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4 Questions to promote yourself
Thread poster: Johanna González
Kroz Wado
Kroz Wado
Japan
Local time: 20:44
Japanese to English
Maybe focus more on translation? Apr 11, 2011

Hmmm, I don't really buy into this marketing sell yourself line of questioning. My questions would focus on the person's mindset with regard to translation. You know their on-paper capabilities thanks to the trial and CV, now you have to assess whether they've got the right attitude to translation, and whether their approach to translation aligns well with your company's. Maybe it's a bit of an abstract line of questioning and leaves a lot up to personal judgments, but that's what hiring anyone ... See more
Hmmm, I don't really buy into this marketing sell yourself line of questioning. My questions would focus on the person's mindset with regard to translation. You know their on-paper capabilities thanks to the trial and CV, now you have to assess whether they've got the right attitude to translation, and whether their approach to translation aligns well with your company's. Maybe it's a bit of an abstract line of questioning and leaves a lot up to personal judgments, but that's what hiring anyone is - a judgment call.Collapse


 
Johanna González
Johanna González  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:44
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Let´s give some thought to that Apr 12, 2011

Hi Kroz - I think you made a point with what you wrote, it reminded me of a site I came across while doing some research on what others recommend to look out for when choosing a good translator (I was also trying to find out if, according to general rules of thumb I would even survive such screening procedures). It said that if possible, one should try to figure out whether the translator is passionate about translating or passionate about money - the one being passionate about translating being... See more
Hi Kroz - I think you made a point with what you wrote, it reminded me of a site I came across while doing some research on what others recommend to look out for when choosing a good translator (I was also trying to find out if, according to general rules of thumb I would even survive such screening procedures). It said that if possible, one should try to figure out whether the translator is passionate about translating or passionate about money - the one being passionate about translating being the one that would do the better job.

Now the thing about mindset is that one indeed should try to find common ground as to how you approach a translation project, but what often happens is that many translators apply to agencies or for specific jobs and say how passionate they are about translating (etc etc) and at some point it ends up being an empty word - just like hundreds of people have "high quality" on their profiles but don´t really distinguish themselves from the mass because everyone claims to be "high quality".

How would you be able to tell if someone really is passionate or is just using the word as a marketing tool?

I´m sure this aspect is not even scraping the surface to what you are referring to if I am understanding you correctly in the first place - but what would you suggest? How would you go about finding out about the mindset of the translator? Or explaining your own mindset without sounding banal and that your words are merely decorative empty shells?

(By the way - one of the translators who said she was "so passionate" about her work ended up being a nightmare - so maybe that´s the reason why I´m unsure about people claiming to be passionate. Not that I don´t like passion - I mean, if we didn´t really like our jobs we wouldn´t be doing it, right?)
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Johanna González
Johanna González  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:44
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Agencies might not think so much about it, BUT... Apr 12, 2011

Phil Hand wrote:
Agencies are never really going to invest the time to think about our "USPs" or the "benefits we bring to clients". They want basic data and a single reason to choose/not to choose you. Anything beyond that and you're dreaming.

[Edited at 2011-04-04 05:43 GMT]


OK, that might be true - for most projects agencies need someone for the job immediately (yesterday) and don´t have time for all that. I believe the point of having us think about such things also had an educational value.

But as a freelance translator - shouldn´t you have a genuine, well-thought-through idea of why the agency/customer should choose you and not Mr.I´m-much-cheaper-over-here?

When giving a presentation in school, don´t you also do lots more research but only address about 10% of that research during the presentation? Then at least, if others have questions afterwards you can act as an expert and nothing can (or should) take you by surprise.


 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:44
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Uhm... Apr 12, 2011

Phil Hand wrote:

Agencies are never really going to invest the time to think about our "USPs" or the "benefits we bring to clients". They want basic data and a single reason to choose/not to choose you.



What exactly do you think what your USP is?

Your basic data and the single reason to choose you.


You translated this simple thingy quite nicely.



 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:44
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Translation has a lot to do with personality Apr 12, 2011

Johanna González wrote:

But as a freelance translator - shouldn´t you have a genuine, well-thought-through idea of why the agency/customer should choose you and not Mr.I´m-much-cheaper-over-here?



Translators are actors. They have to be the author, the speaker, the narrator, the instructor - and the reader.

A shallow person can never be a good translator. After all, translators are writers. Even when they write the dullest manual - they see the gizmo/the industrial machine through the eyes of the user.


 
Johanna González
Johanna González  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:44
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Defending the first questions Apr 12, 2011

Nicole Schnell wrote:

Johanna González wrote:
1. What is your competitive advantage? (We wanted to know what makes the translator different from all the others)


This question indicates that nobody has bothered to read my carefully prepared cover letter and CV.



OR it might give you a chance to expand on what you´ve written in your cover letter or CV - but I get your point.


2. How can your customers benefit from your particular set of skills and experience? (In #1 we asked for features, now we are asking for the benefits - does the translator know his/her client and his/her needs?)


No, the translator does not know the client and their needs because we hardly ever know which project we will work on next. Translators write for the reader, the target group and the user of the translated material, not for the agency. Exception: Your agency is looking for a translator for a particular account.


Yes, we do have a target group and all that but - in general, how would you meet just about any client´s needs? You could i.e. say that because you are a native speaker of both the source AND the target, you can guarantee that your translation will sound natural, will not have any intercultural blunders and that you will have a 100% accurate understanding of the source and will know how to transfer that message into the target language. I know this is a rather general example, what I mean is: apart from particular clients, how will your set of skills be beneficial to the delivered product in general. A client looking for translators on his own might not know why he should prefer someone who uses CAT tools to someone who doesn´t.

There are many things that might be obvious to us because we are in the industry - but it is not necessarily obvious to others. For years I felt like being able to speak the languages I speak was worth nothing because all my life I had been surrounded by people who speak those languages (trilingual school) - it was after graduating and getting out of that trilingual bubble that I noticed that it is not given that all people speak English fairly well.



3. Think about past translation projects. What was your biggest challenge and how did you deal with it? (Does the translator have good problem-solving skills? Is he/she able to effectively use his/her resources and find a solution?)


Uhm, thinking about our translation projects is what we do all day long. It is our profession. Try this with a medical doctor: "Please think about medical things now.", or ask a lawyer to think about law. Asked about the biggest challenges, I would probably answer "incapable project managers".


Lol, "incapable project managers". OK, that question might be a bit vague - how about:
Think about problems that you have come across while working on a translation project - how do you go about solving them?

Or maybe give an example of a difficult situation, like a case study?


Holding non-translation related qualifications, like our dear doctor, could also be part of a competitive advantage. I do like that question, it is nicely formulated and something not everyone would think of asking.


Such "non-translation related" qualifications are not "part of a competitive advantage" - they are your strongest asset, your unique selling point.


I thought a "unique selling point" IS a competitive advantage - it is something no one else, or few other have, and therefore you have an advantage to your competition?

I am aware that in reality barely anyone would take the time to answer such questions - it is all very hypothetical, but I do think it is interesting to hear what you all have to say about these kind of things. Sorry if I´m being annoying - see it as being curious and eager to learn.


 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:44
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Some answers Apr 12, 2011

Johanna González wrote:

Yes, we do have a target group and all that but - in general, how would you meet just about any client´s needs?


Our target group changes with every job. From 9am till noon you might write for the shareholders of an oil drilling company, from 1pm till 6pm you might write for Justin Bieber fans.
Being capable of adjusting to your target group is the true art of translation.


You could i.e. say that because you are a native speaker of both the source AND the target, you can guarantee that your translation will sound natural, will not have any intercultural blunders and that you will have a 100% accurate understanding of the source and will know how to transfer that message into the target language.


Any illegal immigrant (a criminal) can do that. Oh, and they know both cultures just fine. And that is supposed to make you a translator?


might not know why he should prefer someone who uses CAT tools to someone who doesn´t.


Cool! Using CAT-tools won't make you a good translator. But if you are a lousy one, it helps you spreading your mediocre writing much faster!


Lol, "incapable project managers". OK, that question might be a bit vague - how about:
Think about problems that you have come across while working on a translation project - how do you go about solving them?

Or maybe give an example of a difficult situation, like a case study?


By this time, any top-professional would get up and leave the room. This sounds like a pop-quiz in a woman's magazine. Because you would force the interviewee to tell negative things about a former outsourcer or a former project. What do you expect? "I bought a dictionary/I made some phone calls/I went to the library/I teamed up with a colleague?" Yawn.


I thought a "unique selling point" IS a competitive advantage - it is something no one else, or few other have, and therefore you have an advantage to your competition?


Why, of course. Whatever makes you special. Even an internship.


 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:44
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
Here is something about passion Apr 13, 2011

Johanna González wrote:

How would you be able to tell if someone really is passionate or is just using the word as a marketing tool?


I do have an odd hobby - for whatever reason I love writing the instruction sheets for a particular lamp manufacturer. How to put those thingies together and how to put the plug into the wall outlet and such. Usually I even forget to write invoices. But I will bend backwards three times and I will go 5 extra miles and proofread the source text, too, and paint it in gold, and all I think about is the little old lady who will install this stupid lamp next to her sewing machine.

But I will never advertise such quirks because clients have to earn such privileges before they can demand them.


 
Phil Hand
Phil Hand  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 19:44
Chinese to English
Kinda proving my point here... Apr 13, 2011

Nicole said:
By this time, any top-professional would get up and leave the room.

Johanna said:
I am aware that in reality barely anyone would take the time to answer such questions - it is all very hypothetical,


Which is the point I tried to make, perhaps a little too indelicately. I do think that Johanna's right: as a translator (or any business person), we should have know exactly what we're selling, and what its
... See more
Nicole said:
By this time, any top-professional would get up and leave the room.

Johanna said:
I am aware that in reality barely anyone would take the time to answer such questions - it is all very hypothetical,


Which is the point I tried to make, perhaps a little too indelicately. I do think that Johanna's right: as a translator (or any business person), we should have know exactly what we're selling, and what its value is - both real value and marketplace price. But if anyone started to try to explain their value to me in business-school speak, my eyes would glaze over. Yes, I know what my USP is; but as someone who knows a thing or two about language and how to convey my ideas, I would never dream of saying to an employer, "My USP is..."

And Nicole hits on something very important with this:
No, the translator does not know the client and their needs because we hardly ever know which project we will work on next.


I'm a good translator, but that's not actually what the agency is buying. They are buying someone reliable who will do enough to satisfy their client/process. When jobs are advertised, often we get a vague subject area: "finance", "IT", etc. Agencies don't think to tell us about the target audience, or the genre they are aiming for, or any of the other information that might help us to do a superlative job.

So in fact, I'll simplify my four questions even further:

Name: John Smith
Languages: Hindi>Japanese
Price: 4.40 EUR/word
Reason for choosing me: I delivered my last project for you on time, and there were no client complaints.
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Neil Ashby
Neil Ashby
Spain
Local time: 12:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
How cynical you are.... Apr 20, 2011

Tatty wrote:

I really don't think that you would choose to study a degree in medicine with an eye to becoming a medical translator. That just isn't logical. People fall into translation as a second career for many reasons and it isn't uncommon for medical writers to offer translation services. Naturally, they are sought after and make a good living from translation but I can't believe that translating was their ultimate goal.



I am what we call in the trade (with tongue in cheek) a "real doctor" - a doctor of philisophy, in my case physical-chemistry. I say real because doctors whom have gained their title by research have had to propose a theory, stratergies and experiments to prove or deny that theory and then modify that theory. A Medical Doctor, with due respect and without wanting to cause any offence, has only to pass exams - lots and lots of exams over many years of study under a lot of pressure. They then preced to work in very high pressure situations - something I wouldn't want to do - which is why they are paid well.

But Tatty, money isn't everything - health and job satisfaction are more important factors for many people. I'm very happily working from home spending as much time as I wish with my children, under much less stressful conditions than university or private sector research positions. Plus the work is more interesting.

Admittedly you are right on one matter - translating / proofreading was never my intended career - but maybe in a few years I'll be back in the white coat (not the one that buckles at the back).
Does all that mean that I am a second rate chemist??? I resent your implication that a doctor (medical or by researcch) who translates is a 'drop-out'. I suppose you also believe the old saying "those that can't, teach"?


 
Neil Ashby
Neil Ashby
Spain
Local time: 12:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
"Official ranking of occupations" Apr 20, 2011

[quote]Tatty wrote:

(BTW, a translator in the UK is not classed as a professional, whereas a doctor clearly is. Naturally, we translators, especially those holding a degree in medicine can beg to differ in private. However, this does not change the fact that from a statistics or UK government point of view, a doctor-turned-translator will have fallen a notch on the official ranking of occupations.)

Could you tell me where to find the list of "official ranking of occupations" held by the UK gov.? ISn't somebody with a Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists considered a professional? Or do you mean that a translator without a qualification isn't considered a professional?


 
sonjaswenson (X)
sonjaswenson (X)  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:44
Spanish to English
+ ...
Dr-Translator Apr 20, 2011

Dr Neil wrote:


Admittedly you are right on one matter - translating / proofreading was never my intended career - but maybe in a few years I'll be back in the white coat (not the one that buckles at the back).
Does all that mean that I am a second rate chemist??? I resent your implication that a doctor (medical or by researcch) who translates is a 'drop-out'. I suppose you also believe the old saying "those that can't, teach"?



I worked in France for a woman who was an MD, who had worked briefly in her field and also wound up doing medical writing. She discovered she liked the autonomy and that she could make just as much working for herself. So she opened up a business doing medical writing, translation, and publishing. She was always busy and had a handful of translators and editors working for her freelance and in-house.


 
Nicole Schnell
Nicole Schnell  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:44
English to German
+ ...
In memoriam
MDs, other Drs, marketing people Apr 21, 2011

Very often your private life will toss you into another country, where:

- Your licences to practice are not valid
- Your work that is based on your native language can not be continued in a second language

E.g., to be able to continue my career as a copy writer, I went back to university to learn translation. Now I can successfully continue my profession in a country where nobody speaks a word of my native language. It is an add-on, never a step backwards.
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Very often your private life will toss you into another country, where:

- Your licences to practice are not valid
- Your work that is based on your native language can not be continued in a second language

E.g., to be able to continue my career as a copy writer, I went back to university to learn translation. Now I can successfully continue my profession in a country where nobody speaks a word of my native language. It is an add-on, never a step backwards.

Which brings us back to the original topic.

Whatever questions you ask during the interview, make sure that you are up to the job of a diplomat. The people you are dealing with in this industry might be way ahead of you by decades and by various university degrees.
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4 Questions to promote yourself







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