J'ai compris le principe, mais en tant que traductrice, je me demande pourquoi on ne peut apercevoir le sujet du job proposé ou au moins des indications sur le domaine abordé. Ce serait utile pour décider de commencer la traduction. Cette fonction existe-t-elle ? Est-ce prévu ?
0
sonjaswenson
Bonjour Concierge,
I'm not sure I entirely understand your question, but I will try to answer.
For some of our larger customers we do have a specific style guide and information on the company and its target audience available. Translators can always decline a job they don't wish to take on for any reason.
Sonja
0
LeaTranslations
Hi Sonja! Can you please tell us more about what is involved in being a senior translator? How does one become a senior translator? Do you need to have worked in an agency or is having freelanced enough? Do you need to have special qualifications (degrees in translation or linguistics, be a native speaker, etc)? How many hours a month or week do you work? Can you tell us more about what you do? Do senior translators also work on regular translation jobs through Gengo? Anything you can tell me about your job would be appreciated. Thanks!
0
sonjaswenson
Hi, LB,
I am also a freelancer, just like you! I started working with Gengo about a year ago. I can't remember exactly how it started, but I *think* I responded to a posting on a translation job board. I had to send in my CV and some translation samples and had a few interviews over Skype.
I have never worked on the administrative end of any other agency or as a PM anywhere. (I would love to hear from someone who has been a PM, about their expectations, pet peeves, and any crazy situations, though!)
All Gengo ST's are native speakers in their target language- for me, that is English, of course. I happen to have a MA in conference interpreting from a university in France, and several other ST's also have advanced degrees in translation and interpreting (there are now four conference interpreters among us, at last count). Others have learned through experience and working their way up. Prior to studying conference interpreting, I was an in-house translator for a major company's ad department and then for a very small medical publishing house (I much preferred the small publishing house).
Our workload varies a lot. Once a month we get a set of random and first jobs to review, and we also review any low-rated or rejected jobs that crop up, and we try to provide appropriate and constructive advice to help our translators improve as professionals. We regularly review tests submitted by translators hoping to work for Gengo. I think it's okay for me to say that a relatively low number of people pass those, so good job on making it through! Other duties that happen irregularly include creating new tests, communicating with clients or translators in other languages (though this doesn't really apply to me since my native tongue is English), and maintaining regular communication as necessary with the Gengo staff in Tokyo, other senior translators in our pairs (and "opposite pairs" if necessary). Last month I worked on creating the Vestiaire Collective glossary you may have seen. Some ST's have worked on marketing or recruitment campaigns, but again, as a native English speaker my skills are not as necessary in that area. I know that a few ST's have also done short market studies of their pair or country's demand for translation.
Our workload varies a lot. Some weeks it is just a few short tasks, and other weeks, such as when I was working on the VC project, it borders on a full-time job. Some language pairs are much busier than others, depending on demand.
As you may have guessed, I do not live in Tokyo but telecommute from the United States. Other ST's live around the world, and this usually means that I wake up to news and chatter that happened 8 hours earlier.
My other work as a freelancer is as a conference interpreter and court interpreter. I really enjoy the variety and seeing so much happen up close. I am a relatively young interpreter, and I am continuing to gain valuable experience while working my way up the ladder. ST's can take Gengo translation work if they wish. Personally I do not, as I enjoy proofreading and checking translations more than actually translating myself. I think my background as a conference interpreter has really helped me notice when things "sound" translated, word-for-word, or otherwise unnatural, while accepting that two translations of the same document may be look very different, despite being equally accurate and good. It also helps catch when someone is translating into a foreign language, a big no-no. Some translators may have noticed that when I review their work!
I hope this has given you a bit of insight. Since this is Ask Us Anything, feel free to Ask Us Anything else!
Sonja
0
LeaTranslations
Thanks Sonja. Very interesting!
0
janalisa
Hi Sonja,
The French->English translation test hasn't been available for quite some time. I'm assuming this is because Gengo already has enough French->English translators. Do you have any idea what the chances are of the test becoming available soon? And is there a way I can sign up to be notified if it does become available?
0
Natalia Manidis
Hi Janalisa, unfortunately it's very hard for us to predict when tests will be turned back on because of the fluctuating nature of job volume. You can register interest by completing the survey under the language pair dropdown menus, but a better approach is just to check back in from time to time. Hope this helps!
0
janalisa
Thank you Natalia. I have been checking, so I guess I'll just keep doing that. :)
8 comments
Bonjour Sonja,
J'ai compris le principe, mais en tant que traductrice, je me demande pourquoi on ne peut apercevoir le sujet du job proposé ou au moins des indications sur le domaine abordé. Ce serait utile pour décider de commencer la traduction. Cette fonction existe-t-elle ? Est-ce prévu ?
Bonjour Concierge,
I'm not sure I entirely understand your question, but I will try to answer.
For some of our larger customers we do have a specific style guide and information on the company and its target audience available. Translators can always decline a job they don't wish to take on for any reason.
Sonja
Hi Sonja! Can you please tell us more about what is involved in being a senior translator? How does one become a senior translator? Do you need to have worked in an agency or is having freelanced enough? Do you need to have special qualifications (degrees in translation or linguistics, be a native speaker, etc)? How many hours a month or week do you work? Can you tell us more about what you do? Do senior translators also work on regular translation jobs through Gengo? Anything you can tell me about your job would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi, LB,
I am also a freelancer, just like you! I started working with Gengo about a year ago. I can't remember exactly how it started, but I *think* I responded to a posting on a translation job board. I had to send in my CV and some translation samples and had a few interviews over Skype.
I have never worked on the administrative end of any other agency or as a PM anywhere. (I would love to hear from someone who has been a PM, about their expectations, pet peeves, and any crazy situations, though!)
All Gengo ST's are native speakers in their target language- for me, that is English, of course. I happen to have a MA in conference interpreting from a university in France, and several other ST's also have advanced degrees in translation and interpreting (there are now four conference interpreters among us, at last count). Others have learned through experience and working their way up. Prior to studying conference interpreting, I was an in-house translator for a major company's ad department and then for a very small medical publishing house (I much preferred the small publishing house).
Our workload varies a lot. Once a month we get a set of random and first jobs to review, and we also review any low-rated or rejected jobs that crop up, and we try to provide appropriate and constructive advice to help our translators improve as professionals. We regularly review tests submitted by translators hoping to work for Gengo. I think it's okay for me to say that a relatively low number of people pass those, so good job on making it through! Other duties that happen irregularly include creating new tests, communicating with clients or translators in other languages (though this doesn't really apply to me since my native tongue is English), and maintaining regular communication as necessary with the Gengo staff in Tokyo, other senior translators in our pairs (and "opposite pairs" if necessary). Last month I worked on creating the Vestiaire Collective glossary you may have seen. Some ST's have worked on marketing or recruitment campaigns, but again, as a native English speaker my skills are not as necessary in that area. I know that a few ST's have also done short market studies of their pair or country's demand for translation.
Our workload varies a lot. Some weeks it is just a few short tasks, and other weeks, such as when I was working on the VC project, it borders on a full-time job. Some language pairs are much busier than others, depending on demand.
As you may have guessed, I do not live in Tokyo but telecommute from the United States. Other ST's live around the world, and this usually means that I wake up to news and chatter that happened 8 hours earlier.
My other work as a freelancer is as a conference interpreter and court interpreter. I really enjoy the variety and seeing so much happen up close. I am a relatively young interpreter, and I am continuing to gain valuable experience while working my way up the ladder. ST's can take Gengo translation work if they wish. Personally I do not, as I enjoy proofreading and checking translations more than actually translating myself. I think my background as a conference interpreter has really helped me notice when things "sound" translated, word-for-word, or otherwise unnatural, while accepting that two translations of the same document may be look very different, despite being equally accurate and good. It also helps catch when someone is translating into a foreign language, a big no-no. Some translators may have noticed that when I review their work!
I hope this has given you a bit of insight. Since this is Ask Us Anything, feel free to Ask Us Anything else!
Sonja
Thanks Sonja. Very interesting!
Hi Sonja,
The French->English translation test hasn't been available for quite some time. I'm assuming this is because Gengo already has enough French->English translators. Do you have any idea what the chances are of the test becoming available soon? And is there a way I can sign up to be notified if it does become available?
Hi Janalisa, unfortunately it's very hard for us to predict when tests will be turned back on because of the fluctuating nature of job volume. You can register interest by completing the survey under the language pair dropdown menus, but a better approach is just to check back in from time to time. Hope this helps!
Thank you Natalia. I have been checking, so I guess I'll just keep doing that. :)