The simpler the profession at first glance, the more often people from the outside get the impression that you do not need to get an education to work in it. Such a fate befell the profession of translator. In the eyes of the majority, a translator is a person who knows a foreign language very well. But any translator will tell you that language proficiency only precedes a long list of translation skills.
People have a fixed logic: “A translator must know a foreign language very well. I know him very well. So I can be a translator.” Some people who are interested in the profession of a translator are wondering if it is possible to become a translator without a higher education. The second half of potential translator candidates are interested in the question: “Is it possible to work as a translator without education in principle?” Someone is interested in the question of whether it is possible to work as a translator knowing only a foreign language. Are any of them right? Let’s figure it out.
What should a translator know?
First, let’s look at what skills a good translator has. This will help to conclude whether it is possible to become a translator without education.
Know a foreign language
A skill without which it is basically impossible to become a translator. But there is a catch: the expression “know a foreign language” can have different meanings. For someone, knowing a language means learning to speak it, for another, reading literature in the original. To work as a translator, you need to know the language at an advanced level. For example, for English this level is C1 (Advanced). We are often asked if it is possible to take courses at LinguaKontakt with an Intermediate – Upper-Intermediate level. We do not advise, because it will be difficult.
Know your native language
To some extent, this skill is valued more than knowledge of a foreign language. It will not be difficult for a translator to understand the text to be translated. But expressing a thought in Russian so that it sounds beautiful is another task. We are sure that you have experienced this strange feeling at least once, when what you read/heard is understandable, but the same cannot be said in Russian. This is the art of translation – to find a translation of that very untranslatable play on words.
Have specialized knowledge in the field of translation
Just as it is impossible to know everything in the world, it is impossible to translate on any topic. Translators are divided into oral and written, technical and artistic, medical and audiovisual, etc. – this allows you to improve in one area of translation and become a professional.
It is a big mistake to think that when translating, for example, a description of a medicine, you can peep all the unfamiliar words in the dictionary. The translator must understand what he is translating – in many respects this is the key to a quality translation. That is why translators specialize in certain types of translation and study the theory in depth on selected topics.
Proficient in CAT programs
CAT tools (Computer-assisted translation tool), or simply “cats”, are programs that allow you to automate the translation process. They are very helpful in translating texts with a high degree of repetition of lexical units, remembering the repetitive parts of the text. Every translator who is going to cooperate with a translation agency needs to be able to work with “cats”.
Own translation transformations
These are translation techniques that the translator uses in cases where the dictionary match of the translation unit (words, phrases, sentences) is absent or cannot be used in this context. Possession of translation transformations distinguishes a translator from a person who simply knows the language well.
So is it possible to work as a translator without education?
It turns out that a good translator must have a number of skills, which we described above. But is it necessary to get a higher education for this? We believe that it is possible to become a translator without a translation or linguistic education. There are many good translators without a diploma from specialized faculties who know a foreign language very well and have translation skills.
But more interesting is the question of whether knowledge of a foreign language is enough to work as a translator. There is no definite answer to it. Although in the minds of many, the main skill of a translator is knowledge of a foreign language, the matter is not limited to it. The translator must know his native language, understand his field of translation, have deep cultural knowledge, be proficient in translation transformations and CAT programs.
On the one hand, knowledge of a foreign language may be sufficient if the translator specializes in general texts. Such texts consist of everyday vocabulary, which does not need additional training. On the other hand, audiovisual translators, for example, although they work with general topics, it cannot be said that they are valued simply for knowing the language: for example, subtitle translators master programs for creating subtitles and learn the rules for their design.
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