Poll: How much of your translation work is in your area(s) of expertise? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How much of your translation work is in your area(s) of expertise?".
View the poll results »
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In terms of volume, probably 70-90% falls within my areas of expertise. Many of these jobs run over 50 pages. they are my bread and butter.
However, I also get smaller projects outside my favored areas. I take these on if I feel I can handle them without doing any harm and if the subject area interests me. This way, I get to learn new things and stretch my brain.
[Edited at 2018-11-25 06:53 GMT]
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I started out as a generalist translator and I have a wide range of interests, this means that I have been translating in areas ranging from law, economics and education to EU affairs, to name just a few. Nowadays I translate mostly EU affairs (70%-80%) (adult education, VAT fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, corruption, international cooperation, R&D, safety and health at work…). I like to learn new things but I wouldn't dare to touch some texts with a 10 foot barge pole!
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:27
Spanish to English
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I think you tend to acquire expertise in most fields by working in them hands on. When I first started, I knew little about many of the areas I now frequently work in. For example, EDI, a relatively recent technology (late 20th-century) which I knew almost nothing about.
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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| from 90 and on | Nov 24, 2018 |
Working in a team I found that translation involves many interdisciplinary relations and associated researches. Perhaps, earlier it was somewhat annoying, but soon I leaned to enjoy such research breaks)
Why, even working with local direct clients in a vary narrow field, I often encounter not-so-related data, which I have to research before translation--at least to get the idea properly, let alone several collateral spheres
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I do not usually receive requests for translations outside my MAIN area of expertise, lets' say that that 1% relates to my second/third area of expertise..
| | | | Kay Denney 
France
Local time: 00:27
French to English
My main area of expertise would be fashion and textiles, but then there are loads of other areas I work in, probably fashion and textiles accounts for 30% tops. I listed the maximum number of areas on my profile here, and I have done a fair amount of translation in each, to the point of feeling comfortable accepting jobs without necessarily reading all the way through. It might look like a case of Jack of all trades and master of none, but I have huge glossaries for most of them and have provid... See more My main area of expertise would be fashion and textiles, but then there are loads of other areas I work in, probably fashion and textiles accounts for 30% tops. I listed the maximum number of areas on my profile here, and I have done a fair amount of translation in each, to the point of feeling comfortable accepting jobs without necessarily reading all the way through. It might look like a case of Jack of all trades and master of none, but I have huge glossaries for most of them and have provided satisfactory translations for all them. And I only have one source language.
I wouldn't want to be limited to any area, one of the things I love most about translating is that I learn such a lot. I had to do a translation about ceramic-coated cast iron pots recently. I knew nothing about either ceramics or cast iron, and now I've learned how you make both and how you combine the two and why combining the two is a great idea. (It's now a running joke in my family, any time I start spouting knowledge on the subject of conversation, they say Oh so you have a new client). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 19:27
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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I get a lot of apps and small projects in other areas. Since I don't restrain myself to my areas of expertise, though I do refuse jobs in areas of health and sciences and college student papers, I'd say about 10% of my jobs are out of my areas of expertise.
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| Professional commitment | Nov 29, 2018 |
If you were to accept a project outside your expertise, you'd make it your business to bring the subject WITHIN your area of expertise while you are translating it. No argument.
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