| 话题中的页数: [1 2] > | Poll: Do you typically have to explain your work when people ask what you do? 论题张贴者: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you typically have to explain your work when people ask what you do?".
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| | | | | Not many people ask | Dec 23, 2017 |
I was really surprised the other day when someone was actually interested. (Bear in mind, I live in the US.)
| | | | DZiW (X)
乌克兰
English英语译成Russian俄语
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| Yes; have your [translation] job done | Dec 23, 2017 |
Although for most Joe Does 'interpreter' or 'translator' will do, it's sad that even clients often don't know what they really want.
| | | | neilmac
西班牙
Local time: 16:30
Spanish西班牙语译成English英语
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I tend not to associate with people that don't know what a translator is/does. And few ask anyway. Occasionally, someone might ask if I translate into or out of Spanish, but that's usually about as far as it goes...
Nor am I intolerant of those who are unaware of the interpreter/translator dichotomy some of our interpreter colleagues get so incensed about. IMHO, they're simply 2 sides of the same coin and anyway, there are bigger issues to whinge about.
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People I mingle with know what I do.
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most have a general idea. But some are more interested than others as to specializations, work routines etc.
| | | | | Most people have peculiar misconceptions | Dec 23, 2017 |
The most common one:
In Brazil, sworn translations are required by federal law for any document in a foreign language to be accepted for any legal/official purposes. Incidentally, I am one of the ~3,000 sworn translators among the 200 million inhabitants we have here. I mean, there is roughly one sworn translator for each 70,000 people in this country.
In other words, if this picture were a sample of the entire population of Brazil:
 ... See more The most common one:
In Brazil, sworn translations are required by federal law for any document in a foreign language to be accepted for any legal/official purposes. Incidentally, I am one of the ~3,000 sworn translators among the 200 million inhabitants we have here. I mean, there is roughly one sworn translator for each 70,000 people in this country.
In other words, if this picture were a sample of the entire population of Brazil:
.jpg/800px-Stadion_Belo_Horizonte_Halbfinale_WM_2014_(22117986076).jpg)
... statistically there would be ONE sworn translator among all these people.
Yet the FIRST question people ask me after I say that I am a translator is: Sworn??? ... as if any other kind of translation deserved contempt, on the grounds that "Google can do it".
Then some assume that:- I am a simultaneous interpreter (NO)
- I am a court interpreter (YES, but not so often)
- I translate books (YES, but not so often)
- I translate videos (YES)
- I dub movies on TV (NO)
- I can speak any language (NO!)
- I meet famous international people every day (NO)
- I use Google Translate all the time (NO!!!)
- I have private access to a "good" version of Google Translate (Is there one???)
- and so on...
So every time I say that I am a translator, I have to explain.
When I say I'm a mechanical engineer, they move on to some other subject.
Few people are interested in nuts and bolts, literally.
UNLESS... there is another translator in their circle who has already gone through this step with them.
[Edited at 2017-12-23 11:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | With neilmac | Dec 23, 2017 |
neilmac wrote:
I tend not to associate with people that don't know what a translator is/does. And few ask anyway. Occasionally, someone might ask if I translate into or out of Spanish, but that's usually about as far as it goes...
I get asked the same question. My answer surprises them - unless we're conversing in Spanish, in which case they're relieved to hear it  . What I do have to explain sometimes is where my clients come from. People expect me to work with clients based in Fuerteventura, where the need for French to English translations must be very low. They're often surprised when I tell them I rarely work with a Spanish client, let alone a Canarian one.
I live in a really multicultural community and everyone here is aware of the need for translators (to explain those dire Google-translated menus  ). I'm surprised that more of my neighbours and acquaintances aren't trying their hand at the job. Mind you, very few people here ever pay for professional translators or interpreters - they just ask someone for a favour! One Ukrainian woman who speaks English, German and Spanish as well as her native languages of Russian and Ukrainian is quite interested in the possibilities of this site though.
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Daniel Frisano 
意大利
Local time: 16:30
正式会员 (自2008)
English英语译成Italian意大利语
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| I used to lie | Dec 23, 2017 |
When I lived in Spain, I stopped telling the truth after I had the following conversation:
HER - So what do you do?
ME - I am a translator.
HER - Like when they show in TV like Putin meeting like Angela Merkel and there's someone in the middle translating what they say to each other?
ME - Technically that's called an interpreter. I do written stuff.
HER - Who would need that? It sounds useless.
ME - Well, next time you buy a new cell phone and you ... See more When I lived in Spain, I stopped telling the truth after I had the following conversation:
HER - So what do you do?
ME - I am a translator.
HER - Like when they show in TV like Putin meeting like Angela Merkel and there's someone in the middle translating what they say to each other?
ME - Technically that's called an interpreter. I do written stuff.
HER - Who would need that? It sounds useless.
ME - Well, next time you buy a new cell phone and you find the instructions in Spanish, it's because somebody translated them from English.
HER - Wouldn't it be easier to just write it directly in all the languages?
ME - ...
So I started telling everybody that I was retired. Not working is something that everybody in Spain understands immediately, without explanations.
[Edited at 2017-12-23 11:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ventnai
西班牙
Local time: 16:30
German德语译成English英语
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I don't have to explain what a translator is but people often ask what type of translations I do and about my work process.
| | | | The Misha
Local time: 10:30
Russian俄语译成English英语
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Well, in such cases my answer would not be that polite.
Daniel Frisano wrote:
When I lived in Spain, I stopped telling the truth after I had the following conversation:
HER - So what do you do?
ME - I am a translator.
HER - Like when they show in TV like Putin meeting like Angela Merkel and there's someone in the middle translating what they say to each other?
ME - Technically that's called an interpreter. I do written stuff.
HER - Who would need that? It sounds useless.
ME - Well, next time you buy a new cell phone and you find the instructions in Spanish, it's because somebody translated them from English.
HER - Wouldn't it be easier to just write it directly in all the languages?
ME - ...
So I started telling everybody that I was retired. Not working is something that everybody in Spain understands immediately, without explanations.
[Edited at 2017-12-23 11:54 GMT]
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| The voice of reason? | Dec 23, 2017 |
Yes, I get all those questions about being a translator (as opposed to being an interpreter) and about translating for preference into one's native tongue and not being able to translate Czech, etc. etc. Heigh ho ...
However, to be fair, how many of us understand much or anything about what other people's work involves?
| | | | Kay Denney
法国
Local time: 16:30
French法语译成English英语
Last time it happened: we were hosting a party for our musician neighbours, and so people from their record label came along. I went to talk to them in my role as gracious hostess, and when the conversation started to flag, one asked me what I did. When I answered that I was a translator, they immediately said they desperately needed one! And so hey ho, a new client in a one of my speciality fields!
| | | | | One word can make a difference | Dec 23, 2017 |
Adding just one word to a description of what you do can make a lot of difference. Here are two typical conversations - both occurred to me more than once:
- What kind of work do you do?
- I am a translator.
- You mean you can make any decent money by doing that?
- What kind of work do you do?
- I am a technical translator.
- Wow, so you have so know all that technical stuff? Sounds like a difficult job.
| | | | | 话题中的页数: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Do you typically have to explain your work when people ask what you do? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
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