Why Translate As A Job?

 

If you are seeking work, and believe your skills as a bilingualist are up to a significant level of prowess, then why not consider a job as a translator? The industry of providing certified document translation services in Singapore to others is always seeking fresh minds. On the other hand, if you were instead hoping to bolster your knowledge of one language or another, working at a translation company is a good opportunity to experience a steady influx of texts to practice reading and rewriting. Whatever your end goal, seeking a profession as a translator is an excellent means of further developing your own skills with one language or more.

 

The most obvious benefit in providing a translation service professionally is of course the chance to turn one's language skills into financial income. For a steady flow of it, one can seek employment at a certified translation company in Singapore, wherein there are colleagues who can advise you on how to work and improve, as well as those who handle the administration and client intercommunication. The latter of course is where the material to be translated comes from, attached to requests from clients for a number of purposes (typically a PR application translation or a notarized translation). In such a position, one will have plenty of opportunities to practice with the languages one is familiar with, and there may even be times where one will be exposed to work with other languages one may gain future interest in. Though certain languages will be more common, depending on one's specialization or the region on is currently in, working as a translator will inevitably be exposed to a wide variety of languages from around the world, especially if one has a workplace with a high volume of tasks.

 

Alternatively, one can work as an independent translator in Singapore. Though this results in a less reliable income, as work will be on a job-by-job basis, this allows such a person more flexibility in scheduling and the freedom to choose the types of jobs they will work with. One could then seek out individual clients who need certified translation services in Singapore for their own specific needs, but generally it is more common for freelancers in this field to seek out the above-mentioned translation companies, who act as middlemen between clients and independent translators. Furthermore, one would not even have to be a translator themselves for exposure to a wide variety of languages, as there are also the necessary tasks of administration or client intercommunication described earlier. Even without having to deal with specific translation jobs (such as providing a legal translation service), one will inevitably be exposed to other languages through the handling of the initial documents to be translated and the final drafts for client review. More so if one is tasked with reviewing the final drafts for quality and accuracy.

 

Translation-focused or otherwise, the translation industry has a number of positions available for those eager to turn their language skills into a career, and such a career can in turn help to strengthen such language skills and foster interests in new languages. If such a thing appeals to your mind, consider a future in providing certified translation services in Singapore!

Future of Translation: Will Technology Fully Replace Translation?

 

An odd question, but try viewing a website that is written in a language you do not normally use. Depending on the internet browser you use, you may receive a prompt or a request from the program to translate as much of the website as possible into your preferred language, and the process to do this can happen instantaneously, or at most in just a few minutes. No translator or translation company in Singapore was involved; only lines of code and vocabulary databases that have been perfected over time to take text in one language and convert them into another while maintaining high standards of accuracy and readability. As has been mentioned before, technology is negating the need for human intervention or assistance in many facets of life, including the realms of human language. Will the need for human-provided document translation services disappear entirely? Will certified translation companies in Singapore become obsolete and eventually be thought of as relics of the past?

People will very often gravitate towards quicker and more convenient options. Hypothetically, let us assume legal translation services are required for a contract, and one of two options must be chosen: a professional translator who will cost more and take at least a few days to finish the work; or a program that can be downloaded online (free or for a one-time purchase) and finish the translation in less than a day. If nothing else is considered, then one may believe the program to be the natural choice every time. After all, why would one ever wish to use a service that requires more time and money?

Well, added time and costs can become more reasonable if one has more at risk. It is worry-free when you have an internet browser automatically translate the contents of a store’s webpage, or use a program to translate some fiction for your entertainment. However, what if it is a PR application translation you need where success or failure can hinge on the document itself, or what if you are translating important documents for the judge to consider in a court dispute? A program itself has no particular care if a minor error leads to an expensive disagreement on your end. Conversely, a certified provider of translation services in Singapore will have a vested interest in ensuring that the final translated document delivered to you will be of the highest quality and accuracy, since the document’s success in its intended use will also add to the translator’s own professional reputation.

There is also the question of certifications to consider, and not just that of the translator. Well-established translators in Singapore also typically have the means to proceed with a notarized translation, i.e. having the contact details of a notary public on-hand. Notaries public are recognized for having the authority to determine documents’ authenticity and certifying them as such. Translation programs (at least as they are now) have no means of contacting other parties on their own for the certifying of documents for any official purposes.

Even assuming the world was to reach a point where humans are supplanted by digital programs when it comes to the provision of document translation services, it is hard to imagine such programs operating without some level of human supervision, even if it is just one person at the back of a room full of humming computers. Despite our desire for convenience and economy, we are also unwilling to leave our most vital documents to automated programs, especially if some major purpose or goal depends critically upon them.

Consequently, for such vital documents, people will still seek out human professionals in the translation industry, if not because of explicit confidence in translation professionals’ abilities, then at least just for more pairs of eyes to review and ensure that a document’s translation is completely correct. Thus, in the meantime, certified translation services in Singapore will ever yet require that human element.

What Translators Need To Know: How To Work With Others

 

Translation is intrinsically a collaborative act, as at the very bare minimum there will be two parties involved: the person who wrote the original document, and the certified translation provider in Singapore who has been tasked with converting the language of the document to another. However, in today’s inter-connected professional landscape, it is much more likely for a greater number of people to be involved: the owner of a document who received it from another, a manager who will be reviewing the translator’s work, an intermediary agent who is assisting the document’s owner, and so on. When providing a translation service, one will inevitably require the skills needed to communicate and co-operate with others.

For example, in the process of providing legal translation services to a client, not only will there be the general difficulty in converting a legal document’s language from one to another, but there will also be uncertainties on the translation of legal terms. Legal documents require precise language, and to be certain that the correct terms are used or if different words are needed, a translator in Singapore must have communication skills to effectively communicate with the client or colleagues on what terms are necessary and what must be replaced. Similarly, if one is in a different position within a certified translation company in Singapore and is just working with translators, one still needs clear communication skills to effectively convey the mandatory words and terms for the legal documents they are working with.

There is also the possibility that one may work with clients or alongside translators with a weaker grasp of English (or another language). What if one were providing a PR application translation for an elderly couple and they have trouble communicating what they want or understanding what is unclear in their documents?Fortunately, with sufficient knowledge of computers, Microsoft Word (and possibly other writing programs as well) have the means to draw attention without literally spelling it out. Words can be highlighted, and comments can be added; changes can be tracked so fellow translators or colleagues in other positions can see the thought process behind the work. For clients with difficulties communicating, highlighting the words may be enough to draw their attention towards key details for them to review.

While translation companies indeed exist, there are also numerous individual translators who operate independently. Though they might not need to form co-operative connections with co-workers, the above-described skills for collaboration are still of importance to these independent professionals. After all, they still need to interact with clients, whether they be a translation company or a random stranger.

To provide certified document translation services in Singapore, whether by yourself or as part of a larger company, is to embark on a path that will bring you into contact with a wide variety of people. Hence, if one wishes to excel in the field of translation, one cannot just rely on a crucial knowledge of languages, one must also develop the interpersonal skills needed to interact with others and in turn be better able to understand the requirements of employers and clients.