Studying languages can take you anywhere, from teaching future generations of linguists to interpreting at the United Nations. But amongst the plethora of possibilities available, many language lovers and graduates opt to tackle the written word.
Translation is a popular choice for those looking to transform their language skills into a career. Fortunately, we have an entire team of linguists who did just that, and who have shared how and why they decided on a career in the translation industry, and what they love most about it.
"With me, it started with taking up German at university when I started my BA degree. I took up German from scratch in my first year, as an extra subject along with French, English and law, and found that I absolutely loved it. The logical structure of German grammar and words really suits how my brain works, and at the end of the first year I went to Germany for the summer to completely immerse myself in the culture.
During my year abroad, I met a woman who worked as a Chinese translator. She described what her day-to-day life was like, and the scientific and technical knowledge she needed to have, in addition to her linguistic skills, to do the job. To some it might have sounded like demanding, head-cracking, perhaps even lonely work, but to me it sounded like heaven! A few years later, I studied for an MA in translation at the University of Surrey and can honestly say that completing my dissertation assignment of translating the short story "kein runter kein fern" by Ulrich Plenzdorf was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career.
There are many things to love about being a translator, but if I had to pick one, I would say it is the "detective" element. Much of a text can be translated from your existing knowledge, with some consultation of multilingual language resources and technical sources. However, in virtually every text you will be left with a few remaining queries which need some serious detective work. The satisfaction of eventually finding the mot juste cannot be overstated."
Barbara Astell
German to English Translator
"I think the main reason I chose translation as a career was that I wanted to make full use of my language knowledge, and I enjoyed the challenge of finding the right words in the target language to express the meaning behind the words in the source language. It's fun to play with words."
Charlotte Dittner
German and French to English Translator
"If I think back to why I entered the translation industry, it was probably quite simply because I loved languages at school and then university, and after having discovered during the course of those studies that I enjoyed translation, I saw it as an opportunity to combine those two things in a professional context.
I enjoy the challenge of translating a text as it feels like solving a puzzle, which can be quite satisfying, of researching the variety of subjects and often quite complex concepts that I encounter as a patent translator, of trying to find just the right word or phrase, of working together with a colleague during the revision process to come up with an end product that is both accurate and reads well, and of learning new vocabulary and expressions along the way. I also appreciate the flexibility of being able to work independently from home and collaborate with my wonderful colleagues in the office in my role as an in-house translator."
Anne Wicks
German and French to English Translator
"After having previously worked in administrative roles upon completing a degree in modern languages, taking the opportunity to join the Priory team was a no-brainer. It gave me the chance to combine my working experience with my interest in languages. It has also been a great way to gain first-hand knowledge of all aspects of the translation process, something I was introduced to in my final year at university.
It feels incredibly rewarding to be able to put my language skills into practice, whether by communicating with clients abroad or getting involved in a translation itself. I've even come across opportunities to utilise skills in languages I'm teaching myself, which has been very satisfying and motivates me to improve further."
Geraldine Pearce
Project Manager
"Being able to communicate across languages has always fascinated me, and as soon as I started language lessons at school, I knew I wanted to use them every day as an adult. The thing I love most about translation is working out how to combine the source document, the client's brief and information about the target audience to craft a target text that readers can connect with. Translation is also a great opportunity to learn more about both my source and target languages and to pick up interesting expressions I've never come across before."
Emma Broxholme
French and Spanish to English Translator