| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Would you say you are a specialist, or a generalist? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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...in what I am, or could be, interested in. I've translated a whole booklet of yo-yo tricks, research about grass types for stadiums and other completely off-limit texts, but always thinking that I could find them interesting, enriching and enlightening.
On the other hand, I'd never take on any work in finance, legal, psychology, molecular biology and many other fields in which I feel totally bored stiff, helpless and ignorant. Forever.
I'd get high with zillions of wo... See more ...in what I am, or could be, interested in. I've translated a whole booklet of yo-yo tricks, research about grass types for stadiums and other completely off-limit texts, but always thinking that I could find them interesting, enriching and enlightening.
On the other hand, I'd never take on any work in finance, legal, psychology, molecular biology and many other fields in which I feel totally bored stiff, helpless and ignorant. Forever.
I'd get high with zillions of words about tyre rubber properties and commit suicide with half a page of cryptoshmooz.
I'm part of the problem!
Philippe ▲ Collapse
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 03:33
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| One completes the other | Feb 3, 2023 |
I think one completes the other.
A translator can’t become a great specialist without being a good generalist. The same goes for a translator who can't become a great generalist without having at least one or two real fields of specialization.
I believe I fit into this "description". I hold a bachelor's degree in languages, which makes me a linguist, and I gained legal work experience by working at 2 law firms.
I also have experience in automotive while working with an engin... See more I think one completes the other.
A translator can’t become a great specialist without being a good generalist. The same goes for a translator who can't become a great generalist without having at least one or two real fields of specialization.
I believe I fit into this "description". I hold a bachelor's degree in languages, which makes me a linguist, and I gained legal work experience by working at 2 law firms.
I also have experience in automotive while working with an engineer for some years. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 22:33
Romanian to English
+ ...
| Different opinion | Feb 6, 2023 |
"The translators with no linguistic training are, more often than not, part of the problem of the translation market, but, ironically, often think very highly of themselves and consider themselves supreme linguists without ever qualifying as linguists in the first place. Translator and linguist aren't synonyms, after all, but one must be a good linguist in order to be a great translator!"
Really? Well to disappoint you, I am a translator and an interpreter in the US, highly speciali... See more "The translators with no linguistic training are, more often than not, part of the problem of the translation market, but, ironically, often think very highly of themselves and consider themselves supreme linguists without ever qualifying as linguists in the first place. Translator and linguist aren't synonyms, after all, but one must be a good linguist in order to be a great translator!"
Really? Well to disappoint you, I am a translator and an interpreter in the US, highly specialized in the criminal field of law, translating official correspondence between the Justice Departments of three countries and interpreting in US federal courts. I have no linguistic training and the agencies I work with ask for my services (translating and interpreting) because they were not happy with the work done by true linguists. A linguist's approach might be the correct one from a linguistic prospective, but when it comes to understanding certain legal concepts in the Common Law system and finding their correspondence in the Civil Law system, things that hardly can be found online, it is another matter.
I am a lawyer by training and practiced criminal law for 14 years before moving to the US. I had to support a family, raise a kid and work. This answers your question why a professional would do translation and interpreting instead of practicing his/her profession.
Lee ▲ Collapse
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