Hello, sorry for being anonymous but my languages blog is a side-blog. Basically, I have been considering being a translator for a long time now but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it. I am upper intermediate at Spanish and I have just started learning Japanese, so I'm not quite there yet, but I am improving at a steady rate. I am also talented at writing. I know for sure that I would like a career in languages, so I wondered if you would recommend being a translator? Is it a rewarding job? Gracias x
Hi anon, it’s cool! Being a translator does require advanced language skills (in both languages, ex. Spanish & English) and being able to write well. Depending on the languages you’re translating, the job market can be very different. It also depends on what kind of texts you want to translate. So I would recommend asking a Spanish into English translator about their advice!
If you’re in college, can you take a translation course to try it out? I was able to take a French into English translation course when I was in university, and I really enjoyed it. I went on to get a degree in translation (which you don’t need, but it helped me get the skills), and now I do freelance translation. A fair amount of translators are able to make it full-time work, but I do want to be honest & say it can be hard and I only translate part-time. I have a day job in an office (doing something unrelated to translation/languages) and that pays my bills. But I really do like translation and working with French :)
Good luck out there, I hope this helps!