Peter
Job Title
Freelance translator
Industry sector
Language Services
Background
Born into a bilingual family (Swedish and English). Modern Languages at school and a University degree in German.
Did you work in another career before becoming a translator?
Yes. Despite my auspicious language start in life, I spent most of my working life in two other careers: journalism (BBC radio news), followed by IT (working as a consultant on e-commerce projects).
If so, why did you go into translation later?
Partly necessity (2001 was a bad year for the IT sector), partly a wish to return to my linguistic roots and love of languages. In 2001 I became what is known as a “late converter”. Fortunately, translation is a career where age and experience are positive advantages.
Prior to launching myself on the freelance market, I did two postgraduate translation degrees – an M.A. in Scandinavian Translation at University College London, followed by an M.Sc. in Technical Translation at Imperial College London. Not strictly necessary, but they laid the foundations for my successful translation career.
How did your earlier career contribute to your success as a translator?
One of the keys to success in translation is to find a niche, or better still niches. In my case, journalism honed my writing skills, and working in IT made me at home in the language of IT and business in general. Some professional experience before becoming a translator is a definite advantage.
Which are your areas of translation work?
Mainly bread-and-butter business and technical. I go for work where I can exploit my writing skills (marketing, tourism) or my knowledge (IT, finance) and avoid areas where my ignorance would show, such as medicine and law.
What do you like most about your work?
Translation combines three things that I love – languages, research, and creative writing.
What kind of skills do you need?
First and foremost a good knowledge of your working languages (in my case Swedish and German into English). Then experience – of other countries, other professions, other areas of skill. These days, that increasingly means computer skills.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of working freelance?
To start with the disadvantages – translation is inevitably a somewhat solitary activity, sometimes stressful because of tight deadlines. There are compensating advantages – no commuting, interesting colleagues, freedom to control the flow and nature of work, to work when and where you choose, to visit the countries of your languages (tax deductible), in short, to control your own destiny and to live by your own wits.