It has to take into account factors like the grammar of the two languages, context, cultures, idioms, writing style. In India, there are many jobs for translation of different languages... Some highly demanded jobs are in following languages...
- Hindi
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Latin
- Italian
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Arabic
- Hebrew
- Quran
- Sanskrit
The skills that a translator requires is fluency in two or more languages. He should be able to read, write, speak and think in minimum two languages .Though a translator does not require specific educational qualification but it is an advantage if he possesses a degree in one of the languages. One can also choose to translate topics of interest or educational background. For example a student of literature can translate literary work or science student can do technical translations. In addition to this a translator would need to be knowledgeable in the work they are translating and should read more on the related topics to facilitate better translation.
With increasing cross cultural interactions, awareness and spreading of various cultures there is an increased demand for translators. The nature of work to be translated is not limited to any particular type. It could range from a medical thesis to a kids book or just letters.
There are many opportunities for a translator. It is a very rewarding line of work and does not require much in terms of skills. One can contact the respective embassies and register as a translator. Alternatively one can also contact the language institutes for a listing of opportunities. A lot of organizations also require translators as the IT boom has facilitated outsourcing from various countries. The internet also provides a translator with myriad choices to work from. One can register with any of the websites offering translation services or advertise on some websites with a profile created listing the languages that they wish to work in, educational background, contact details etc.
The translation scenario in India is picking with the ITES sector gaining importance and the broadening of horizons. Also a number of Indian publishing houses are getting into translating the works of the regional writers and this opens avenues for translators of regional languages as well.
- Advantages
- Job satisfaction is high
- The pay for translation is higher as compared to other fields
- One can choose the particular area of interest
- It gives us an idea of a different culture
- There is a lot of variety in the work done
- The role of a translator is now positive in terms of the global exposure
- Disadvantages
- One should be careful to maintain the context of the original text
- Dialects of a language might be involved and the translator might have to use a lot of research to translate hence spending more time on a work than required.
- It is not a science and exact word to word translation is not possible.
