TRANSLATOR TIPS FROM SUNNY GREECE
After 7 years in the translation industry, I have had many highs and lows, more highs than lows, fortunately! 聽I have also learned to navigate the industry pretty well. Working with clients around the globe, adhering to tight deadlines and new translation technologies keeps things fresh and exciting.聽 I’m happy to have the opportunity to pass along some ‘translator tips’ to new translators, hope these help!
Translator Tips – Tips for Success聽#1
Confidentiality and Handling of Non-Disclosure Agreements聽(狈顿础鈥檚)
Here are some disclosure tips for new translators who maybe be put-off when approached by an agency to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). Let me put it this way:聽 It鈥檚 for your own good.聽
We handle, at times, apart from fluffy marketing, poetry, novels, academic papers, and so on, some pretty heavy stuff. 聽We鈥檙e talking about serious legal documents, medical reports, criminal records, confidential financial documents, and so on. Sometimes we work with audio files of interviews with high-ranking individuals, sometimes they鈥檙e extremely powerful persons who need to receive some answers on issues that make or break their next move.聽 Tempted to go knock on a door of some journalist?
Stop right there. The industry is founded on trust and professionalism.聽 We sign these agreements because we agree to keep our names and ideas out of other people鈥檚 business. 聽Other than doing our job 鈥� translating, we just cannot get involved in any way.聽 A foreign language translator is not a crusader. Thinking about doing some independent research聽on the names that come up in a file after you鈥檝e translated it?聽 That鈥檚 when things get messy.
Just don鈥檛 do it. Our only involvement is to precisely translate and proofread our client鈥檚 documents, and do a damn good job. 聽Then, we disappear. A saint in civilian鈥檚 clothing?聽 Perhaps.聽 Anonymous, behind-the-scenes, and low-key. This is the lifestyle we choose the moment we decided to become translators.
Trust. Everyone involved trusts that we are professionals and will handle all documents with the utmost confidentially. 聽We are expected to treat all information as confidential, and take steps to protect that confidentiality. Just sign the agreements.聽 Believe me, it鈥檚 for everyone鈥檚 good.
Translator Tips – Tips for Success #2
Prioritizing your work and聽avoiding聽NOS, or 鈥淣ight-Owl Syndrome鈥�
Hmmm, so you鈥檝e put off working on a 2,000-word file until 9 pm and the deadline is 9 am the next morning.聽 Perhaps you鈥檝e got a good start to filling up your career with all-nighters, and have become a real night owl.聽 I urge you to break that cycle, or simply don鈥檛 start.聽 Because once you start pulling all-nighters, it鈥檚 hard to break the habit.聽 Years will go by and you will have hundreds of all-nighters and fuzzy days behind you.
Challenge yourself from the start.聽 Get going with a disciplined program that lets you work specific hours during the day, and please, don鈥檛 be afraid to state your working hours on portals, databases, etc.聽 I know we have clients from all over the world, in all time zones.聽 But we all know what doctors say:聽 Rest up at night; it keeps the days fresh. And for crying out loud, get a good night鈥檚 sleep, every night! 聽(This, coming from an incessant night owl who has made it a habit to do midnight housework.聽 Hey, I鈥檓 a single mom of two young rascals!
Translator Tips – Tips for Success #3
Professionalism and Netiquette
I have had my fair share of hounding Project Managers at times when work was low.聽 Yes, there will be dry spells.聽 Pressure for cash is never a friendly thing, but don鈥檛 become a pest to your clients.
Take advantage of the dry spells to do some marketing and professional development.聽 Jump on social media sites; update your resume, your profiles, and network with past or
existing clients.聽 Use the downtime to follow up on emails and perhaps even take an online course on new translation trends. As freelance translators, we鈥檙e not going to land that permanent translation gig that rewards us with a fixed high-class income, all insurance and benefit perks, a car, free cell phones, you know, that dream job somewhere in a tower overlooking the downtown harbor. But we have the flexibility, freedom, and pride of working for ourselves.
So even when times are tough, stay friendly, stay happy, show how much you love doing what you are doing (and if you don鈥檛 love what you鈥檙e doing then you probably shouldn鈥檛 be doing it). If a company doesn鈥檛 like your work and slashes your pay, chalk it up to experience!聽 If you find some good friends in the industry, keep them!
Do business as if you were overlooking that downtown harbor and driving a Lexis.聽 Stay cool and keep a positive attitude. I am going to suggest, however, that you treat everyone working on every level of the project with respect, and if there鈥檚 a lot of complaining going on, keep in mind that we do not know what this individual has just been through on any aspect of his/her life, just as they don鈥檛 know what we鈥檝e just been through.
That鈥檚 all for now鈥�. Happy Tips for Happy Times!聽
Signing off from Sunny Greece.
Alexandra H. Greek to English Translator
7+ Years of Translation Experience. 聽 Certified Pro Translator.
mini传媒 provides high quality, foreign language translation solutions in all languages. 聽We are dedicated to offering cost-effective, superior聽translation services. 聽Click HERE to learn more about our translation solutions or call our office at 732-898-9144 to discuss your next translation project with one of our Project Managers.
