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What do you need to become an interpreter? Translator - the pros and cons of the profession, what you need to take for a translator

IN modern world It is impossible to live without communication. That is why translators do not lose their popularity, on the contrary, this profession is gaining new facets and sides, becoming more and more in demand. Now you can find such specialists in the field of IT technologies, software, in the entertainment industry and in many other places, in addition to traditional areas.

The activity of an interpreter directly depends on the direction and his experience. There are a number of distinct qualifications:

Linguist. Often a specialist of this profile can boast of in-depth knowledge of the structure of the language, while owning two or more at once. Many universities produce such professionals.
Technical translator. This is a specialist who independently (or forcedly) chose a very narrow profile area. For example, pharmacology, mechanical engineering. In his path, his knowledge is in demand, but in general topics he is not always good.
Business, business area. Legal, competent speech in foreign languages is highly valued today.
Often, the industry of document translation is taken out separately from the previous paragraph.
Literary translation. Such specialists work with literature, magazines, personal correspondence.
Oral translation. Such specialists are in demand, as very high requirements are put forward for them. Not every person can perceive speech by ear and even translate it simultaneously.

Where to apply for a translator

It would seem that in order to become such a professional, you need to go where there will be at least something related to foreign languages. This is not entirely true, although there are really many options for applicants in Russia. You can get knowledge of the profession of a translator in the following specialties:

translation and translation studies;
linguistics foreign languages;
philology;
international relationships;
pedagogy of foreign languages;
oriental studies.

But if there is a desire to be a translator and quickly find a job, then it is better to choose from the first three points.

What exams and in what form should I take for an English translator

Experts say that the best thing, if you want to get a profession in demand, is to strive to get into the department of English. This is due to the fact that it is the most common and versatile in the world. But if you feel that the soul lies in other languages, the algorithm is not much different.

To enroll as a linguist or translator, you need to take the following USE subjects:

Russian language;
English language;
literature and history (optional);
mathematics.

Please note that today the exams are held only in four foreign languages:

English;
French;
German;
Spanish.

Therefore, if your dream is to translate from Danish or Arabic, it is better to immediately check with the university what exams they offer. It is likely that instead of them you will still have to take general English. For Scandinavian languages, this is often German.

In addition, it is in a foreign language that the main decision on enrollment is made. It is quite logical that the requirements for mathematics or history are not too strict here. But if you translate the assessment into the usual five-point scale, then in many universities even “4” is not always a guarantee that you will pass on the budget.

Experts say that you need to prepare for admission at least a year before the exams. Knowledge of a foreign language must be impeccable, first of all it concerns grammar, vocabulary. At the exam, they check the perception of speech, its understanding, writing, reading.

Additional requirements and personal qualities

You should not go for a translator simply because it is now one of the most sought-after professions. Knowledge here is not easy, in the process of learning you will have to read a huge amount of literature, and not in your native language, learn or at least pass at a basic level many languages and dialects that will not be useful in the future. In addition, a real translator, of course, must love his profession, because this is the only way to sit and work on one text for hours and days. The future specialist must have the following qualities:

propensity for languages. Not every mind is capable of being flexible and receptive to someone else's speech;
good memory and the desire to develop it. In linguistics and philology, a lot depends on the ability to quickly memorize large amounts of information;
excellent diction. Especially important for interpreters. The slightest inaccuracy and you will be misunderstood;
sociability. Working with languages, voluntarily and involuntarily, you have to communicate a lot with people;
perseverance. A huge part of the time the translator sits and works on the text;
self-discipline is directly related to the previous point, because organizing your time and forcing yourself to concentrate on the text can be difficult.

Learning foreign languages, even one, paves the way for becoming a translator. And this makes it possible to receive a good income: the profession is in demand at all times, and the demand for services does not lose relevance, despite the spread of technologies and machine translation tools.

Do you want to be a translator? It is not difficult if you are ready to show purposefulness, diligence in mastering knowledge and skills, act clearly and actively according to a predetermined plan.

Stage 1. Goals and specialization

People come into this or that profession for different reasons. Self-realization, doing what you love and getting a good income, meeting new, interesting people, traveling around the world - these are the main goals of those who want to become a translator. They may be different. The main thing is that they be, otherwise you will not understand which direction to choose and what results to focus on.

Goals need to be specified, for which you have to choose a professional specialization.

What would you like to work as: an interpreter or a translator?

Cases where a person works either as an interpreter or as a translator in approximately the same proportion are quite rare. When choosing the profession of a translator, over time, a person will decide which type of translation he likes best or just suits him better. Someone likes to calmly translate at home, someone finds it boring and monotonous, and he tries to work more orally. Let's look at the main directions in interpretation and translation.

I want to become an interpreter

As a rule, interpreters are sociable, stress-resistant people who are not afraid public speaking and have good working memory.

When you need to translate orally, do it sequentially or synchronously. If you want to work as an interpreter, this does not mean that you just need to choose one of the options. "Synchron" is the highest degree of skill, not all people are initially suitable for such work, not everyone can master it at all, and not everyone wants to.

Who are consecutive interpreters?

A consecutive interpreter works like this: the speaker pronounces a small part of the speech (sentence, complete thought, logical block), the interpreter translates, then the speaker pronounces the next part.

As a rule, consecutive interpreters are paid by the hour. The rate depends on the language, city, type of event and your qualifications.

This is what consecutive translation looks like

Who are "synchronists"?

The simultaneous interpreter translates almost simultaneously with the spoken speech (with a delay of 6-7 seconds). Not only will you have to not only understand speech perfectly and almost learn to think in a foreign language, you will also need to master working with special equipment. To the qualities of any interpreter listed above, add an excellent response, attentiveness and maximum concentration - all this you will need during simultaneous translation.

Simultaneous interpreters work in pairs, changing every 30 minutes. But even so, they have hourly wages and the rate is 1.5-2 times higher than for consecutive interpreting.

This is what simultaneous translation looks like

Success story of Faina Musayeva

The desire to become a translator appeared in the 11th grade, and I applied to the St. State University, to the Department of English Philology and Translation. After studying for 5 years, I decided to continue my education and entered the new master's program of our department: “ Innovative technologies translation - English. Now this program is called "Simultaneous Translation".

In 2008, when I was a 4th year student, I was first invited to work as a consecutive interpreter at an Indian industry exhibition, and I got a company that produced transformers. product presentations, business meeting– it was very interesting to translate for the first time not in the classroom, but at real meetings with potential partners. On the last day of the exhibition, my company signed an agreement of intent with a major Russian enterprise which the director was extremely pleased with. I went to my first simultaneous translation a little later, it was dedicated to international relations.

Now I work with almost any subject, and I am glad that I have chosen a profession that allows me to constantly study, learn something new and get acquainted with a large number of interesting people. Over the past nine years, I have worked with prominent scientists, Nobel laureates, leading political figures, heads of multinational companies, representatives of famous universities and international organizations.

As for advice and recommendations, I would like to draw the attention of novice translators to the importance of obtaining a specialized education and the choice of companies with which they plan to cooperate. I have been working with the TranExpress translation agency since 2011, and I can note professional work project managers who are interested not only in successful work with clients, but also in creating comfortable working conditions for translators.
Faina Musaeva, simultaneous and consecutive interpreter

I want to become a translator

It is much easier to become a translator. Now everyone with a computer can translate, and the level of skill is checked by completing a test task, and not appearance or having diplomas. That is, you can work from home, you can even anonymously (if it matters to you). If you are an introvert mentally and would like to work in a calm, comfortable environment, try yourself as a translator.

After analyzing how work is organized in our bureau, we would divide translators into 3 categories:

Translators of personal, template documents

Many people need a translation of their personal documents for university admissions, employment, visas, travel abroad and other purposes. Documents are repetitive and translators often use ready-made templates translations.

It is important to note that having a diploma of language proficiency at a professional level is a prerequisite for working as such a translator.

Template documents are translated at a low fixed rate.

Translators of general texts

Translators who have just received an education or are not yet confident in their abilities begin their journey with texts on a general subject. It can be correspondence, simple presentations, journalism.

Keep in mind that payment for general texts is carried out at minimum rates.

Translators of specialized texts

Working with specialized texts (medical, legal, technical, etc.) requires competence in the relevant field. Therefore, the direction is well suited for those who have already taken place in some profession (not a philologist), want to work at home or are looking for a part-time job in their specialty. Pure linguists start working with specialized texts only after they have accumulated a significant amount of knowledge on the subject.

Highly specialized texts are the most expensive

Yes, we deliberately did not include literary translations in any of the categories, because this is an exclusively creative direction. It is hardly possible to give any recommendations on how to become a translator of poetry. And the translation of works of art is rarely a translation as such.

Success story of Alexander Churakov

The choice of profession was not unexpected, since the desire to realize oneself in this area appeared by itself and did not disappear after graduating from school, and later from the university with a degree in linguist-translator. The university offered an internship program in the USA, after which I became even more determined to become a translator.

He started translating in his free time from his main job in 2010, when, in order to get a general idea of the profession, the requirements and methods, he got a job in a translation agency at a notary. Among the clients rarely, but still came across customers who wanted to personally control the entire process of order execution and agree on the necessary changes. The first large-scale order was entrusted to the bureau for execution from such a customer. Since by that time I had already repeatedly translated, edited and corrected small texts on legal topics, the quality of the translation of the contract entrusted by the customer did not cause any complaints. Since everything itself developed in such a way that I had to work mainly in writing with contracts and other legal texts, I thought that the profession itself pushes me to choose this direction. After a year, I decided to leave my job at the translation agency in order to start private practice. Having worked both with private clients and with various translation agencies, I decided that cooperation with the agency seems more convenient, since it provides for fixed deadlines for the execution of orders and allows you to actively develop yourself in the chosen specialization.

To date, the practice of translating contracts, constituent documents I have been studying legal texts, judgments and other legal texts for about seven years, I have no doubts about the correctness of my choice of profession and I am thinking about getting a second higher education in the field of law.
Alexander Churakov, translator (specialized in economics and law)

Stage 2. Education

Passing this stage is not a problem. The possibilities are huge. Here are the main ones:

Profile translation education

The most obvious way that most translators enter the profession is to get a translation education in the specialties "translation", "translation studies", "linguistics", "translator", "referent-translator", "specialist in intercultural communication" or another name are different in different educational institutions. Translation education can be the main and only one or complement another special education(legal, economic, medical, technical, etc.) that you already have. This approach is highly valued. It allows you to claim good position and significantly increase the chances of success. own business. It can be recommended to those who initially set the goal of becoming a translator, including having a zero basic level.

Translators are trained by many large universities at the faculties of foreign languages or philological faculties. There are also specialized linguistic universities, such as NGLU (Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University) or MSLU (Moscow State Linguistic University).

Training/retraining courses for translators

If you do not want to spend several years on obtaining a translator's diploma, but are confident in your high level language proficiency, you can be trained in special training / retraining courses for translators. Such courses are practiced by many educational institutions. There are also remote programs. Advantages - speed, convenience and a decent level of quality, however, it seriously depends on the educational institution and the training program. Courses are recommended to improve the level of existing knowledge, to effectively transition from one specialization in the field of translation to another, as well as to obtain additional (translation) education. Choose educational institutions and programs with a good reputation and allowing you to get an official diploma (certificate, certificate) of training.

For example, many universities have additional educational program"Translator in the field of professional communication".

Here, for example, is the story of how a veterinarian became a translator

I never had a dream of becoming a translator, although I have liked foreign languages since childhood. But I also loved animals very much and was sure that I would become veterinarian. Indeed, I received an appropriate education and even worked in my specialty for some time. At the same time, I studied German. First, because it became possible to attend courses for free, and then the language began to open up and attract more and more. Then it so happened that I moved to another city and started looking for new job and something else to fill your leisure time. The job was not found in veterinary clinic, and in a translation agency, but for the soul I entered to study at the Faculty of Philology - "finish learning" German. Having received a second degree, I entered the magistracy in the direction of "Translation and Translation Studies", because I always liked translating, and by that time the first orders had already appeared. I tried different topics and even literary translation, but settled on what was interesting and familiar to me: medicine, biology, veterinary medicine. I try to develop professionally, I read specialized literature, I constantly learn new things - after all, this is what allows me not only to do my job qualitatively, but also to get real pleasure from it. Elena Veselovskaya, translator (specialized in medicine, biology, veterinary medicine)

self-learning

Not the most common way to become a translator, but there are precedents. Learn to translate yourself. Self-study can sometimes give excellent knowledge and skills, but you cannot document them. To some extent, this limits the possibility of successful employment, because it will take a long time to earn a reputation, and without recommendations and positive feedback new clients will be skeptical about your candidacy.

Note: Even if you are a native speaker of a foreign language, have an excellent command of it, live abroad and already earn extra money by translating, this does not give you the status professional translator. Profile education and practice make a translator a professional. There is no need to confuse concepts. You can do part-time work, as before. But access to the "Major League" will be closed to you. If you want to become a translator, you will have to study in depth not only the language, but also the methods, techniques, means of translation, culture and history of a foreign language and speech. This is a serious body of knowledge and skills.

Another feature of translators is constant training. Therefore, do not think that having received a diploma, the baggage of knowledge will last until old age. The translator constantly replenishes vocabulary, monitors the situation in the world, studies new topics and delves into technological processes. Moreover, translation software is constantly being improved and updated. In general, you must always be on topic!

Stage 3. Employment

So you have an education. It is time to decide where and how to apply it, because theory without practice is worth nothing. The beauty of working as a translator is that the practice begins from the very first day of the start of education, so for employment it is enough to gather your courage and translate your translations from the status " homework" to the status of "paid work". So, where are translators needed?

staff translator

If you like working in an office, you can get a job as a full-time translator in a company or translation agency. As a rule, interpreters are not kept on staff, but translators are often needed. Having accumulated some experience, you can retrain as an editor.

software and hardware costs;

taxes will have to be calculated and paid by yourself.

Maybe open a translation agency?

Translation activities are not licensed, so if you know how to look for clients, understand advertising, handle bookkeeping and paying taxes, you can try opening your own translation agency. Only, unfortunately, in this case you will have to kill the translator in yourself and grow a leader.

Those wishing to enter a university as an interpreter definitely need to take the exam in Russian, mathematics and a foreign language. And in addition to this, social science and geography. But each specific university exposes its disciplines, so check in advance.

An interesting, but also unusually difficult profession of a translator! And wherever you work in this specialty: at the embassy, firm, editorial office, or at home - only one misinterpretation of the phrase, or keyword, can lead not only to confusion, but even to an international scandal! And who is responsible? Of course, on the direct participant in the linguistic process - the translator.

On this occasion, I remembered the film by Leonid Gaidai, Ivan Vasilievich changes his profession, and the words of the hero Saveliy Kramarov Feofan: We had an interpreter ... but he does not knit a bast - we boiled him in boiling water.

Of course, the punishments of the times of Ivan the Terrible, thank God, have long sunk into oblivion, and it is unlikely that a connoisseur of languages will be held accountable at all, but he can definitely lose his job, as well as his good name.

In order to become an interpreter in Ukraine, you must pass the UPE in the following subjects: Ukrainian language and literature, plus a specialized foreign language, as well as, depending on the university, the history of Ukraine or world literature.

Successful passing of examinations!

First of all, for admission to the faculty of foreign languages, confirmation of knowledge of a foreign language is required, then knowledge of the native language (Russian in the Russian Federation), literature and history. In principle, the usual set for a humanitarian university.

To enter the faculties of linguistics, it is necessary to pass the exam in Russian, English, as well as in literature or history. But you'd better check directly with your university. The list of disciplines may vary depending on the university.

To enter the linguistic faculty of a university, it is necessary to pass a mandatory state exam in the foreign language that you want to enter (German, English, French), in your native language (in the Russian Federation - Russian, most likely - essay), history and literature. Different universities may have special requirements that should be clarified directly where you want to go.

For admission to the Faculty of Foreign Languages, they surrender mainly humanitarian disciplines: obligatory state language and literature, foreign language, history. I have not heard about other disciplines required for this specialty.

You can work as a translator after graduating from the Faculty of Philology. In some universities there is a specialty, which is called: Translation. In order to enter there in Ukraine, you must pass the following exams of the External Independent Assessment (EIA):

Now the profession of a translator is not the highest paid, but you certainly will not be left without a job. And if you choose Chinese philology, then your earnings will be higher.

I only know about Ukrainian universities. There, a profile foreign (let's say English), Ukrainian and literature and history of Ukraine are rented. But not all universities have to take history. In most universities it is English and Ukrainian.

I dare to suggest that in Russia it is English (or another profiling), Russian and literature and history of Russia.

In the Russian Federation, at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, I once passed the Russian language (essay), literature, history, a foreign language, a mandatory interview in a foreign language. There are periodic changes, then they will remove the exam in literature, then they will return it again.

In order to become a translator, you first need to know well at least some foreign language (preferably English), since one of the main disciplines when passing exams for the faculty of a foreign language is English, as well as the state language, after which they already go additional disciplines, which in each university where you enter, are your own, which is better to find out directly at the institution itself in order to avoid unnecessary inconsistencies. so that the work will pay off in the future.

In this article, I will tell you where it is better to study the profession of a translator - in state universities or in courses. Or maybe there are some other options?

I myself graduated from the translation department of NSLU, and then I also created my own courses for translators. So I have a completely objective idea of the pros and cons of both options.

And let's start with the classic option - training as an interpreter in universities.

Training as an interpreter at a state university

I must confess to you honestly - now the profession of an interpreter has changed a lot. Previously, in Soviet times, it was purely military profession. That is why girls were not taken to the translation faculties to study.

That is, there 100% of the students were guys. And now it's the other way around. If you go to any perfak, you will see that 98% of the students there are girls. Now a translator is a person who sits at a computer and translates instructions and legal documents. No romance =)

Another interesting fact for entry - after graduating from the Faculty of Translation, only 5-7% of graduates work as translators. The rest do something - they teach English, open their own business, retrain as dentists.

This happens because the training program at the translation faculties is very outdated. They mostly continue to write translations by hand in notebooks. There are still very old teaching materials.

Disadvantages of public education

When I studied at the perfak, we did technical translation from magazines from the 60s. But these materials were approved "from above", and all training program built on them.

The next disadvantage of formal training is that you are not taught how to work with a computer. Today, a translator simply has to be very good at at least the Word program. But by default, it is believed that today everyone has a computer at home, and everyone can do something in the Word themselves.

But in fact, this is not enough. Creating a document, printing text there is not enough. You need to be able to format the text on the fly, draw up images in translation, and do all this without unnecessary characters, with a clean layout. 100% of graduates do not know how to do this. Because it is a separate professional discipline.

Why 95% of Translation Graduates Can't Find a Job

If returning to educational materials, graduates of translation faculties are very surprised when they find out what a translation assignment actually looks like. They get used to translating texts of 5-10 paragraphs, where everything is written in good English (or whatever?) Language.

And they have 2-3 days to translate this piece of text, so that they can analyze it long and hard in class together with the teacher.

In reality, everything is much tougher.

You are given 10 pages of terrible quality text. There in half of the places it is generally impossible to make out the text. And often there is no text as such. There are some drawings, and inside the drawings there are small icons with which it is not clear what to do.

And the worst thing is the words with which these texts are written. These words are simply not in any dictionary of the world. Or because this is a new industry and the terms arose only yesterday. Or because the author himself invented them. Or sealed up. Or a text was written in English by a person for whom English is not native, and he simply inserted the wrong words, because he does not know the correct ones.

And add here the fact that you only have a day to translate these 10 pages.

This is where 95% of graduates “merge”. Because their life did not prepare them for this. And I should have. And the remaining 5% merge when they find out what pennies they will be paid if they still cope with this text.

Let's be honest with ourselves. At the translation faculties today, unfortunately, they do not prepare for the profession of an interpreter. This is not just a problem for perfs. 95% of graduates across the country work outside their specialty for about the same reasons. But translation has its advantages.

What is actually taught in translation?

Speaking quite frankly, today only foreign languages are taught at the translation faculties. This is not to be taken away. If you enroll in translation, in 3 years you will perfectly learn at least two foreign languages.

I still remember how we passed translation tests. First, we were forbidden to use dictionaries. Which is already strange, because the main skill of a translator is precisely the ability to use dictionaries.

Secondly, we had to translate dozens of terms from memory. Just single words. That is, we were taught not to translate, but to memorize right words. And it gave its results. We have learned a foreign language. But this has nothing to do with the profession of a translator.

Why do people go to public universities

Perhaps you, my dear reader, are now at that tender age when it seems that you have to study at a university in order to get a diploma, and then a job. But here I will disappoint you. A translation diploma will never give you any job.

You will come to get a job as an interpreter - and you will be asked for work experience, not a diploma. In general, after graduation, I got my diploma only two or three times. I needed this in order to be a translator at a notary.

But if I didn’t have a diploma, I could have passed with a school certificate. I tell you this in all seriousness. I personally brought our Ukrainian, Uzbek and other translators to the notary, who had only a school certificate, where it was written that they studied Russian at school. And that was enough for the notary to agree to certify their translator's signature.

All this, of course, is sad, but there are also positive aspects.

"Career" of graduates of translation faculties

One of these moments is that the majority of perf students are not going to work as translators at all =)

As I wrote above, the main contingent at translation faculties today are girls. And they come for translation with a very clear goal - to learn a foreign language, marry a foreigner and go abroad.

And nothing funny, just like this " career ladder” went a lot of girls who studied with me in the same stream.

What are the Words, document formatting and notarized translation of documents. They now work in France as sellers, in America as sellers, again in France as waiters ...

If you are consciously or subconsciously striving for this, then it is better for the translation faculty to come up with nothing. Problems begin if you suddenly, for no reason at all, really want to work as a translator.

Practical training courses for translators

When I just graduated from the Faculty of Translation, I had a problem that I could not translate. Then I learned by working in a translation agency for a penny. After some time, I opened my own translation agency. And then the next problem arose - the translators did not know how to translate.

That is, the same yesterday's graduates came to us to get a job, as I myself was a few years ago. And they made the same mistakes. And one day I got tired of explaining the same thing to every translator.

Then I just took and wrote instructions - how and what to translate, in what situation. Separately, instructions - how to work with the Word, how - with personal documents. And so on.

After that, I could simply give instructions to a new translator, and he immediately, and not three years later, began to work quite sanely.

I was delighted with the first success and began to gradually supplement my instructions. As a result, it grew first to 100 pages, then to 300, and then almost to 1000. And there were analyzed all the translation situations in the smallest detail.

It turned out to be a real course of practical (rather than theoretical) training of a translator. I remember I was still surprised - why no one before me had guessed to do such a course. After all, beginners mastered it literally in 2-3 months, and immediately began to earn “in an adult way”.

Otherwise, they had to find out everything on own experience for several years. And all this time - to live "on bread and water", because no one pays good rates to beginners.

Now I strongly recommend my course to all novice translators, which I called “Work! Translator". You can read more about this course.

Now let's make a small conclusion.

Conclusion

The question of where to study the profession of a translator is not an easy one. The answer depends on what you actually want to get. Learn a foreign language and try to "blame" - you're on a perfak. And if you really want to make money with translations, then you will have to learn this on your own.

And here are two options. The first is to learn by doing while working in a translation agency. The second is to take our course, where years of experience are packaged into step-by-step training. Personally, I went the first way. I mean, I taught myself. Simply because there were no such courses as before.

I had to plow for a penny for several years. And, unfortunately, few people endure such a life. And if you would also like to shorten your path from "beginner" to "pro" - use our course as a springboard.

See you later!

Your Dmitry Novoselov

A translator can sit all his life in a small, stuffy office, translating pages of other people's documents for notarization, or he can help countries' leaders communicate at important negotiations. The specialist performs the most important function - he helps people communicate and understand each other.

Without them, we would never have read the works of foreign-language writers, we would not have watched foreign films, we would not have learned about what is happening outside our country as a whole. But far from every employee's work is appreciated – only 15% of translators are satisfied with their salaries. Is it worth dedicating your life to this profession? Where to study as a translator, what to be prepared for and how to build a career? Let's talk in detail.

History of the profession

Profession, albeit not in modern form has existed since ancient times. Then representatives of different peoples spoke one more language, in addition to their native language. Key Function these "specialists" was the translation of speech and written messages. Usually translators were used in negotiations or when announcing the will of a foreign-speaking ruler of a certain territory. Often these were people captured during wars. IN ancient Rus' translators were called interpreters. Presumably, their role was determined at the time of the beginning of the dialogue between the Russian principalities and the Turkic tribes.

The significance of the interpreters was strengthened during the time of the vassal dependence of the Russian principalities on the Golden Horde - the collection of tribute and governorship required knowledge of the Turkic language. In this regard, the position becomes official, and many translators go to the service of a prince or khan.

Who is a translator and what is his responsibility

A translator is a person who translates an oral or written text into another language. A professional who simply knows a foreign language is distinguished by the absence of the right to make a mistake and the ability to correctly present information (correspond to the speed of the speaker's speech, avoid long pauses, and so on). Remember the dozens of incidents that occurred in the negotiations of the same politicians due to the mistakes of translators. The same "overload" in relations between Russia and the United States (instead of "reset").

Key responsibilities of a specialist:

Translation of scientific and fiction, press, patent descriptions, specialized documents and other materials.
Performing translations of oral and written texts ensuring their full compliance with the semantic, lexical and stylistic content of the original.
Editing translations of other specialists.
Preparation of documentation and all kinds of texts in a foreign language in accordance with officially accepted standards.
Scientific work on the unification of terms and the improvement of translation technologies.

The scope of duties may expand or narrow depending on the qualifications of the employee, his experience and place of work. But the requirements for skills remain unchanged: a professional must not only be fluent in the language, but also observe job descriptions. For example, to have a well-delivered speech, an excellent memory for simultaneous translation, high speed print and so on.

It is necessary to constantly develop - each language lives and changes, new slang words, new trends appear in it.

If a specialist does not improve his skills, then in 1-2 years of “idle” he may completely lose his skills.

Where can a specialist work?

Translation agency. At least 50% of university graduates work in specialized bureaus that provide oral and written translations from foreign languages. Customers of the organization can be individuals and legal entities, institutions and government structures. Bureaus mainly perform written translations - these are documents (in particular, preparing for a notarial statement), academic work, books and magazines, letters, articles and much more.

Private organizations. Here, specialists work for many customers, but in the interests of one company. Only 1-2% of organizations can afford to maintain a staff of translators - usually 1-2 people who perform a wide range of tasks. They go to negotiations, translate business correspondence, technical literature and documentation, prepare appeals and papers for negotiations with foreign partners or customers, provide information support to clients from foreign countries.

State structures. Specialists work in public institutions or collaborate with them on individual projects. Example: the regional administration is building partnerships with investors, say, from the Czech Republic. They need translators with knowledge of the Czech language on a permanent basis, as the workload is large and the workload is regular. Another example: from the same Czech Republic, a delegation of, say, athletes comes to the region to participate in some event. In this case, a translator with knowledge of the Czech language will be required for a one-time, project work.

Publishers and studios. Thousands of books, films, series and song lyrics are translated every year. Work in publishing houses, film studios, production centers and similar companies requires knowledge of the specifics of the literary language and modern slang from a specialist. Surely you have noticed how the quality of translation varies, for example, of the same series in different studios. This is not about voice acting, but about vocabulary. Here, not only the clarity of the content depends on the translator, but also the pleasure received by the listener, viewer, reader from the oral or written text.

Freelance. According to unofficial statistics, at least 10% of the total number of graduates educational institutions in Russia they constantly work in freelance mode. They find regular customers, collaborate on projects with organizations and institutions, or look for work on popular freelance exchanges. The key advantage of this regime is absolute freedom, the ability to independently build a schedule and regulate income. The main disadvantage is the absence of any guarantees, in particular stable payment and fulfillment by the customer of the terms of the contract.

Where to study to be a translator? TOP-5 universities

The best choice would be a linguistic (language) university. You can start your education in college and eventually continue it by enrolling in a university on an accelerated program.

Diploma of higher education gives preferences in employment, being an indicator of the quality of training.

However, the key argument in your favor for the employer is work experience and qualifications. You will have to raise it throughout your career. And the better the knowledge gained during the training, the better. Therefore, it is worth trying to enter the best university available to you.

TOP-5 linguistic universities in Russia:

Moscow State University Lomonosov.
St. Petersburg State University.
MGIMO.
Moscow Linguistic University.
Russian State University. Kosygin.

The choice of a university is an important stage in a translator's career, but not a decisive one.

Graduates of provincial educational institutions, far from the top of the rankings, can build a successful career. But in the course of self-training, they will have to do much more than students of elite universities. Moreover, you will not get the most valuable connections that graduates of prestigious universities “acquire” during their studies and which help them with employment.

An excellent solution would be admission to master's programs in foreign universities. This opportunity is worth taking advantage of not only for bachelors who want to emigrate, but also for graduates who want to succeed in a career as a translator. The opportunity to study a language in depth for several years in a country where it is official is an invaluable experience. It will help you reach the top and become an important item on your resume. You can also start: approve scholarships and grants from foreign universities that offer, in fairness, free education. The procedure for admission and registration of documents is quite complicated, but it's worth it.

What qualities do you need to have

Excellent memory. One of the basic requirements for in-depth study of any language. If you are forgetful, then you should be ready to put a lot of effort into developing memory.
Logical thinking. It is not enough to remember individual words and phrases - it is necessary to understand its logic, features of vocabulary and word formation. Developed logical thinking will become the basis for understanding grammar, slang expressions.
perseverance. The work of a translator can hardly be called exciting - usually it is associated with many hours of sedentary work behind piles of foreign texts.
Stress resistance. It is especially important for simultaneous translations, when you are under constant tension, trying to synchronize your speech with the speaker's speech.
Attentiveness. Each mistake can lead to the distortion of huge blocks of text. History knows a lot of examples of breakdowns in negotiations or, say, unsuccessful film rentals due to inaccuracies in translations.

The relevance of the profession of a translator and its prospects

Key confrontations are unfolding in the IT fields. Many experts say that in the near future, trained artificial intelligence will be able to completely replace a live translator. However, the developers themselves are cautious about such prospects. Most of them speak of such a possibility as a rather distant reality.

According to analytical data, in the next 20-30 years, machines will not be able to replace the work of translators even by 15%. At the same time, the specialists themselves are happy to use new developments, professional software- it really helps at work. If you liked the presentation of the profession at the Open Day at the university or if you lower grades write an essay on the topic: "My future profession– translator”, then you can safely follow your dream.

Pros and cons of the profession of a translator

This specialty is suitable for people who love complex, stressful, orderly work. There are no risks, threats to life and health. It is difficult for a translator to get physically injured at work. But to shake the psyche and bring yourself to hysteria as a result of constant stress and the burden of responsibility is quite real.

pros profession translator:

Relevance of the specialty . This is a sought-after profession, and even university graduates, as a rule, do not encounter a lack of vacancies. The only exceptions are rare, in particular endangered languages.
Plenty of job opportunities . You can work in an ordinary translation agency, in private companies and government agencies, you can translate books, films and series, you can accompany tourists or even stay freelance.
prospects career development . All in your hands! If you are constantly developing, continue to learn the language throughout your life, do not “pickle” yourself in one job and are not afraid of change, you have every chance of succeeding.
Fairly high salaries . They cannot be compared with the income of top managers in oil companies, but compared to the national average they are high. Moreover, with experience and advanced training, you will be able to qualify for a salary increase.
A real opportunity to emigrate . Translators especially often use special programs, graduate from master's programs abroad, receive grants and scholarships from foreign universities, as they are fluent in the language and successfully pass tests.

Minuses profession translator:

Complex and responsible work . Most specialists are in constant tension, feel the burden of responsibility and often suffer from stress.
The need for constant development . Only 1-2 years without practice (for example, during maternity leave) and you "fall out" of the profession. The language is changing very quickly and you have to constantly improve your skills.
monotonous labor . Wherever you work, you will constantly deal with large volumes of text - written or oral. There are no surprises to be expected.
Low salary at the start of a career . University graduates, even with 1-2 years of work experience, can rarely get a well-paid job.

If you love languages, if you are ready to dedicate your life to establishing communication and linguistic connection between people, this profession is for you. If you want something more dynamic and exciting, and you go to a linguistic university only because of the prospect of a high salary, you will hate your job with all your heart. Before admission, we recommend that you analyze all the pros and cons in advance, and then make an informed choice.

How much do translators in Russia earn

According to analytical services, the average salary of a Russian translator is 34.7 thousand rubles. At the same time, there are significant differences between the average salaries in the regions. Most of all, specialists from Moscow (42 thousand rubles), St. Petersburg (38 thousand rubles) and Vladivostok (36 thousand rubles) receive. Salaries differ not only in regions, but also in organizations - the maximum in private companies, the minimum - in public institutions.

Translators can look forward to significant growth in their careers wages. For 5 years of work, it is realistic to increase your income by 10-15 thousand rubles. Do not forget that the amount of wages depends on the relevance of the language. In some cases, specialists with knowledge of rare languages receive large fees, but usually cooperate with them only within the framework of individual projects. The highest earners are translators who specialize in English, German, French and Arabic.