If you
work with a language combination in which there are a lot of translators, one
way to stand out from the crowd is by means of one or a few specializations.
Even though you can start your career by working in different fields to see
which ones you enjoy working on and which ones you do not, or because you need
to work and you accept every job offer you can, it is good to choose one or a
few areas to specialize in. There are some texts that can only be translated by
specialized translators.
- Market trends and needs: Sometimes you can choose your specialization based on what is currently trendy and necessary. For instance, if you see a lot of job ads or companies looking for medical translators in your language pair, maybe you can specialize in Medicine. It is important to keep up with industry trends on social networks and translation platforms in order to know what specializations are needed the most.
- Interest & Hobbies: Turning one of your hobbies into your specialty is great. This way you can really enjoy translating, and you will be productive since you have experience in the subject. For example, let’s say you meditate and do yoga. You are acquainted with the terminology and the way these activities are done, so it would be enjoyable and easier to translate texts about that. Similarly, you can specialize in something that really interests you. That way it would be easier to research on that topic and take courses to specialize.
- Profitability: This is also somehow related to market trends and needs, since specializations with the highest demands will allow you to get more jobs or high-volume and steady translation jobs. Besides, there are some specializations which are really well-paid.
- Experience: If you have pursued another career, you can specialize in that area, because you will have plenty of knowledge about it. In some other instances, you start working for a client in one specific area or for several clients in that same area for several years, so you have a wealth of experience and choose that area as your specialization.
Even
though at first, it is not feasible to turn down job opportunities, it is a good
idea to discard the areas you don’t want to translate. Not having enough
knowledge will affect your productivity, since you will take more time to
deliver that translation, and this may also have an impact on the final text
you send to the client.
Leave
a comment below if you have another recommendation when it comes to choosing
your specialization!
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