| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Poll: Was translation your first choice as a career? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Henry Hinds 
United States
Local time: 09:25
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
How can one choose a career if it does not exist? Such was the case when I was in college, I always thought it was what I wanted to do, but there did not seem to be any work at all to be had in that field.
Eventually I did get a chance to work into it (a long road I think I have already described here), and the rest is history. In the meantime I had to do other things to make a living.
Now there is plenty of work, I can work on my own and I am happy with all of that.
| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:25
Flemish to English
+ ...
I've been lured into the profession by a slick-talking director of a second-hand school for translators and interpreters with the classical argument of all the schools for T&I: our graduates work at the E.U.
Should have gone a few miles further down the road to university. I had a second choice and that was law. Today I blame myself for not having chosen legal studies.
Although, when I was in my thirties, I had the privilege to fly in the cockpit of several types of airplanes and be... See more I've been lured into the profession by a slick-talking director of a second-hand school for translators and interpreters with the classical argument of all the schools for T&I: our graduates work at the E.U.
Should have gone a few miles further down the road to university. I had a second choice and that was law. Today I blame myself for not having chosen legal studies.
Although, when I was in my thirties, I had the privilege to fly in the cockpit of several types of airplanes and be treated as a crew-member. That was my true vocation. One day in Hong-Kong, the other day in Anchorage, the next in Scotland, Brussels and from there to Dubai.
Now, I am far too old for that.
So, I'll just try to make the best of translation, enhance my knowledge of IT and try to evolve in the direction of interpreting. An activity I stumbled into, but I feel I need more training.
Sitting behind a computer the whole day, and earn a living by only translating texts is not my piece of cake.
If I could go back to the past: translation: No, njet, neen, non, Nein, Ie.
[Edited at 2007-06-21 06:58] ▲ Collapse
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Whereas most of my friends entered English lang&lit studies longing for an academic placement, I always knew I wanted to be a translator (well, there WAS a brief spell of 'I-want-to-do-journalism-too!' aspiration, but I opted for blogging instead), communication being the key word in each and every career-related dream I had since 6 year old.
| | | | David Earl
United States
Local time: 09:25
German to English
Actually, first choice was electrical engineer. Because I could understand tech issues & explain them to others (and touch type), I wound up following a customer support/data entry path through computers into programming. Somewhere along the road, I found myself hidden away from people in a back office, being asked to do 7 days work in 3 and/or work with unreliable/unknown components without documentation or support. Bleeding-edge tech.
The search for ways to communicate with people... See more Actually, first choice was electrical engineer. Because I could understand tech issues & explain them to others (and touch type), I wound up following a customer support/data entry path through computers into programming. Somewhere along the road, I found myself hidden away from people in a back office, being asked to do 7 days work in 3 and/or work with unreliable/unknown components without documentation or support. Bleeding-edge tech.
The search for ways to communicate with people led me to translation and ESL teaching. I'm happier for the change. We'll see where this path goes. ▲ Collapse
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btlidia
Local time: 17:25
Spanish to Hungarian
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First I studied computer - programming, it was my fathers choise. I found it interesting, but not enough.
I worked with computer cca 12 years. In the meantime I studied theology - because I like it.
In 1996 an italian friend asked me to help him with translation. Then the pastor asked me to help him. I translated italian- hungarian and hungarian -italian for 2 years, as the priest told me, I must translate spanish. I learnt spanish and translated it.
First I worked as trans... See more First I studied computer - programming, it was my fathers choise. I found it interesting, but not enough.
I worked with computer cca 12 years. In the meantime I studied theology - because I like it.
In 1996 an italian friend asked me to help him with translation. Then the pastor asked me to help him. I translated italian- hungarian and hungarian -italian for 2 years, as the priest told me, I must translate spanish. I learnt spanish and translated it.
First I worked as translator as volunteer, but since 2000 I have worked in the same missions - organization as a translator and interpret for Italian, Spanish and German.
I like it! It is nice to meet different people from diferent cultures. I like the translations to, I learnt a lot from all this. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Fly me to the moon | Jun 21, 2007 |
I wanted to be a (military) pilot and was really commited to it until I realized wouldn't follow orders when it came to bombing people.
And now you see me, bombing people with words.
R.
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 11:25
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
| No, although when I was a kid, I wanted to be an interpreter at the UN | Jun 21, 2007 |
But I was a shy kid who grew up to be a shy adult. Me, myself, my computer, and I do a fine job filling up a room. I loved languages and learned them easily, and went on to university in German.
From there, I went to graduate school, and learned that teaching was truly and amazingly fun! And that I wasn't shy when faced full of a room of people in that situation (I still dislike parties). I trained as a medievalist at a time when many of them were retiring, only to find out that medie... See more But I was a shy kid who grew up to be a shy adult. Me, myself, my computer, and I do a fine job filling up a room. I loved languages and learned them easily, and went on to university in German.
From there, I went to graduate school, and learned that teaching was truly and amazingly fun! And that I wasn't shy when faced full of a room of people in that situation (I still dislike parties). I trained as a medievalist at a time when many of them were retiring, only to find out that medievalists were being replaced by film scholars and other "relevant" subjects.
I taught at a university before being replaced by an 18th century specialist, then at a high school before they changed the class times (make my schedule difficult, I'll adapt: make my kid's schedule difficult and I quit).
I had done a lot of translation in my dissertation, and started doing small jobs, where I discovered that I can still follow an electrical or mechanical engineering schematic, and that patent English is just another dialect and no harder to learn than Nordbairisch, Westallemanisch, or East Anglian.
And my ability to read older German handwriting (anything pre 20th C) and Fraktur have helped get interesting translating jobs.
Now I'm trying to parlay my knowledge of 13thC German dialects into some work for the Society of Creative Anachronism: English > Middle High German for wedding banns, birth announcements, etc.
But I would still rather be teaching. ▲ Collapse
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I couldn't even speak a foreign language to a decent level before I moved to Italy when I was 30!
I've been a science YTS holder, an operator in a leather factory, an administrative assistant, a lab technician, a technical services chemist and an EFL teacher. I've also been a volunteer basic skills teacher, volunteer Oxfam shop assistant and volunteer charity project manager.
Always had a passion for words, so as my Italian got better, my loathing of teaching English go... See more I couldn't even speak a foreign language to a decent level before I moved to Italy when I was 30!
I've been a science YTS holder, an operator in a leather factory, an administrative assistant, a lab technician, a technical services chemist and an EFL teacher. I've also been a volunteer basic skills teacher, volunteer Oxfam shop assistant and volunteer charity project manager.
Always had a passion for words, so as my Italian got better, my loathing of teaching English got stronger, and requests to "just translate this for me" grew more numerous, I decided to take the plunge - and here I am. More by accident than design but I feel I've found my true vocation. ▲ Collapse
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Colin Ryan (X)
Local time: 17:25
Italian to English
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I loved computers, so I did a computing degree. Then I discovered just how amazingly boring working with computers actually is (took me 10 years to discover it, in fact). I left, taught English for a while and picked up Italian. And here I am, translating Italian into English.
| | | | Claudio Porcellana (X)
Italy
I was a PC passionate since the Commodore 64 era
after graduation in 1981 I started up a vet practice for pets remaining a full-time freelance till to 2000
I studied english 1 year at the elementary school, 1 year at middle school and 5 years at high school
and during the university and vet practice I always preferred to study on US journals and books as they were more updated and practical so I learned very well to read and understand the written word
... See more I was a PC passionate since the Commodore 64 era
after graduation in 1981 I started up a vet practice for pets remaining a full-time freelance till to 2000
I studied english 1 year at the elementary school, 1 year at middle school and 5 years at high school
and during the university and vet practice I always preferred to study on US journals and books as they were more updated and practical so I learned very well to read and understand the written word
on november 2000 I decided to change career mixing my passions and skills
[Edited at 2007-07-07 22:58] ▲ Collapse
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