Translation covers many fields and, despite the linguistic skills translators have, it is impossible for every translator to be an expert in each one of them.
The intention of any text or discourse is communication. The more specialised the audience, the higher the level of demand required when selecting expressions with which to express ideas. For this reason, translators tend to specialise in one or more fields in which they have more knowledge.
Some specialisations
Although there are countless fields in which to specialise in the world of translation, the following are the four best known.
- Literary translation
It is the translation of texts that are considered to be literary works. It includes fiction, non fiction-boo
- Audiovisual translation
It is the translation intended to be consumed on screen, including translation for dubbing, subtitling, audio description, web or video games.
- Legal translation
It is the translation of any legal documents or recordings from general documents such as birth certificates to more specific documents such as court hearings.
- Medical translation
It is the specialisation of translation that refers of the field of medicine and health.
- Technical translation
It is the translation of products and materials dealing with scientific and technical subject domains such as articles from scientific, medical, engineering, and technical journals, or more often product description sheets for electronic equipment.
Benefits
What are the benefits of specialising in translation?
- Deepening knowledge
Being a translator, you never stop learning. This is one of the most beautiful features of our profession. It is impossible to know everything about a subject, but focusing on applying the knowledge you have acquired on it and deepening it, in order to subsequently become an expert, is really satisfying.
- Increasing efficiency
Translating in a subject that you have knowledge of will save you valuable time. In this way, you will be more efficient and productive, which in turn will lead to greater profitability.
- Improving quality
Specialising in one or more fields will improve the translation services you offer. By offering high quality translation services, you will increase your client list and grow your business.
- Improving communication
By being an expert in a field, communication will be more fluid and you will be able to target your services to a specific audience. Clients will always choose a translator who is specialised in the field in which they need to apply the translation services, so you will find clients more easily.
- Higher rates
Specialised translators have the possibility to set higher rates and thus generate higher revenues.
- Choose a field of your preference
Translation is a profession that is exercised by vocation, for the love of languages, writing and communication. However, translators have their preferences, subjects they enjoy translating or with which they feel more comfortable. Being able to choose the fields into which we translate can make our work much more enjoyable and satisfying.
How to choose your specialisation?
There are three factors that can help you choose your specialisation.
- What have you studied?
Depending on what you have studied, you will have more control over a subject. Use the knowledge you have acquired to exploit your business to the full!
- What do you like?
By being able to choose a specialisation, translators have the advantage of being able to specialise in a subject that we are really passionate about. In this way, we will enjoy our work much more.
- Where do you live?
When choosing a specialisation, it is important to take into account our surroundings. If the city we live in is known for its large manufacturing industry, specialising in it will provide us with more customers and therefore greater profitability.
Picking your battles
Even though specializations are a gateway to finding projects more easily, they can also have the opposite effect and drive clients away if not handled carefully. Just like any other asset, it can be tempting to try and gather as many specializations as possible in order to be more marketable and attract more clients. Indeed, having a dozen of specializations on our resume is a flattering prospect that seems like it can only be beneficial to our business, however sometimes, in translation just like in fashion, less is more. No matter how many skills a translator will have listed in their resume, there is always one thing that will prevail with clients, and it is the worker’s credibility. Companies seek a translator they can fully trust and rely on for their business, someone who has an extended knowledge on the subject by following it closely on a regular basis. In the end, having too many specializations listed completely strips away their meaning since they can’t all be specifically focused on. All in all, while establishing the list of your specializations, keep one saying in mind: jack of all trades, master of none.
Building your specializations
Once you have chosen which specializations would be in your best interest; it’s time to cultivate them.
Depending on their fields, specializations can require varying amounts of effort and investment, but rest assured, with the right amount of dedication and these different approaches, you’ll learn to master the subject bit by bit:
• Courses
Thanks to the rise of virtual workspaces and classrooms, we are now seeing more and more translators being able to build their specializations through online courses. Whether it is through massive open online courses or full degree programs, online or in person, these courses represent a great opportunity to strengthen your expertise all the while getting an official acknowledgement of your specialization at the end. These courses can also be another glowing element to add to your resume.
• Subscriptions to Specialized Magazines
Whilst a course is a temporary approach to building a specialization, a subscription to a specialized magazine is a durable way to slowly cultivate your expertise. Not only will it help you slowly fortifying your expertise, but it’ll also cover one of the toughest parts of having a specialization: keeping up with any advancement. Whether it is because of changing terminology, or because of possible discoveries, having an array of subscriptions to specialized magazines, newspapers and newsletters is a must. It represents a long-term investment but will make it easier to keep track of evolving extralinguistic aspects.
• Events and associations
Last but not least, there is one last approach that can help you developing your specialization and that also reinforces the idea that it is wiser to settle on a subject you enjoy: attending events. There is no better place to discuss the latest innovations made in your specialization than a conference full of scientists, lawyers or accountants who are actually involved in that field on a daily basis. Groups and forums made of people who are not actually involved in the translation industry can be the best places for a specialized translator to find out more information regarding their specialization.
However, for those who are more introvert and do not particularly wish to attend events outside of their industry, there is still the simpler approach that is networking with other translators specialized in the same fields.
To learn more about our specialized translation services, reach out to us now!