetacea
Switzerland
Local time: 21:24
English to German
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| That's a first | Mar 6, 2006 |
mediamatrix wrote:
... is that all you do? - how boring.
Now that's one reaction I've never had so far! People are mostly fascinated; the only "problem" I encounter is that a lot of them don't know the difference between a translator and an interpreter. And if their mothertongue is not among the languages I speak, they're sometimes disappointed.
| | | | | Positive reactions | Mar 6, 2006 |
I am quite lucky because I generally get positive reactions when I tell that I'm a translator, working at home. Some people ask me how I manage to organize my schedule with 2 children. Mostly surprise comes when I tell them that I'm translating technical and scientific stuff - as if a woman was not likely to love electronics and chemistry.
But I remember very well that when I first told that I wanted to be a translator (about 20 years ago, I was in high school), everybody from famil... See more I am quite lucky because I generally get positive reactions when I tell that I'm a translator, working at home. Some people ask me how I manage to organize my schedule with 2 children. Mostly surprise comes when I tell them that I'm translating technical and scientific stuff - as if a woman was not likely to love electronics and chemistry.
But I remember very well that when I first told that I wanted to be a translator (about 20 years ago, I was in high school), everybody from family to teachers told me that:
- translating books is not a good idea,
- you won't be able to make a living, only a few privileged people who translate bestsellers do it (implying that I wasn't good enough to be in that category?)
- anyway, how can you want to work in litterature, you are too good at mathematics and science to spoil your career opportunities.
They happened to be good on one point: litterature studies were not for me, I was much better studying sciences and other subjects and I finally came to translation anyway. But I still resent this reduced view of translation, especially coming from teachers who were supposed to be educated people...
Some people really need education... This happened to my husband who is a sales engineer:
His boss comes into his office with papers.
- Can you translate this article from German for me?
- ...
- Well, yes, you come from Alsace, Alsatian is your mother tongue, so you can translate German, can't you?
- OK, I'll do it (sigh).
He takes the papers (2 pages) and puts them on his desk. The boss doesn't leave.
- Do you need anything else, sir?
- Well, aren't you going to translate the text?
Obviously, he was expecting my husband to take the German paper and read it aloud in French.
Now my husband is acting as an "ambassador" - each time he can do it he "educates" his customers about the benefits of quality, the need to have someone competent do it, that anybody who understands/speaks a foreign language is not a translator, that it still takes time to translate a text... I have already gained a client thanks to him! ▲ Collapse
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sarahl (X)
Local time: 12:24
English to French
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| Not really... | Mar 6, 2006 |
Marie Belliot-Niget wrote:
I notice that usually people think of interpreting as being more rewarding than translation. When I say I've never felt appealed to interpreting, it's always " but WHY? it's got to be more interesting". The same goes for subtitling...
When I say I'm an interpreter, the first reaction I get is:
Oh, you work with tourists?
Then I try to explain I'm a *conference* interpreter, and I work medical *conferences*, then they say,
Oh you work in the hospitals!
At which point I usually give up.
| | | | Mieke Tulp (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 21:24
English to Dutch
| Could you..... | Mar 6, 2006 |
After the usual 'what languages?' I often get the question 'I have this article/song text/lettre, could you please..... ' Ah, I am supposed to translate this for free? Nah, I don't think so.
| | | | | Clueless question ("could you please ...?") | Mar 6, 2006 |
Mieke Tulp wrote:
After the usual 'what languages?' I often get the question 'I have this article/song text/letter, could you please..... ' Ah, I am supposed to translate this for free? Nah, I don't think so.
People who don't know our work are often clueless about the amount of time it would take us to translate a text. One possible reply is:
"A text this length would normally pay the rent (keep me in bread/caviar etc.) for a whole day/week/whatever. What arrangement did you have in mind?" That will usually open the person's eyes to what they are actually asking you to do (and they will say that of course they did not want to get a free ride at your expense).
I sometimes do certified translations for people I know quite well, and they normally expect to pay for them, although I generally charge slightly less than my normal rate. I only charge zero for people who are very close to me (and usually they are embarrassed about it and offer me something anyway).
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