1. Translation — Industry and Career Information Kim Vitray, Operations Manager Ralph McElroy Translation Company Austin, Texas

2. Ralph mcelroy translation company Ralph McElroy Translation Company In business since 1968 One of the top 5 largest single-headquarters companies ( 12-15 million words/year, 40 employees, 100+ regular contract translators) Primarily Japanese, German, Chinese, Dutch, French, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Technical translations (legal, scientific, medical) and web site localization

3. Ralph mcelroy translation company Translator Statistics 31% were born in the U.S. 31% are accredited by ATA 45% are full-time independent contractors 59% have master’s degree or higher 23% have 0-5 years experience Source: 2003 ATA T&I Services Survey

4. Ralph mcelroy translation company Definition of Translation Translation — “Rendition close enough to the original not to alter any of its meaning, full enough not to omit any detail, no matter how seemingly insignificant, and elegant enough to provide at least some of the stylistic character of the original text” Source: The Translator’s Handbook

5. Ralph mcelroy translation company 10 Requisites for Professional Translators Have thorough knowledge of both source and target languages — vocabulary equivalent to university education Be “at home” in both cultures Keep up with growth and changes in languages and subject matters Source: The Translator’s Handbook

6. Ralph mcelroy translation company 10 Requisites for Professional Translators Translate from another language into your native language Translate in more than one area of knowledge Have facility for writing, quickly and accurately Develop good speed

7. Ralph mcelroy translation company 10 Requisites for Professional Translators Develop research skills and ability to acquire and use references Use the latest technological developments Realize certain languages are in high demand

8. Ralph mcelroy translation company Being in Business for Yourself Résumé and cards Rate range and subject specialties Professional business materials Equipment, tools, and resources Recordkeeping and taxes, insurance Marketing and networking

9. Ralph mcelroy translation company Translating for an Agency Pros – they handle clients –steadier flow of work Cons –less independence –less money

10. Ralph mcelroy translation company Getting Started with an Agency Testing Confidentiality contract and independent contractor statement Translator instruction manual, instruction sheet, and templates “Beginner’s” rate Close review of first jobs

11. Ralph mcelroy translation company Understanding Agencies Processes Schedules Formatting Quality Communication Type of work

12. Ralph mcelroy translation company Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator Format your résumé so that pertinent points can be easily noted –native language –language pairs –years of experience –subject matter specializations –representative types of projects

13. Ralph mcelroy translation company Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator Be accessible — check fax, e-mail, and voice messages frequently Say "no" when necessary — but be open to workable solutions Say "yes" to a nuisance job every now and then Give advance notice of looming disaster and bring up problems

14. Ralph mcelroy translation company Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator Express your preferences –what you enjoy most –what you hate –what dictionaries you have –how you prefer to receive work, get messages –if you always or never work on weekends –if you routinely work through the night so please don't call before noon…anything!

15. Ralph mcelroy translation company Top 10 Traits of an Ideal Translator Miss only one deadline per job Keep up with the industry Teach your client — if you find yourself mentally listing all the things you wish your client knew, go ahead and offer some education Turn in jobs early!

16. Ralph mcelroy translation company Freelance Translating Pros –lot of independence –more money Cons –developing and maintaining clientele –maintaining steady work flow

17. Ralph mcelroy translation company Types of Employers Law firms Corporations Federal, state, and local government Major organizations Publishers

18. Ralph mcelroy translation company Common Misconceptions Anyone with two years of high school language, or who lived in another country for three years during early childhood, or who can type in a foreign language, can translate Translators can translate both ways just as easily Source: The Translator’s Handbook

19. Ralph mcelroy translation company Common Misconceptions A good translator doesn’t need any reference literature A good translator gets it right the first time, without any editing or proofreading Translators will soon be replaced by computers

20. Ralph mcelroy translation company Common Misconceptions A 100-page technical manual that took four months and three persons to write can be translated by one translator in two days Translating is just replacing each word in the source language with the same word in the target language Spanish is Spanish, all around the world

21. Ralph mcelroy translation company Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) Translation memory or terminology management tools that aid the human translator in producing applicable kinds of work better, faster, cheaper, easier Required by some agencies and end-user clients

22. Ralph mcelroy translation company Computer-Aided Translation Requisites –electronic file –consistently and well written –sufficient length –repetitive content and/or developed glossary OR job that will be updated Star Transit, Trados, déjà vu, SDLX

23. Ralph mcelroy translation company Interpreting — Required Skills Exceptional articulation High comfort level speaking in front of an audience Complete ease in both languages Ability to listen, remember, and summarize Subject area knowledge and experience Source: The Translator’s Handbook

24. Ralph mcelroy translation company Interpreting — Required Skills Good people skills –pleasing personality –professional appearance –good manners –patience –social savvy –good sense of humor

25. Ralph mcelroy translation company Types of Interpreting Consecutive — negotiations, social services, court Escort — government related Phone (OPI) — customer service, 911 Simultaneous — conferences (requires equipment) Sight — documents done on the spot

26. Ralph mcelroy translation company Interpreter Certification U.S. Federal Court Spanish, Haitian Creole, Navajo National Center for Interpretation Testing, Research, and Policy, University of Arizona Proficiency level is 14+ years formal education in both languages Some states

27. Ralph mcelroy translation company Training Programs Austin (Texas) Community College University of Texas at El Paso Localization Institute (www.localizationinstitute.com) Monterey Institute, California Bellevue College, Seattle New York University

28. Ralph mcelroy translation company American Translators Association Over 9,000 members Conference Accreditation www.atanet.org Chronicle & directory $120 membership fee

29. Ralph mcelroy translation company National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators 900 members Conference www.najit.org Proteus & directory $95 membership fee

30. Ralph mcelroy translation company Resources The Translator’s Handbook by Morry Sofer A Practical Guide to Localization by Bert Esselink MultiLingual Computing & Technology FLEFO (CompuServe Foreign Language Forum)

31. Ralph mcelroy translation company Resources Web sites –www.accurapid.com/journal –www.lai.com/companion.html –www.transref.org –dictionaries & glossaries

32. 910 West Ave. Austin, TX 78701 phone 472-6753 fax 472-4591 www.mcelroytranslation.com Ralph McElroy Translation Co.