yndigo

Specialties and the translator CV

A few years ago a client called asking for a Japanese-French interpreter in Connecticut. The person had to have experience in the fashion industry, and the conference was only four days away. Also, flying someone in wasn’t in the budget.

I tried not to laugh. Prepared to say “good luck with that” before even trying, I told the client I’d give a quick search and get back to him. I called my native Japanese patent translator in New Haven on the off chance he knew someone fitting the description. Turns out he himself grew up in Paris, spoke fluent French and had accompanied his mother for years on fashion shoots to help her set up equipment! And he was available in four days and welcomed the break from chemistry patents.

This was, of course, the exception. But it illustrates an important point. Had the client’s conference been more general in nature, and had it included English in the language pair (which is the case for 99% of jobs in the U.S.), I wouldn’t have gone looking for someone new. More importantly, had my translator thought to include his more obscure, perhaps less marketable experience in fashion photography, I would have fielded my client’s call with a bit more optimism in the knowledge I had the perfect person.

Having read hundreds of translator resumes (and glanced at thousands more), I can say that details matter. Specialties matter. Of course specializing in one of those hardcore translator fields like financial markets or organic chemistry is a good idea. And if you specialize to the degree that you become the expert in the field and all referalls tend to point back to you, all the better. But if you’re a medical (general) translator, to borrow ATA’s moniker, and your hobby is orchids or horses, or your background includes submarine technology or rare stamps, include it.

Also, if you’ve learned a new subject, update your resume and send it again. Despite claiming a database of thousands of translators, agencies are always on the lookout for competent, reliable and specialized translators. Project managers simply do not have the time to use more than 30 or 40 people on a regular basis, thus many translator profiles and resumes lay dormant, often forever, and a freshly sent resume often gets a look before older ones, especially if it fits an immediate need.

I also like to see details of past jobs. Interpreters seem to include these more than translators — perhaps because the number of jobs is fewer and they can be summarized on a couple of pages. But translators could learn from this. If the subject matter of certain past jobs stands out from the plain vanilla contracts or licence agreements, give some details on your resume (without mentioning the parties obviously).

Include all of the competencies you’ve acquired either on the job or through past occupations or pastimes that may put you in a better position to translate a specific document than someone else. These definitely get noticed.