Work for Reliable Translator Without Degree

Translator Resources

Become a Translator

Become an Interpreter

Marketing Help

Language Resources

Language Articles

About This Site

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Work for Reliable Translator Without Degree

by Marcello
(UK)

Hi, I'm Marcello from the UK. I've lived, studied and worked for 16yrs in Italy and 17yrs in England. I can speak, read and write excellent in both languages and have a very good understanding of anything from legislation, politics, economy, housing ect. in both countries, but I have no relevant degrees in translations. It's been impossible for me to find work as a translator and I was wondering if any of you knows of any companies that recruit or freelance out work to people like myself.

Comments for
Work for Reliable Translator Without Degree

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 05, 2011
Rating

Response
by: Anonymous

Marcello, it seems you have taken umbrage at my comments, and I'm sorry for that. You say I have missed the point, in contrast to the previous commentator, who understood and tried to find solutions.

Indeed, the previous commentator did offer very good marketing solutions which are likely to be effective with or without a degree, and there was no point in my repeating what he or she said. I focused on a fundamental point: if you get a trial through effective marketing, will you prove to be employable as a translator?

In terms of how you have presented your ability in written English, the answer is an emphatic "no". This is not to say you are not capable - simply that you are not displaying that you are capable. Anyone attempting to market their wares would be wise to set out their stall appropriately; if you are looking for translating work, it makes sense to make absolutely sure that what you write in any public forum is correct, whether in a formal or informal style. You have not done this.

The lack of a degree is probably not a problem if you use the marketing solutions provided by your other commentator; the lack of linguistic accuracy certainly is.

In summary, if you want work as a translator I suggest you follow your other commentator's suggestions in terms of marketing yourself; but it's hardly worth bothering if you're not prepared to present your written work properly.

However, as I said in my earlier comment (in which I was only trying to be helpful), interpreting might be a better route since although it requires the same degree of accuracy and understanding it requires a less formal linguistic approach.

Incidentally, there is no room for disagreement on whether "ect" is correct or not. It is simply incorrect, and I am afraid that if that is how you think you've seen it in the OED, you've misread it.

Feb 01, 2011
Rating

anonymous
by: Marcello

In addition to my previous response I would point you into the direction of the previous response on the 30th of December, who actually understood the whole point of the debate and tried to find solutions.

Feb 01, 2011
Rating

anonymous comment
by: Marcello

Hi anonymous,
thanks for you comments.
I am well aware of (yrs) being inappropriate at "formal level",however it was within an informal context.
I disagree with you on "ect.", which I consider to be a perfectly valid way of abbreviation and is also listed in the Oxford Dictionary.
Other than trying to highlight some differences of opinions, your post unfortunately does't answer the whole dibate of the article on how people can find work not being in possession of a degree, therefore missing the point.

Jan 31, 2011
Rating

A few pointers
by: Anonymous

Hi Marcello. Unfortunately, the very short piece you have written describing why you would be a good translator contains some basic mistakes. These will not enhance your chances of getting work, so I hope you don't mind my pointing them out in a spirit of helpfulness. The mistakes are:

We write "16 years", not "16yrs", which is an abbreviation only suitable for very informal communications or note-taking.

"Excellent" is not an adverb, which is what you need here. Since "excellently" does not exist, I would suggest changing the structure of the sentence. For example, "I have an excellent command of speaking, reading and writing in both Italian and English".

If you write "and have a very good understanding of anything from..." you have to follow this at some point with "to". An example is: "from legislation and politics to economics and housing".

"Ect" is not only unnecessary but wrong. It is unnecessary because you have already made it clear that your translation abilities cover a broad range of subjects. It is wrong because what you are looking for is the abbreviation for "et cetera" which is "etc.".

I'm sure your understanding and spoken skills are top-class, and a little polish on the writing element may well go a long way to getting you translation work. However, have you considered interpreting instead?

I hope this helps.

Dec 30, 2010
Rating

How to get a job as a translator
by: Anonymous

Post ads in newspapers, in Craigslist and create a log in www.wordpress.com, it's free. Place flyers everyhwere, make business cards and hand them out, make phone calls to public notaries and offer yourself as a translator

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Certification

Start Your Site

Work for Reliable Translator Without Degree

Comments for Work for Reliable Translator Without Degree

Comments for
Work for Reliable Translator Without Degree