When Businesses Look for Professional Translators, Will They Find You?

Translators are much like language masters. They take meaningless words and make them meaningful to different audiences. Translators can make business contracts written in German understandable to those whose native language is Dutch; websites designed in English legible in Spanish; and pharmaceuticals involving clinical trials in France understandable to those in Sweden.

Skills You Need to be a Professional Translator

“If you skimp on research, if close is good enough for you, this is not the right career choice. Either you need to get through on sheer meticulousness or you need an all-absorbing passion for the work.”

Professional translators need to be fluent in more than one language, but there is much more to translation than knowing the words. The National Career Service points to these basic skills required for anyone considering a professional career in translation:

The ability to write well in your target language
The ability to adapt to different styles and cultures
A flair for research
Discretion and respect for confidentiality
The ability to remain neutral and free of bias
Good computer skills, particularly word processing

Keep in mind that an inability to pay strict attention to detail and a lack of meticulousness in your work are dealbreakers in translation. The Detail Woman puts it this way, “If you skimp on research, if close is good enough for you, this is not the right career choice. Either you need to get through on sheer meticulousness or you need an all-absorbing passion for the work.”

Reasons to Consider Translation as a Career

Samanphy Li provides a few good reasons why translation is a fantastic career:

It’s an opportunity for working independently
Excellent translators are well compensated in the high-end market
The work is varied and interesting
Plenty of opportunities for career progression

Not everyone can be a professional translator; some lack the skills and others lack the desire to work hard at being great. For those who have the total package of skills, flair and desire, professional translation can be the career that lasts a lifetime. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. If you love languages and making them understandable to the masses, you can continue to do what you love even after retirement age. There’s no heavy lifting, no long-distance travel (unless you request it) and, many times, the hours can be flexible.

Translators Wear Many Hats—And They Wear Them Well

At ITC, professional translators are experts in their field as well as their language. When it comes to the languages that are translated by ITC, you’ll find a wide range of common languages such as French, Spanish and English. But we go beyond that to include extensions such as:

Canadian French
UK English
Multiple dialects of Chinese

As well as a broad range of over 75 world-wide language pairs including a few not-so-common languages, such as:

Icelandic
Czech
Finnish

As for the professional areas where our translators shine, services include industries like Marketing, Legal, IT and much more.We also provide audio and video production services that include:

Video production and editing
Voice-over work
Dubbing
Subtitling

When businesses need a professional translation for any project, in any language, in any area, they don’t just go with any company. They contact ITC to get the best translators in any area, every time.