15 Things Great Translators And Interpreters Have In Common
The following blog was inspired by my Guide To Professional Freelance Translation And Interpretation series, previous other blogs and what occurred to me in two situations last month.
What happened last month?
First.
After completing an interpretation job, the client said to me: "You are the best interpreter I've ever had."
I replied: "Thank you, but I'm no big deal. I'm just doing what I love and I stay within my areas of expertise."
That afternoon, that comment got me thinking.
I wondered. What is really out there? Am I really the best interpreter that client has ever had?
I simply interpreted the way I always do. Nothing special.
I did what all professional interpreters do.
Second.
A week later, I was at my son's school assembly where the teacher was talking about the importance of regular school attendance.
A technician was asking around if anyone wanted headphones to hear the Spanish Interpreter.
I was excited because I'm usually on the other end and this time I was able to enjoy another fellow colleague in action.
I put on the headphones and I was speechless.
I was in utter disbelief.
A terrible consecutive interpretation complete with omissions, summaries of what was being said, and to top it off, it was full of mistakes.
At one point the teacher said that if a student missed school after a certain amount of days the parents could face criminal charges, fines, or even jail time.
What did the interpreter say?
"It is very important your children not miss school."
This went on for more than 30 mins. After the assembly ended I went over to speak to the technician and told him my concerns.
So those are the two sides of the coin.
On one side, according to my client, I'm the best interpreter they've had.
On the other side, I experienced the total opposite at my son's school.
Which brings me to this blog.
15 Things Great Translators and Interpreters Have In Common
Of course all words are subjective and for the sake of this blog I choose the word great over good.
Why?
Because most professionals out of school start off good but we all aspire to be great.
Aiming to be great is not a competitive race, it's a marathon.
Great translators and interpreters don't compete against each other, they compete against themselves.
In my close to 10 years in this profession, I have met many great translators and interpreters. The following is my list of 15 things they all have in common.
I don't go into too much detail because I have already covered these topics in previous blogs, so I simply placed the corresponding links with each point.
Enjoy.
In my opinion great translators and interpreters have the following in common:
1. Great Translators And Interpreters Are Educated.
10 Factors that Help Determine Translation & Interpretation FeesMore than just Freelancers...Translators and Interpreters are Professionals
Why Translators And Interpreters Compare Themselves To Doctors And Lawyers
2. Great Translators And Interpreters Are Experts In Their Services And Specialized In Their Fields.
Translator and Interpreter Expertise and Specializations ListHow To Tell Apart The Professional Translators And Interpreters From The Not-So-Professional
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W's
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 1 Consider Yourself A Business Owner
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
What Makes A Translator and Interpreter Professional?
3. Great Translators And Interpreters Are Professional.
Professional Interpreters and Translators Associations in the USMore than just Freelancers...Translators and Interpreters are Professionals
How To Tell Apart The Professional Translators And Interpreters From The Not-So-Professional
Why Translators And Interpreters Compare Themselves To Doctors And Lawyers
Condensed Translators' and Interpreters' Code of Ethics
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
What Makes A Translator and Interpreter Professional?
4. Great Translators And Interpreters Work Hard.
Why Translators And Interpreters Compare Themselves To Doctors And LawyersProfessional Translators And Interpreters Are Business Owners
5. Great Translators And Interpreters Are Business Savvy.
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 1 of 3: Mind, Body & SoulMarketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 2 of 3: Offline & Online
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W's
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 1 Consider Yourself A Business Owner
6. Great Translators And Interpreters Know How To Charge Right.
How To Tell Apart The Professional Translators And Interpreters From The Not-So-ProfessionalBetter Than A Purchase Order Or An Invoice Is A Statement Of Service For Professional Translators And Interpreters
What A Translation Test Is And What It Is Not
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W's
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 3: You Determine Your Target Annual Salary
How Translators And Interpreters Determine Their Target Annual Salary
7. Great Translators And Interpreters Choose Their Clients And Jobs Carefully.
20 Warning Signs To Help You Avoid A Potentially Bad Client
What To Do When You Don't Get Paid For Your Translation Or Interpretation Services
The 6 Most Common Scams Done To Translators
10 Trademark Signs Of A Bad Translation Job Offer
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W's
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 1 Consider Yourself A Business Owner
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
8. Great Translators And Interpreters Learned How To Walk Before They Started To Run.
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 1 Consider Yourself A Business Owner
9. Great Translators And Interpreters Go Above And Beyond.
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W'sGuide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
10. Great Translators And Interpreters Always Deliver Quality Work.
How To Tell Apart The Professional Translators And Interpreters From The Not-So-Professional
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 1 Consider Yourself A Business Owner
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
11. Great Translators And Interpreters Are Constantly Perfecting Their Craft.
How To Tell Apart The Professional Translators And Interpreters From The Not-So-ProfessionalWhy Translators And Interpreters Compare Themselves To Doctors And Lawyers
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 1 of 3: Mind, Body & Soul
12. Great Translators And Interpreters Are Always Growing Their Knowledge Base.
How To Tell Apart The Professional Translators And Interpreters From The Not-So-Professional
Why Translators And Interpreters Compare Themselves To Doctors And Lawyers
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 1 of 3: Mind, Body & Soul
13. Great Translators And Interpreters Help Others.
10 Reason Why You Should Help Your Fellow Freelance ColleaguesMarketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W's
Guide To Professional Freelance Translation-Interpretation | Part 2: Be Professional In Everything
14. Great Translators And Interpreters Learn From Their Mistakes And Others.
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 1 of 3: Mind, Body & Soul15. Great Translators And Interpreters Taking It To The Next Level.
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 1 of 3: Mind, Body & Soul
Marketing For Translators & Interpreters, Part 3 of 3: The Five W's
That's it.
If there anything I missed please let me know in the comments below.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
As always, thank you for reading and sharing my posts. Please if any of my blogs inspire you, give credit where credit is due. Let's be fair, honest, and professional. Let's help each other be great and stay great!
Feel free to connect or email me, Carmen Arismendy. I'm a professional Spanish interpreter-translator and founder of eLingual.Net. I started the eLingual Network because I could not find a fair, no middleman, no job bidding, ethical, and transparent meeting place for translators, interpreters, and clients online. The website is in beta phase and by no means perfect but it's a step in the right direction.
Feel free to connect or email me, Carmen Arismendy. I'm a professional Spanish interpreter-translator and founder of eLingual.Net. I started the eLingual Network because I could not find a fair, no middleman, no job bidding, ethical, and transparent meeting place for translators, interpreters, and clients online. The website is in beta phase and by no means perfect but it's a step in the right direction.
eLingual.Net's mission is to spread happiness worldwide through happy translators, interpreters, and clients.
For the professional translator and interpreter, this means no middleman, no job bidding, the freedom of setting their own fees, having control over their services, and who they choose to work with.
For the clients, this means working directly with ethical and professional translators and interpreters committed to quality and value.
Join our happy community, let's work together!
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