Translation and interpretation industry

Traditionally, the professionals in the translation and interpretation industry are translators and interpreters. During the last decade, with technical advances new professional titles, such as technical writer, documentation expert and localisation expert, have been introduced to the field. In addition there are proofreaders, terminologists, reporters, project managers and coordinators working in the translation industry. 

Anyone who has a degree in the translation industry can also work in planning, training and consulting tasks or in research and teaching tasks in the field of translation and interpretation. 

All speakers of a foreign language are not translation industry professionals, and not all translators are good interpreters. The different professions in the translation industry require different skills, so it is common to specialise in something. The professions in the translation field are expertise professions.

What is required from a translation industry professional?

The work of a translator and an interpreter is very different from each other and they require a very different set of skills and tendencies. However, all translation industry tasks require excellent skills in the mother tongue and foreign languages and knowledge of one’s own culture and of one or more foreign cultures. 

The field also requires broad management of unities, good expression skills, sense of lingual style, an all-round education, critical thinking and the ability to analyse as well as the ability to search for information. The tasks require active monitoring of current events, continuous self-development and cooperation skills. Decisive skills are also the ability to organise, self-initiative and good communication skills.

In addition to the above mentioned characteristics, interpreters must have good concentration and the ability to handle stress as well as a quick perception and reaction capability.

The tasks in the translation industry require significant technical know-how. A computer, text processing programs and DTP software as well as different translation tools and the Internet are everyday tools.