Becoming a Professional Translator

In order to obtain a career in the professional translation service industry, your level of education should be a 4-year college degree at the minimum in additional to having proficiency in both a source and target language. You also must have subject matter expertise in the area you wish to translate.

Professional translation service agencies are not looking for a person who is fluent in a language. Being a language translator requires very different skills than being a professional language interpreter. If you intend on specializing, that is, working for a Spanish translation service or medical translation agency, master Spanish and all the dialects and culture nuances that affect a translation. For medical translations, you must be proficient in all medical terminology and again, knowledgeable of culture nuances that affect the language you are translating.

In order to obtain work in as a professional language translator, we suggest the following:

• Study and live in the county whose native language is the language you are interested in translating
• Be proficient in desktop publishing and word processing along with other basic computers skills i.e. familiarity with working with PDF files
• Create a collection of resources and equipment, i.e. Online reliable dictionaries, fax machine, email, printers…..
• Become familiar if not purchase the various translation software tools available
• Continue to read periodicals, books, text books and other documents in the language you are translating
  

The professional translation service industry is growing at an increase rate, which means there is a lot of competition. Prepare a detailed CV which highlights your knowledge of a language and your proficiency of a subject, valuable for Spanish translation agencies or for those looking for medical translation.

Using Professional Translation Services for Marketing

When choosing a marketing strategy for any product, most do not recognize the importance if using verbiage or names that will be pleasing to the global arena…not just locals. That is, if you have an interest in selling your product in any other country than your own.

Using a Spanish translation service or really any professional translation service would be essential. This way you don’t ensure the same issues many other companies have already endured. For example, Nissan named one of their cars “Pixo.” They were unaware that in Castilian Spanish the word is meaningless, but for those who speak Catalan, pixio is the infinitive word pixar conjugated in the first person. Pixar means ‘to urinate.’ Pixio means ‘I urinate.’ In Galician pixo translates to a more vulgar term of the male anatomy.

A translation service agency can not only offer localization and document translation services, but can also consult in global marketing strategies. By the way, Nissan never did change the name of their car.

Work with a professional translation service agency or for marketing to the Spanish market, a Spanish translation service. Contact IU today.

What Differentiates One Translation Service from Another

With hundreds of translation services to choose from for Spanish translation services or medical translations, it’s good to know what differentiates one translation service from another.

Availability: Nowadays translation service agencies are busy. At least the good ones are. Don’t be discouraged if the turnaround time is not exactly how quick you want it to be. This just means you are working with a translation service that is good and has a good reputation.

Reputation: Translation services like any other services depend on good reviews and good references. Don’t be shy to ask for references before making a commitment to move forward. With so many Spanish translation services to choose from, giving out references is to be expected. If the translation service refuses to do so, move on!

Professionalism: You should feel this from your first call all the way to the completion of your translation services, or medical translation requests.

Quality of work: Give a new translation service agency a small project at first in order to evaluate quality.

Reliability: Judging reliability can be difficult when using a new translation service, so proceed slowly by starting out with smaller translations first.

Experience: Work with a translation service or medical translation service that has been in business at least five years.

Specialization: If it is a Spanish translation you need or a medical translation, ensure that your translation service of choice has worked with these types of translations. You do not want to be a translation service agency’s first medical translation.