Gabriela Goitía

I.D 27.169.334

Translation I

What does it takes to be a successful translator?

If you study modern languages, ever since your first semester you will be learning
how to achieve several objectives in order to become professional in the language
industry. In this world, there are two main options, which are translation and
interpretation.

When we talk about these two main elements, we can specialize in several areas
like the business, medical, legal and so many others in which this kind of
professional are needed. But this is not that simple, you’ll have to acquire several
abilities in order to become a successful translator.

The first thing you’ll have to keep in your mind is that conversational English is
inadequate to become a successful professional, this because you’ll have to learn
specific terminology that is required in your working area, also you will need to
acquire a native-like English. This is an excellent idea if you want to start working
in the business area or in the translating area.

But you must know that even with this native-like English, it is not enough to
achieve several goals in the language industry. And why? Because you will have to
improve your skills in any language you want to specialize in.

Following this mindset, in order to become bilingual, you’ll reach another

competency level in the language industry. Why? Because as a translator, it is
required that you must have the ability of being equal or nearly equal in both
languages, so you can easily translate from a language to another.

There are several abilities you must acquire, but in case you haven’t get the idea,
some expert from the American Translation Association have developed the
concept of the “two peaked iceberg” that consists in showing in a graphic way what
are the other things that you must understand to be part of this industry.

It is well known that the two things that you have to acquire first are the
subject/matter knowledge, the other thing is of course having knowledge in a
foreign language, this will be under the C Level, that is known as the competency
level, which is going forward than the conventional level.
After that we have the transfer skill which is the capability to transfer massages to
a language to another and finally we have the two peaks which are the writing skill
in target language for translation and the oral skill in both languages for
interpretation.

With this clear we can proceed to the part in which we want to become in a
translator, you’ll have to pay a prize in order to become the best translator. You
must spend most of time learning in the other language that you are interested in.

This daily practice will give you the ability to translate to this language or to
understand this language.

My plan in the not so far future, once I finish college is to specialize in English –
Spanish translation and also French – English translation. However, I will also like
to learn German and Chinese, I’m interested in theses languages as well.

Having this vision in the future will help to carve out a niche in my translator career,
to carve out a niche is to create a role or opportunity for yourself, especially at
work, this is done by doing a very particular thing very well.

This means that you must find a very specific thing in the world of translation and
learn how to do it and do that thing so well that you become yourself as the best in
this area, this will get a niche that nobody will get and you’ll be very well positioned
in the industry.

The point of this is to become like Demosthenes, which was a Greek statesman
who had great difficulty speaking so he went and practiced every day until he
became the greatest orator of all Athens, so this is what makes him a great role
model.

He was a fighter and he learned out from nothing, that’s what we have to do, to
practice every day, in order to become an expert in our area. In our case we must
learn how to improve ourselves in the translating area. This must be done by
acquiring a bilingual proficiency in the both languages that we have.

Let’s think that we already are translator nowadays being a translator we will be
helped with the use of networking, because now the world is connected and this
will become the most important part of our career as translator, we will find several
works with the networking and even connect with future partners.

So, becoming a translator is not an easy work, in fact is a very demanding career,
but once you accept all the things you have to do and learn all the things that were
said before you’ll be the must successful translator.