A day in the life of a translator
We thought we’d give you the opportunity to meet Cecilia Etchegoyen, one of the English/Spanish translators we work with here at Acclaro.
Name: Cecilia Etchegoyen
Native Language: English/Spanish
Working languages: English/Spanish
Location: Spain and Argentina
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceci159753/
The work of a translator is often considered to be easier than that of a copywriter or content writer. Translating content from one language to another is often considered child’s play, especially given that sites exist online that will translate content verbatim for free.
But the reality is that it is far more difficult and complicated than just translating content word for word. Although word-for-word translation is the simplest form of translation, it is difficult in itself. However, more often than not, a simple word-for-word translation is not good enough. A translator has to imbibe the cultural nuances of the target language into the translated content.
Cecilia has been translating content for over 25 years, and she points out that the subject or topic adds further complications.
For example, when I translate content about finance and savings from English to Spanish, I require in-depth knowledge of a Spaniard’s attitude and beliefs about finance and savings, in addition to being an expert in Spanish.
A typical day in a translator’s life depends greatly on whether you are employed at a translation agency or operate as a freelancer.
Cecilia says, “I work from home and have been doing so for about 20 years. There was a point when I thought of stopping being a freelancer and working for an agency, but I prefer the freedom that working from home gives me.”
If you’re employed at an agency, you will have fixed working hours, with a couple of short breaks in between. You will have little to no control over the tasks assigned to you, and you will have to deliver a pre-decided amount of translated content on a daily basis.
On the other hand, as a freelance translator, you will have complete control over when and for how long you work as long as you meet the deadlines. You will also have a greater scope to interact with clients directly, thereby building relations and possibly regular work.
A number of translators begin by working at a translation agency to learn the process and the business side of things before striking it out on their own.
Employed translator vs freelance translator
As an employed translator, you will have to reach your workplace at a specified time.
The time you spend traveling to and from work every day will depend on whether you drive to work or use public transportation and the distance between your workplace and home.
Usually, you will work straight through till lunchtime, when you get an hour’s break.
You resume work after the break until the end of the day, with another short break in between.
If you’re working as a team, you will have to discuss and plan the work with other translators. You might have to attend meetings with your supervisor to discuss a new project or to receive feedback on the previous project.
As a freelance translator, you can work from home or a coworking space or divide your time between home and cafes. Freelancers need to be a lot more disciplined than those working from an office because there are a plethora of distractions around them.
If you’re prone to procrastination, freelancing might not be the right choice. Unless you’ve other commitments on the day, you should ideally finish your work for the day in the first half.
That way, you have free time in the second half to focus on other things. Do not work on your bed, which is generally good advice for a freelancer. Get a desk and a proper chair and create a professional atmosphere.
Translation is an exciting field of work, and it can be as rewarding as writing something original from scratch.
Here are some quick-fire questions we asked Cecilia about being a translator for Jonckers.
How long have you been a translator?
I’ve been a translator for over 25 years.
Do you work from home, in the office, or a coworking space? What would you ideally prefer if you could pick?
I have been working from home for about 20 years. There was a point when I considered stopping being a freelancer and working for an agency, but I prefer the freedom that working from home gives me.
What do you do first thing in the morning when you start?
The first thing I do is start my computer and check my messages. Even before my first cup of coffee!
Do you use any tools to help you with your day-to-day work?
I have been using translation tools such as Trados and memoQ, among others since they first appeared on the market at the end of the 1990s.
What challenges do you experience in your day-to-day work?
The most problematic issue for me is an unstable Internet connection where I live. I live in the mountains, which is wonderful, and being a freelancer allows me to do that. Still, it’s quite stressful for me when I cannot check messages and respond in a timely manner to my clients or investigate things without an Internet connection.
Obviously, sometimes working from home can be isolating, and you tend to work many more hours than if you were working in an office from 9 to 5. It’s sometimes very difficult to say “no” to a client when your workload is heavy or even during holidays, but over the years, I’ve accepted the fact that you can only work so much before burning out, and being honest with clients and not accepting more work that you can handle is very important.
Another challenge is keeping up with modern jargon and technologies that sometimes require additional investigation and learning.
What do you love most about your job?
I specialize in IT and software, and I love that this topic keeps me up to date with the latest technological advances. The drawback is that I’m also up to date with hacking, security, and privacy risks, which sometimes makes me want to disconnect everything from the Internet and go back to using a pen and paper!
What type of person and skill set is necessary to be the perfect translator?
I think someone with attention to detail and conscientiousness who is committed to responding to customer requests in a timely manner. Someone who can look at the source material and translate it in a way that seems natural and fluent, conveying the meaning of the source but providing content that does not read like a translation but rather is written in the target language.
What career path do you think there is for translators?
Despite the advancement of AI and machine translation, which has improved significantly over the years, I don’t think human translation will ever be replaced completely. There are multiple opportunities, both within companies as internal translators/language specialists, within translation agencies, and as freelancers.
If you’d like to find out more about working for Acclaro, visit our careers section.
