Howdy friends! Just stumbled upon a very interesting tweet by Ekaterina Howard‏ and figured it could be a great topic for a forum discussion. Here's what she asked: <iframe data-s9e-mediaembed="twitter" allow="autoplay *" allowfullscreen="" onload="var c=new MessageChannel;c.port1.onmessage=function(e){style.height=e.data+'px'};contentWindow.postMessage('s9e:init','https://s9e.github.io',[c.port2])" scrolling="no" src="https://s9e.github.io/iframe/2/twitter.min.html#957007248273956866" style="background:url(https://abs.twimg.com/favicons/favicon.ico) no-repeat 50% 50%;border:0;height:250px;max-width:500px;width:100%"> I shared some of my personal opinions on Twitter: <iframe data-s9e-mediaembed="twitter" allow="autoplay *" allowfullscreen="" onload="var c=new MessageChannel;c.port1.onmessage=function(e){style.height=e.data+'px'};contentWindow.postMessage('s9e:init','https://s9e.github.io',[c.port2])" scrolling="no" src="https://s9e.github.io/iframe/2/twitter.min.html#963425937508519936" style="background:url(https://abs.twimg.com/favicons/favicon.ico) no-repeat 50% 50%;border:0;height:250px;max-width:500px;width:100%"> <iframe data-s9e-mediaembed="twitter" allow="autoplay *" allowfullscreen="" onload="var c=new MessageChannel;c.port1.onmessage=function(e){style.height=e.data+'px'};contentWindow.postMessage('s9e:init','https://s9e.github.io',[c.port2])" scrolling="no" src="https://s9e.github.io/iframe/2/twitter.min.html#963426438077730817" style="background:url(https://abs.twimg.com/favicons/favicon.ico) no-repeat 50% 50%;border:0;height:250px;max-width:500px;width:100%"> <iframe data-s9e-mediaembed="twitter" allow="autoplay *" allowfullscreen="" onload="var c=new MessageChannel;c.port1.onmessage=function(e){style.height=e.data+'px'};contentWindow.postMessage('s9e:init','https://s9e.github.io',[c.port2])" scrolling="no" src="https://s9e.github.io/iframe/2/twitter.min.html#963426856774045697" style="background:url(https://abs.twimg.com/favicons/favicon.ico) no-repeat 50% 50%;border:0;height:250px;max-width:500px;width:100%"> What about you? What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions below!

What are the skills that future translators and interpreters need?

Dmitry

Howdy friends!

Just stumbled upon a very interesting tweet by Ekaterina Howard‏ and figured it could be a great topic for a forum discussion.

Here's what she asked:

I shared some of my personal opinions on Twitter:

What about you? What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions below!

ninadepalma

I'm going to say...speed! and time management!

I say this because I am sort of new to this, so I'm pretty slow--and I notice how I earn way less in terms of $/hr than I'd like to. If I could just translate even a little faster than I currently do, I could make a little more money. And yeah, if I want to continue being a freelance translator, I need to earn more money! So I'm going to focus on developing strong subject-area knowledge of my source language and building serious glossaries for my long-term direct clients. But also I know that...these things take time. I can't just get faster overnight.

As for time management, I say that because even a fast translator can get sidetracked if they don't manage their time well (and diligently stick to their schedules).

ninagruenewald

Focus on a few expertise areas!

ninadepalma So I'm going to focus on developing strong subject-area knowledge of my source language and building serious glossaries for my long-term direct clients.

I totally agree with this, being excellent at one field would be a must for succeeding as a freelance translator, I figure. I am new at this as well, so I am working on building those expertise!

I have noticed that I have nearly reached the limit of my hourly income with one of my clients. All the textx are very similar and it gets quite repetitive, so increasing my income here would really require getting to know my CAT tool better and learning how to type faster.

About other skills: project management and treating the client professionally, AND, of course, excellent translation skills.

linguistceviri

Actually I opened a very similar discussion topic however these two discussions are matchy-matchy fields so I will contribute to discussion within the scope of my knowledge and experience.
The first skill is a must especially for future translators. That'is IT skills. Translation has recently been becoming a very IT-driven profession. Translators have to be able to use online communication systems and a wide range of general and specialised software for word processing, file formatting and translation memory retrieval. Tools for terminology management and machine translation are becoming increasingly embedded in the profession. Softwares develop fast, so translators need to be able to keep up. To be able to keep up with the rapidly developing technology means translators and interpreters should be keen on researching new technologies in the industry. The last but not the least, translators/Interpreters must be flexible people to be prepared to pick up new skills and offer new services such as transcription, copywriting and post-editing.