Translation is most commonly described as a form of communication, wherein one language is interpreted into another preferred language. The primary objective of this exercise is to facilitate the required oral or sign-language communication between two or more individuals. The first signs of translations can be traced back to 2000 BCE, wherein experts who had knowledge of more than one language, began the adaptations of Southwest Asian languages, specifically.
Technology has advanced at a fast pace since then and there are many different types of translation services available for interested customers. The list of types of translation services includes software localization, website translations, medical translations, technical translations and multi-media localization. Each is extremely important in different fields of business.
One of the main channels through which translation services have managed to gain such a high-level of recognition in this age and time is the internet. The World Wide Web has played a crucial role in ensuring that different types of translation services facilitate the varying need of language localization. Following given are the essential tips for translators:
Shift to Right brain:
The activity of translation essentially uses up the majority of the creative side of an individual. Many might not be aware of this, but we tend to utilize the right side of our brains for most of the creative activities. Innovative ideas mostly strike us especially when we are relaxed.
For example, many individuals have admitted to having million-dollar ideas, especially in their showers. Why not make maximum use of this? Switch to the right side of your brain when it comes to any type of translation activity. Ground-breaking discoveries have found that switching in the right hemisphere helps individuals achieve the best kind of results. Increase your productivity at being a translator by relying on the right side of your brain.
Effective small talks:
A Major bunch of really good translators is extrovert. They specialize in establishing a firm level of comfort with their networkers. One of the main methods through which they end up connecting with their potential networkers is through small talks. It is undeniable that small talks are extremely painful and unnecessary tasks, but you will be surprised to find out the extent to which, they actually work.
Start by working on your conversation starters but keep in mind that you must keep it short and sweet too. Do not try to sell yourself too much by monopolizing people, but at the same time, you must embrace your bold side and stand out. Make your potential customers feel at ease when they are conversing with you.
Revision:
The best quality to adopt as a translator is to ensure that you are not too overconfident about your work. Kickstart this attitude by ensuring that you always double-check your work before submitting it.
Inconsequential grammatical errors can seriously hamper your reputation as a translator. It is extremely necessary for experts to revise their work before passing it on to their employers. Always choose quality over quantity over all the cases.
Make yourself comfortable with the job:
Some might perceive the job of a translator as being simple and boring, while others might feel that it is quite a task. Whatever it may be, if you take up the job of a translator, you are in for good. This makes it important for you to feel at maximum comfort when you are performing different activities of translation.
The list of activities that you will be required to carry out include: speaking to the subject, making the subject feel comfortable, jotting down your interpretations and stating your conclusions among other factors. All throughout these procedures, it is important that you stay confident.
You can do this by becoming comfortable with your job as a translator. You will be surprised by the level of professionalism that will carry out your tasks as a translator after becoming fully comfortable with it. It is probably the best thing to do if you want to master your job.
Reference material is needed:
No matter what kind of an expert you are, or how many years of experience you might have packed in your bag as a translator, you can never be overly confident about your work. Keeping the appropriate reference material handy not only makes it easy for one to carry out their jobs, but also keeps them informed about the changing style guides and glossaries of their work.
This enhances their productivity as translators – a quality that most employers are looking for these days.
Do not hesitate to contact your translation project manager or client:
The job of a project manager does not end as soon as he/she is done allocating your task as a translator for you. Not only is it important to keep your project manager up to date regarding the progress you have made in your work, but it is also essential that you clear out your doubts as soon as possible.
Do not hesitate to contact your translation project manager if you have any doubts. The clarification will end up saving you a lot of time and energy. If you encounter any problems, then contact the manager immediately. This will not bring your reputation down as a translator; on the contrary, will help you deliver exactly what your client requires.
This will lead the client to return again to another project as he/she knows that they can rely on you for delivering exactly what they want.
Double checking is must:
Any form of writing requires double checking. Small details like typos, grammatical errors or any other translation-related issues can be resolved through double checking. Many clients end up sending the work back for revision. Prevent the occurrence of such a situation by simply double checking.
This way, you will not give your client the chance to drop in any complaints or doubt and therefore, will maintain your level of productivity. Moreover, you will also be saving a lot of your own time.
Avoid being literal:
If you are a language expert, you will not deny the fact that different words stand for different meanings in different languages.
Therefore, translating literally is not such an advisable thing to do for professionals. It is important that the meaning or intention of the subject is clearly specified through your interpretation. This will save you a lot of embarrassment too.
Make a habit to add notes for clients:
Sometimes, there are a lot of wordy sentences.
This can get heavy for readers to understand. You can easily solve this problem by writing or rather, adding tiny notes on the side for your clients. They can refer to the note every time they are in a state of confusion.
This will help them remain on the same page as what your translated work has to offer.
Conclusion
By keeping these above-mentioned tips in mind, one can quickly gain a reputation in the industry for being an effective, efficient and productive translator.
Your clients will keep coming back to you if you religiously follow the above-given tips. Even though they may seem simple to follow at once, it can get difficult to adapt them to a habit in a longer run. Therefore, keep at it until it becomes a part of you as a translator and then, there will be no stopping you.
