Translation as a Profession (Benjamins Translation Library)

Chapter 6. The die is cast! 1672.2 Specific choicesWhen choosing a course, it is not particularly relevant to know whether theintention is to practise as a salaried translator or to go freelance, but the intendedprofessional status and fields of activity are important.2.2.1 Professional statusAlthough salaried translators and freelancers have widely differing outlooks andprofessional practices, they are all first and foremost translators, and a goodtranslator can work equally well in a company and for his own account. Exceptin very rare cases when would-be translators are quite set on their options, no onecan say how a career will develop over a number of years.2.2.2 Professional domainIt goes without saying that anyone with sights set on becoming a literary translator,a media translator, a subtitler or a localiser would be well advised to choose acourse which focuses more specifically – respectively – on literary translation,dubbing, subtitling, localisation or whatever particular field they are interested in.However, it must be said that highly specialised courses in literary translation,media translation, localisation, medical translation, legal translation or whatever,can turn out to be double-edged swords: graduating with a degree in translationin a specific field can be a distinct advantage when applying for a job in the fieldconcerned, but it can also be a major handicap if the markets for that kind oftranslation are very restricted or just happen to be closed.The best bet still seems to be to acquire solid basic training as a good ‘allrounder’(i.e. a generalist translator with special skills, such as subtitling, localisation,multimedia translation, general legal translation, terminology management,technical communication, project management, translation aids and ICT) beforeconsidering possible domain specialisations. A comprehensive course aiming toprovide a good grounding in all the essential professional skills and competencesrequired avoids unduly restricting future employment prospects. At times, forexample, the opportunities in such as media and pharmaceutical translation arerather scarce.Be that as it may, it is important to consider that all university translation programmesgenerally have some bias. One may place particular emphasis on editorialdocuments or marketing translation while another may focus on technology andengineering, and yet another on media translation. Such diversity is a good thingin that it ensures the diversity needed to meet the multifarious needs of the variousmarkets. But there are rather strong implications for anyone who actually has tochoose a course.