2 answers
Jinshuang
Student
Bristol, England, United Kingdom
1
Question
Asked
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Is there any possible way to be a in-house translator in England?
I'm an international students and studying in the University of Bristol. I'm currently learning Education in a Master degree, and I will keep study my second master degree in Chinese-English Translation. I would like to develop my career in England as a translator. #masters #communications
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2 answers
Francesca Kosmirak
Editorial Associate/Translator
1
Answer
Huddersfield, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Francesca’s Answer
There are definitely lots of opportunities in a variety of language pairs to be an in-house translator in the UK! Doing a Masters degree in translation is a great first step; most companies looking to employ in-house translators will ask for a qualification in translation and knowledge of CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) tools, which you'll come to know during your degree.
Companies are likely to also ask for up to two years experience, so I'd recommend looking for some volunteer translations to do for charities, and/or trying to find an internship for some months (from experience, these are more common abroad than in the UK). Freelance translation is also an option if you don't find an in-house role straight away.
Getting some experience is also a great way to work out what kind of translation suits you best - there are quite a few different kinds! 'Translation' involves translating written texts, 'interpreting' involves reciting spoken language, 'audiovisual translation' covers providing translations for the dubbing of or subtitles for foreign language film/tv, and 'transcreation' involves reproducing advertising and slogans for foreign audiences.
Best of luck!
Apply to do a Masters degree in translation.
Find some volunteer translations to do to gain experience.
Maybe look for an internship (could be abroad).
Consider what kind of translation suits you best.
After your degree, look for freelance/in-house translation work.
Companies are likely to also ask for up to two years experience, so I'd recommend looking for some volunteer translations to do for charities, and/or trying to find an internship for some months (from experience, these are more common abroad than in the UK). Freelance translation is also an option if you don't find an in-house role straight away.
Getting some experience is also a great way to work out what kind of translation suits you best - there are quite a few different kinds! 'Translation' involves translating written texts, 'interpreting' involves reciting spoken language, 'audiovisual translation' covers providing translations for the dubbing of or subtitles for foreign language film/tv, and 'transcreation' involves reproducing advertising and slogans for foreign audiences.
Best of luck!
Francesca recommends the following next steps:
Thank you very much, your suggestion is very useful and I seem to have a clearer idea about my career prospect. I might start to find/join some volunteer groups to translate as you said to build up my experience in translating.
Thank you again! :)
Jinshuang
I'm really glad! :)
Francesca Kosmirak
ROXANNE SILVER
Communications Technician
2
Answers
Rohnert Park, California
Updated
ROXANNE’s Answer
What I know is this: the British are harsh taskmasters. If you become a translator in England, your spelling, your syntax, everything needs to be as perfect as possible. A Master's Course in Translations is great, but you will also need a Master's in English, in my opinion. You could probably take those courses concurrently.
A job in government doing translations, such as in the courthouse, would probably be most preferable, since it would not be as subject to the ups and downs of the economy as private industry. But they will also be the harshest of taskmasters, so you need to make sure that your English speaking skills are exemplary.
Best of luck to you and I hope this helps.
A job in government doing translations, such as in the courthouse, would probably be most preferable, since it would not be as subject to the ups and downs of the economy as private industry. But they will also be the harshest of taskmasters, so you need to make sure that your English speaking skills are exemplary.
Best of luck to you and I hope this helps.