Help, how to know what to specialise in! Thread poster: Emmanuelle Julien
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Good morning all!
I hope this is the right place to post this but I am a bit lost in terms of how to get started and how to specialise.
A bit of background: I'm a French native, moved to London at 18 and spent 13 years there working and studying, and I am now working in Mexico trying to get my Spanish to a C1 level (currently upper B2).
I haven't studied translation unfortunately, I have an English BA, and Anthropology MA in the field of Migration and Diaspora, but don't... See more Good morning all!
I hope this is the right place to post this but I am a bit lost in terms of how to get started and how to specialise.
A bit of background: I'm a French native, moved to London at 18 and spent 13 years there working and studying, and I am now working in Mexico trying to get my Spanish to a C1 level (currently upper B2).
I haven't studied translation unfortunately, I have an English BA, and Anthropology MA in the field of Migration and Diaspora, but don't really have a specialty as I have been doing various jobs alongside it that have nothing to do with my studies.
For the past 10 years in London I have been working as a receptionist/administrator in a chiropractic clinic/yoga studio while I was a freelance dancer, also travelled a lot and I am also really interested in migration, diaspora identity themes as per my MA..
This is all well and nice but I would like to completely retrain and work as a translator and I feel like I don't have any specialisation that aligns with the themes I usually see on here or online.
Would it be better to try for an MA in translation? I am 32 and working full time so I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on an area I could try to specialise in, or if my only option is to retrain completely, which would be very costly.
I am volunteering for Translation Without Borders at the moment and really enjoying the field of Humanitarian translation, but I am not sure this would be the best option for me.
Thank you so much for any advice you could give me!
Emmanuelle ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Anthropology | Jan 25, 2022 |
You could try to specialize in anthropology (EN-FR and ES-FR) and work for museums and cultural institutions. Any kind of specialty is better than none - the era of generalists is definitely over. Good luck!
| | | | | Engineering + technical manuals ... | Jan 25, 2022 |
... because that's what all translators without any specialization sooner or later will opt for because it's just a matter of exchanging the "terms", they think.
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
Engineering/manuals
IT
Gaming
Pharma/clinical trials
Law/patents
An MA in translation, especially without translation experience OR specialist industry experience would be beyond useless.
Also, forget Spanish. Longtime resident English and native French are a better pair.
[Edited at 2022-01-25 16:55 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-01-25 16:56 GMT]
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| Various options | Jan 25, 2022 |
Hi Emmanuelle,
It sounds like you have a number of options for a specialism based on the experience you have already acquired. I'm sure you have learned a lot about business in your 10 years in an admin role. Or how about marketing translations for wellness companies? Then there's academic translations in the field of your MA.
Not all translators come to the profession with a fully fledged specialism. For many it's a case of narrowing down over time as you work out what... See more Hi Emmanuelle,
It sounds like you have a number of options for a specialism based on the experience you have already acquired. I'm sure you have learned a lot about business in your 10 years in an admin role. Or how about marketing translations for wellness companies? Then there's academic translations in the field of your MA.
Not all translators come to the profession with a fully fledged specialism. For many it's a case of narrowing down over time as you work out what you do are particularly good at, what you enjoy and what there is a demand for.
Sometimes it's easy to dismiss the skills you already have, but do bear in mind that many translators come to the profession with academic qualifications but little knowledge of any real-world field at all. In that sense, you are already ahead of the game.
Have you thought of taking the DipTrans rather than an MA? ▲ Collapse
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Rachel Waddington wrote:
Hi Emmanuelle,
It sounds like you have a number of options for a specialism based on the experience you have already acquired. I'm sure you have learned a lot about business in your 10 years in an admin role. Or how about marketing translations for wellness companies? Then there's academic translations in the field of your MA.
Not all translators come to the profession with a fully fledged specialism. For many it's a case of narrowing down over time as you work out what you do are particularly good at, what you enjoy and what there is a demand for.
Sometimes it's easy to dismiss the skills you already have, but do bear in mind that many translators come to the profession with academic qualifications but little knowledge of any real-world field at all. In that sense, you are already ahead of the game.
Have you thought of taking the DipTrans rather than an MA?
Hi Rachel,
Thank you so much for your kind reply, so many great ideas and advice!
I am going to investigate all of these and I had completely forgotten about the Dip Trans option, I will look into it.
Thank you so much again!
[Edited at 2022-01-26 12:51 GMT]
| | | | | Thank you Adieu! | Jan 26, 2022 |
Adieu wrote:
Engineering/manuals
IT
Gaming
Pharma/clinical trials
Law/patents
An MA in translation, especially without translation experience OR specialist industry experience would be beyond useless.
Also, forget Spanish. Longtime resident English and native French are a better pair.
[Edited at 2022-01-25 16:55 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-01-25 16:56 GMT]
Thank you, noted!
| | | | | Anthropology | Jan 26, 2022 |
Dr. Tilmann Kleinau wrote:
You could try to specialize in anthropology (EN-FR and ES-FR) and work for museums and cultural institutions. Any kind of specialty is better than none - the era of generalists is definitely over. Good luck!
Hi Dr. Tilmann Kleinau!
Thank you, this makes sense, I will do more research on translating for cultural institutions and museums.
Good to know about the era of generalists being pretty much over.
Great idea! Thank you again.
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| Start by specilaising in something you know about already | Jan 27, 2022 |
Other fields of expertise can grow from these and be added by formal training too.
If you are going to provide sustainable work of good quality, you need to know what you are writing about. You will provide authentic translations that the end customer will be happy with. Over time, you will find that parts of the jobs you are asked to do will include elements that are outside your comfort zone. As you know the general field anyway, you are likely to spot the important questions to be asked... See more Other fields of expertise can grow from these and be added by formal training too.
If you are going to provide sustainable work of good quality, you need to know what you are writing about. You will provide authentic translations that the end customer will be happy with. Over time, you will find that parts of the jobs you are asked to do will include elements that are outside your comfort zone. As you know the general field anyway, you are likely to spot the important questions to be asked. You will be confident doing so as you already have the foundational knowledge needed. ▲ Collapse
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Nikki Scott-Despaigne wrote:
Other fields of expertise can grow from these and be added by formal training too.
If you are going to provide sustainable work of good quality, you need to know what you are writing about. You will provide authentic translations that the end customer will be happy with. Over time, you will find that parts of the jobs you are asked to do will include elements that are outside your comfort zone. As you know the general field anyway, you are likely to spot the important questions to be asked. You will be confident doing so as you already have the foundational knowledge needed.
Thank you, I agree and it will be much more enjoyable.
Thank you again, the responses I've had here as well as yours have given me a lot to think about and I appreciate your advice!☺️
| | | | | Latam Spanish (Mexico) | Feb 14, 2022 |
Hello, Emmanuelle,
I completely disagree with Dr. Tilmann.
If you have reached more than B2 in Spanish and you plan to stay in Mexico long time, it is a great opportunity to add ES(Latam) to French to your language pairs.
I am an ES(ES) translator and the two Spanish variants more demanded are ES(ES) and "Mexican Spanish". Many of the jobs that claim "translation into/from ES(Latam)" refer to the Mexican variant. You should not get obsessed with reaching C1... See more Hello, Emmanuelle,
I completely disagree with Dr. Tilmann.
If you have reached more than B2 in Spanish and you plan to stay in Mexico long time, it is a great opportunity to add ES(Latam) to French to your language pairs.
I am an ES(ES) translator and the two Spanish variants more demanded are ES(ES) and "Mexican Spanish". Many of the jobs that claim "translation into/from ES(Latam)" refer to the Mexican variant. You should not get obsessed with reaching C1 or C2 in Spanish very quickly but if you plan to stay in Mexico, it's a great opportunity.
Just bear in mind that Mexico is the country around the world where there are more Spanish native speakers. There are more Spanish native speakers in Mexico than in countries like Argentina or Spain. That is why the Mexican variant is so appreciated.
If you fully understand that variant, it would be a great opportunity for mid, long-term, in my opinion.
Best regards,
Jorge ▲ Collapse
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Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez wrote:
Hello, Emmanuelle,
I completely disagree with Dr. Tilmann.
If you have reached more than B2 in Spanish and you plan to stay in Mexico long time, it is a great opportunity to add ES(Latam) to French to your language pairs.
I am an ES(ES) translator and the two Spanish variants more demanded are ES(ES) and "Mexican Spanish". Many of the jobs that claim "translation into/from ES(Latam)" refer to the Mexican variant. You should not get obsessed with reaching C1 or C2 in Spanish very quickly but if you plan to stay in Mexico, it's a great opportunity.
Just bear in mind that Mexico is the country around the world where there are more Spanish native speakers. There are more Spanish native speakers in Mexico than in countries like Argentina or Spain. That is why the Mexican variant is so appreciated.
If you fully understand that variant, it would be a great opportunity for mid, long-term, in my opinion.
Best regards,
Jorge
Thank you Jorge!
I am going for the DELE C1 in November so I will definitely keep this in mind, how interesting.
Have a great day!
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| Many options | Feb 14, 2022 |
Hi Emmanuelle,
It is interesting reading about your experience. You might also like to further your study in the area that you are interested in. For example, master in translation or PHD.
| | | | Jianrong Sun
China
Local time: 15:48
Member (2019)
English to Chinese
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| my suggestion | Feb 14, 2022 |
Dear Emmanuelle Julien
I never thought I would be a full-time translator now. Based on my experience, and your three areas of expertise (French + English + Anthropology), I suggest you start with a translator between English and French majoring in Anthropology.
As for Spanish and other areas, you can hold off and decide when you have some experience.
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