11
don’t think the written German was
my problem because I passed the
language proficiency test (abbrev.
DSH) after 3 months – a course which
was originally suppose to last another
9 months. It was the German accent!!
Also, as a translator, I am required to
have an excellent/safe grasp of both
mother tongue and respective
foreign languages and be able to
communicate texts in another
language in a purposeful and targetgroup oriented manner.
What I did and still do is I speak
slowly and clearly, ask for clarification
when required, I “try” to avoid jargon
and I am patient with myself; it’s a
new language…you learn with time!!
There are also difficulties involved in
having to deal with strict deadlines
and a variety of texts from a number
of areas of expertise, for which one
often needs to do extensive and
lengthy research that adds to the
already heavy workload usually
assigned to translators.
With language constantly evolving on
account of world developments,
advances in science and technology,
and even the rise of new fields
altogether, I find myself facing extra
challenges on both levels of
terminology and idiom. But these
challenges help make the work much
more satisfying.
Another difficulty is dealing with negative stereotypes and comments about studying
translation and translators such as Translation = learning how to use your bilingual
dictionary/working with your dictionary, Why study translation? Almost everybody is
bilingual or at least speaks and understands English (As if English was a world
language!!!) There are lots of online translation softwares! Even Google translates etc….
I shove away these comments because to me they are an incredible display of gross
ignorance!! IGNORE them!!
7.
What advice do you have for students who aspire to pursue your career/academic
path, and for current St. Bede’s College students overall?
Listen to your grades!!! They do not lie – Study what you love.
Learning a new language(s) takes a lot of time so be patient. I picked up two languages
simultaneously as a child just by being exposed to them − adults usually find learning a
new tongue much more difficult.
Also, more languages do not necessarily mean more work. In order to be successful, it is
beneficial to specialise in a specific subject area: medicine, engineering/technical, law,
business, information technology etc.