Hi there,
I’m in the process of deciding on a second language to learn; firstly for my own enjoyment, and secondly, to (eventually) earn a part-time income as a translator. I’m just wondering which language pairs are most in demand for translation.
I’m open to learning pretty much any language, but my preferred choices are Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese and Russian. Which of these would most likely provide me with a regular stream of work?
Any thoughts and comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.
3 comments
Hi Simon,
Welcome to these forums and I hope you'll join us in our ranks soon;)
Here's an article that's right up your alley:
http://thoughtsontranslation.com/2013/04/08/which-language-is-the-best/
Enjoy!
Thanks, that’s a great article - well worth a look for anyone deciding on which language to learn (the comments are most insightful, too).
I’ve actually started to learn Brazilian Portuguese; I love the sound of the language & I‘d love to visit Brazil next year. Also, I’m guessing that with Brazil being an up & coming BRICS nation there must be plenty of demand for BP-English & English-BP translations.
What about on Gengo - does BP-English work come up regularly?
I think you should study the language(s) you love. Really good translation is usually a combination of knowledge, art, and passion. You'll probably be translating a lot of things that are cut and dry or not interesting at first, and it's a lot easier to keep going if you're not just looking at it as a ticket to a paycheck. No matter what languages you study, if you're the kind of person who writes well in English (if that's your target language) or are skilled in a certain sector of translation such as IT, medical, etc. your services will always be in demand.