How many
times have your read about the benefits of specialisation in translation? Many,
I bet. A sure-fire way to differentiate and add you credibility in an overcrowded
market of language services, they say.
In my
language combination (English to Russian), the competition is fierce. Numerous translators with the same
education and the same tools offer their services to the same LSPs. Too often, everything
comes down to price.
To land clients
who do care about their translators, you definitely need some extras — subject
field excellence, impressive recommendations, huge experience, etc. Your authentic
point of differentiation. But here comes the tricky part. Where is the way to
translation expertise?
1)
Find
your own path into the field
Every
freelance translator can boast a unique story of coming into this business. But
sometimes it seems to me that specialisation is most highly valued by those who
went freelance after a pair of career turns.
With a degree
in English and German, I never planned to be a translator — back then it seemed
too boring. But soon after graduation I was offered an editor and translator
position of a new magazine on flexography, a printing technology that saw a
steep rise in demand in the local packaging market. Only years later did I
realise that it was translation I enjoyed most in my broad scope of duties.
When
choosing your specialty field, you are free to analyse the market needs, follow
circumstances or your passion. But you should be sure you are in the game. Because
after your eureka
moment there comes hard
work.
2)
Be
prepared to go an extra mile. Or a dozen
What does
it take to become a subject-matter expert? Years of your time, hundred
thousands of translated words, countless pages of feedback from your editors. Expert-level
specialisation requires in-depth knowledge of the subject combined with
excellent writing skills.
Time on the
field can do wonders. You work with industry experts, valid terminology and real-life
technologies mentioned in your translated texts. You try technical and
marketing writing to improve your skills. You learn to think like your
corporate clients.
Another way
to in-depth industry knowledge is to get a degree or take courses in your
specialisation. But whatever you choose, no shortcuts are available. To keep
moving ahead you are to become better with every assignment you take. For that,
you need a proven scheme: translation > feedback > analysis.
3)
Search
for mentors and editors
No matter
how long and hard you work, you can’t make any
serious progress without relevant oversight. Even trying your best, you will make the same mistakes over and
over again because you are not aware of them.
A
professional editor who shows you revised translations and explains your
mistakes comes as a blessing. When I decided to go freelance, I offered my
services to a couple of publishing houses.
As a rule,
their rates are far from being high. But a year or two of translating
specialised books and magazines can turn into a priceless experience: access to
subject-related texts in both source and target languages, expert-level
editors, published translations to compare with your original versions.
4)
Keep
your mind open
As you gain
experience in the chosen subject, you will find blunders in your translations
made several years ago. And that’s perfectly normal because you took your time
and efforts to grow as an expert. Now you can leverage more on your language assets spending less time for research and
having a good grasp of subject terminology.
May be it’s
the right moment to add another specialization to your wish list now. After having
worked with the graphic arts industry for several years, I had to search for new
customers as the market was crushed by the crisis.
Back then the
printing and publishing industry was actively implementing digital technologies
and workflows. So I chose my next related field and started to gain experience with
marketing texts for IT and telecom.
5)
Turn
your expertise into real-world benefits
Do you feel
like a pro? Then it’s high time to consider a plan for identity development and promotion. Nobody will be aware that you are
an expert until you stand out from the crowd.
To charge
more for your services, you need recognition of your target market. Create an
authentic brand or image associated with specialised projects. Do not forget
value added services: customers appreciate the ability to solve their problems.
After you
have identified your target market, it becomes easier to offer unique compelling
services: from supporting social media accounts and news publishing to web site
localisation, editing and copywriting.
Offer your
expertise. Offer what clients keep asking for. You’ll like the results.
Dear Olesya, thank you for your valuable insight!
Olesya Zaytseva is a freelance English to
Russian translator, specialising in printing and graphic arts. Olesya's background is linguistics
and she has first-hand experience of translation, technical writing and
marketing for industry insiders. You can contact her through her Russian web
site (www.just-translate-it.com)
and find her on Facebook,
LinkedIn, or Twitter.
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