Interviews with a Translator and an Interpreter

Do you have a passion for foreign languages? Have you ever thought about becoming a translator or interpreter? Careers in language accessibility are increasingly important with expanding global markets. I interviewed two professionals from these fields to help you get a better idea of what these careers entail as well as some advice for those looking to join. Learn more about translation and interpretation from Bénédicte and Bayda.

Bénédicte, translator:

Alexa: Where are you from and what is your native language?

Bénédicte: I was born and grew up in a small village in Alsace, in France, therefore my native language is French.

Alexa: Which languages do you translate?

Bénédicte: Currently, I translate from English and Italian into French.

A: How long have you been studying these languages?

B: I’ve studied English for a little over ten years, while I’ve only studied Italian for five years.

A: Where did you start to learn them?

B: For English, I started learning when I got to middle school, in 6th grade, whereas I started to learn Italian much later, when I started college.

A: What is your educational background?

B: I first obtained my high school diploma in sciences (baccalauréat scientifique) before really starting to lean towards languages. Once I had my diploma, I started my bachelor’s degree in Applied Modern Languages at the University of Strasbourg. I spent my third year abroad through the Erasmus Exchange Program (European study abroad program) at the University of Nottingham Trent in England. Then, I turned towards translation. I decided to apply for the Master of Professional Translation at the Institute of Translators, Interpreters, and International Relations (ITIRI) in Strasbourg. Through this program, I was able to spend a year at the Altiero Spinnelli Civic School of Interpretation and Translation (Civica Scuola Interpreti e Traduttori Altiero Spinelli) in Milan.

A: What made you decide to go into translation?

B: I chose translation because I love practicing languages and I am committed to making content more accessible to a larger number of people.

A: Do you work as a freelancer or with an agency?

B: Upon finishing my master’s degree, I decided to be a freelance translator.

A: Why did you make this choice?

B: To me, this was the obvious choice after completing my internship alongside Cindy Mittelette-Longuet, the founder of Passionatrad, who herself works as an independent translator. In general, I like the liberties that this working style offers: I like to be able to work at my own pace and at hours that I am most productive – I like to be able to choose the projects I work on, and I like to be able to make decisions that concern myself. I was also drawn to this career’s diversity; no two days are alike. In fact, as an independent translator, my schedule isn’t only filled with translation, but also with prospecting, accounting, and networking, among other things.

A: In your opinion, what are the most important qualities in a translator?

B: To name only three, I think that a translator needs to be curious, rigorous, and organized. In my opinion, curiosity and rigor are vital to translators so that they are able to create quality translations. Lastly, organization is a key element that that allows you to not become overwhelmed, to meet deadlines, and to be able to plan ahead.

A: Is there anything in your career that you dislike?

B: The most complicated aspect for me is always working in front of screens.

A: Do you have any advice for students who would like to become translators?

B: Believe in yourself and put yourself out there. Be an avid reader, do career research and don’t hesitate to ask questions. All of the translators that I have met and have had the pleasure of speaking with have always seemed open and gladly responded to my questions.

Bayda, Interpreter:

Alexa: Where are you from and what is your native language?

Bayda: I am from Syria and my native languages are Arabic and French.

Alexa: Which languages do you interpret?

Bayda: I interpret French, Arabic, and Spanish.

A: How long have you been studying these languages?

B: French and Arabic since I was born and Spanish since 1990.

A: Where did you start to learn them?

B: At home and at school.

A: What is your educational background?

B: I have a Bachelor’s in French Literature and a diploma to teach French as a Second Language. I also have a Master’s in Education – Curriculum and Instruction.

A: What made you decide to go into interpretation?

B: A love for languages and the ease of switching between languages from a very young age.

A: Do you work as a freelancer or with an agency?

B: I’m a freelancer.

A: Why did you make this choice?

B: No specific reason. I am also open to working with an agency.

A: In your opinion, what are the most important qualities in an interpreter?

B: An interpreter should be knowledgeable in a wide array of domains and should always work on expanding his/her vocabulary. An interpreter should always be careful to interpret onlywhat is being related without adding to or subtracting from what is being said by the client. One more thing, an interpreter should use “I” when interpreting for an individual.

A: What do you like most about being an interpreter?

B: Work flexibility and meeting many people from different backgrounds and different parts of the world.

A: Is there anything in your career that you dislike?

B: No.

A: Do you have any advice for students who would like to become interpreters?

B: You have to love what you do.

Hopefully these two have given you some insight into both translation and interpretation!

Human-Powered Translation vs. Machine Translation

Human translation is necessary when conveying written text into other languages. People understand the nuance of word choices, sarcasm, idioms, and humor. Although machine translation has recently made great advancements, there is no substitute for human translators…or is there?

Whether clients are aware or not, machines are often used to help professional translators parse text into shorter segments, create client glossaries based on translation memories, and help translate repeated words automatically. This is not to say that human translators aren’t doing their jobs. They are finding ways to do things faster. There are CAT tools to help them do this. CAT stands for Computer Assisted Translation. This helps with consistent terminology for specific clients. It also helps with overall quality and increased productivity by pre-translating using a translation memory.

Completely human-powered translation, while certainly useful, is not scalable for large projects with tight deadlines and limited resources (available translators and funds). Enter human-edited machine translation, also known as MT + PE (machine translation plus post-editing). As I mentioned, the human touch must be added to the translation process to help improve the overall quality of the resulting message. There are lots of funny, shocking, and cringe-worthy examples on the internet of bad machine translations that have not had human editors as part of the process. Also, whether using human-powered or machine translation, it is important to have an editor and/or proofreader as part of the process.

A simple example of a translation that was not proofread in a low-stakes situation was seen at an international supermarket in Chicago. The store was selling broccoli, but the handwritten sign read, “bloccoli” which got the point across, but was misspelled. Such mistakes aren’t as cute when the text is used in advertising campaigns, on a website, billboard, etc.

Human-edited machine translations are faster, less expensive, and more scalable than fully human-powered translations. The resulting text will be understandable in the target language. The downside is that there may be some non-native sounding sentences in the resulting message.

In summary, human-powered translation, editing, and proofreading, are the way to go when quality is of the utmost importance, the message will be client-facing, and when time and budget are not of concern. Human-edited machine translations are useful for internal documents and large volumes of text for which human translation, editing, and proofreading would neither be practical nor affordable. MT + PE is also helpful when a faster turnaround time is needed. As with everything, there are pros and cons.

The best translations are the ones that don’t seem like translations at all. Whatever you choose, please be sure to have a person be a part of the editing process. There is no substitute.

Lost in Translation - Busting Common Myths While Saving Your Organization's Reputation and Money

“Translator” seems to be used by the general public to mean “interpreter,” but be sure that you know the difference, so that you get what you need. A translator is a person who conveys written messages from one language into another. An interpreter is someone who conveys spoken or signed messages from one language into another.

Myth: If someone is bilingual, they can translate my document.

False: While a translator must be bilingual, a bilingual person does not necessarily have the skills to be a translator (or an interpreter, for that matter). Professional translators do this for a living. They have knowledge of specialized vocabulary for the type of documents they work with.

Some translators work mainly with vocabulary in the medical field, while others may work with legal matters or words related to automobile manufacturing. By choosing to work with a professional, you are choosing an expert who will accurately convey your message. Most of us have seen examples of bad translations. The best translations are the ones that don’t seem like translations at all.

Myth: I can just use Google Translate.

False: While Google Translate might help you get the gist of what someone is writing on the Internet, it is not good for complete paragraphs. It is much more efficient and cost-effective to proofread and edit a translation that has been done by a human than it is to completely rewrite jumbled words from Google Translate. When you or your organization’s reputation is on the line, always use human translators.

What about machine translations?

CAT tools are computer-assisted translation tools that parse text into separate sentences. These are useful for large translation projects that have rigorous need for consistency and style. They include translation memories and are useful for legal, financial, technical, and scientific translations.

We have someone in the office who can speak that language. We’ll just have him/her do the written translation.

Proceed with caution. Not everyone who can speak English can read or write English well. The same holds true for speakers of other languages. Linguists often specialize in either translation or interpreting. Also, consider whether or not this is the best use of the employee’s time. Isn’t the person’s time better spent on what they were mainly hired to do?

To reduce the risk of translation errors and save money on proofreading and editing, be sure to have someone translate the document, website, etc. into the person’s native language. For example, if you have a document that needs to be translated from English into Japanese, choose a translator whose first language is Japanese. If you have a document that needs to be translated from Japanese into English, then choose a translator whose first language is English.

Three tips to remember to make money and save money:

• People tend to read websites in their own language. Translate your website to draw in new customers.

• Use infographics when possible.

• Hire human translation experts.