To copywrite or to localize? That is the question.
Thread poster: Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:46
Member
German to English
+ ...
Apr 25, 2020

I'll spare you all the details and just say that I have what seems to be a common story: wanted to translate for most of my life, engineer for a decade, got an MA in Translation in the meantime, tired of the corporate world...yadda, yadda, yadda. Everything about my research over the past week of writing CVs, developing profiles, pouring over articles and posts, etc. points me to one conclusion in particular: diversify. My current focus is DE>EN with a technical specialization, and when I'm comp... See more
I'll spare you all the details and just say that I have what seems to be a common story: wanted to translate for most of my life, engineer for a decade, got an MA in Translation in the meantime, tired of the corporate world...yadda, yadda, yadda. Everything about my research over the past week of writing CVs, developing profiles, pouring over articles and posts, etc. points me to one conclusion in particular: diversify. My current focus is DE>EN with a technical specialization, and when I'm competent in a few years, I'll add in JA>EN with a technical specialization.* The way I understand it, (1) the former is tough to find work in, which is continually getting worse, and (2) the latter could be more viable, but putting all your eggs in one translation basket is a terrible idea.

This means that I should master at least one other type of service. I think that because my primary is technical, whatever I take on should be more creative so I have a portfolio that proves I'm skilled at both. I perceive that copywriting and localizing would be the best options (although localization would be the less "creative" of the two, right?) in terms of what I'm going for and longevity of existence (they'd be among the last services to be taken by robots and non-native speakers, right?).

I'm certain there's no "right" answer, but what are your opinions on which of those two would be the better option? Of course, long-term, I'm sure I ought to work toward both. Alternatively, what are your opinions about diversification of services and/or other forms of "insurance" for dry spells in your primary field of specialty?

*I should clarify that while I'm hoping the added language pair will help with diversification, it's not my goal in doing that. Japanese is just what I've primarily been studying for the past four years, and between sunk costs and the love of it, I'm not letting it go! But I am currently an engineer at a major Japanese company, and I know their typical mindset about translation, which is to simply bother the young guy in QA or Engineering who speaks English well and add it to his list.
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ATIL KAYHAN
ATIL KAYHAN  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 01:46
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
+ ...
Engineers do it better. Apr 25, 2020

I just took the liberty to check out your ProZ profile and your resume. It is all impressive. By the way, I am also an engineer. First and foremost, never quit your engineering job. By all means, please keep that job. If you quit, you can probably regret it later. So, try to diversify your spare time aside that job. I am sure there will be many suggestions on how to do that. I just want to emphasize your successful engineering career here. Best of luck!

 
Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 18:46
Member
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you! Apr 25, 2020

ATIL KAYHAN wrote:

I just took the liberty to check out your ProZ profile and your resume. It is all impressive. By the way, I am also an engineer. First and foremost, never quit your engineering job. By all means, please keep that job. If you quit, you can probably regret it later. So, try to diversify your spare time aside that job. I am sure there will be many suggestions on how to do that. I just want to emphasize your successful engineering career here. Best of luck!


Thank you for the kind words and advice! That is indeed a route I have considered, so I will continue to keep it in mind.


 


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To copywrite or to localize? That is the question.






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