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How to pursue a different specialty
Thread poster: Marina Taffetani
Marina Taffetani
Marina Taffetani  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:55
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
Jan 27, 2021

Dear colleagues,

I believe some of you might have considered steering your career in a slightly different direction. I've been working as a translator for 10 years now, and apart from some drawbacks, I'm fairly happy with my career choice. In the past year, though, as work slowed down because of the pandemic, I took some time to think about the dreaded question everybody gets asked at job interviews: where do you see yourself in 5 years? My answer was: I'd like to move on to a diffe
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Dear colleagues,

I believe some of you might have considered steering your career in a slightly different direction. I've been working as a translator for 10 years now, and apart from some drawbacks, I'm fairly happy with my career choice. In the past year, though, as work slowed down because of the pandemic, I took some time to think about the dreaded question everybody gets asked at job interviews: where do you see yourself in 5 years? My answer was: I'd like to move on to a different specialty field.

Let me explain. I've always been interested in Psychology and have spent the past 20 years reading psychology books (aimed at both the general public and professionals), websites, articles... I've often thought it would be nice to work in this field—as a translator, of course. However, I have no formal education in this field, and no experience. I have a rather good knowledge of the subject, but I'm self-taught.

How would you go about taking your first steps in this new direction? Obviously, I don't mean to stop working on my current fields of expertise, I would just want to diversify. But I'm not sure how to do this. (And I'm hopeless at marketing myself, I'm afraid).

Do you have any advice?

PS. I know there are lots of posts on how to specialize, but my question is slightly different, as I'm rather looking into diversifying after a ten-year career.
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Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Just do it Jan 27, 2021

You've got nothing to lose from marketing yourself in that field, and when you get offered jobs you can judge for yourself whether you're capable of doing them. Each one you do then makes you more knowledgeable. That's basically what I did and what I think most translators do.

Marina Taffetani
P.L.F. Persio
Tina Vonhof (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Sheila Wilson
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Dr Umesh Gupta
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:55
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Psycho Jan 27, 2021

Like probably millions of others I too am very interested in psychology/psychiatry and continue to read widely in the subject, from the "greats" like Melanie Klein, Alice Miller, John Bowlby, R D Laing etc. and ground-breaking contemporaries like Joanna Moncrieff, to the "founders" Freud and Jung. But I would not be able to translate their work.

In my opinion, to translate psychology texts requires a degree of knowledge that goes far beyond that of the ordinary interested person. S
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Like probably millions of others I too am very interested in psychology/psychiatry and continue to read widely in the subject, from the "greats" like Melanie Klein, Alice Miller, John Bowlby, R D Laing etc. and ground-breaking contemporaries like Joanna Moncrieff, to the "founders" Freud and Jung. But I would not be able to translate their work.

In my opinion, to translate psychology texts requires a degree of knowledge that goes far beyond that of the ordinary interested person. So my suggestion would be to begin acquiring that knowledge by enrolling on a university course.



[Edited at 2021-01-27 15:24 GMT]
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Marina Taffetani
P.L.F. Persio
Emanuele Vacca
 
Marina Taffetani
Marina Taffetani  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:55
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
@Chris Jan 27, 2021

You're right, but if I were an agency or a direct client, I would hesitate to assign a translation job to a translator with years of experience in a totally different field (I work mainly in e-commerce and automotive).

 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:55
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Yes but Jan 27, 2021

Marina Taffetani wrote:

You're right, but if I were an agency or a direct client, I would hesitate to assign a translation job to a translator with years of experience in a totally different field (I work mainly in e-commerce and automotive).


Yes but even were you never to get any translation work in a field that interests you, it would in any case be beneficial to study it seriously: a win-win situation.

[Edited at 2021-01-27 15:19 GMT]


Marina Taffetani
P.L.F. Persio
 
Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 14:55
English to Russian
Adding or switching to a new area of expertise Jan 27, 2021

Back in 2005, I thought that oil & gas would be a good new area of expertise on my CV. At the time I did not know much about this industry.

I spent about one year reading up on the subject (prospecting, exploration, production, refining, transportation). Finally, I applied to several agencies that served primarily oil & gas companies. One of them sent me a test piece. I passed the test and started to work for that agency on a regular basis. I worked for them until I joined a law fir
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Back in 2005, I thought that oil & gas would be a good new area of expertise on my CV. At the time I did not know much about this industry.

I spent about one year reading up on the subject (prospecting, exploration, production, refining, transportation). Finally, I applied to several agencies that served primarily oil & gas companies. One of them sent me a test piece. I passed the test and started to work for that agency on a regular basis. I worked for them until I joined a law firm as a salaried translator in mid-2008 (at the time I had to drop the majority of my clients because my full-time position made it impossible to cope with their requests properly).

I understand I kept their editors (subject matter experts) busy to some extent but they were quite happy with my translations. Therefore, I don't think lack of formal education would be an issue, since you kept reading up on psychology for 20 (!) years.

Regards,
Vladimir
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Marina Taffetani
Christopher Schröder
Dan Lucas
P.L.F. Persio
Tina Vonhof (X)
Sheila Wilson
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Marina Taffetani
Marina Taffetani  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:55
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
@Tom Jan 27, 2021

Tom in London wrote:

Like probably millions of others I too am very interested in psychology and continue to read widely in the subject, from the "greats" like Melanie Klein, John Bowlby, R D Laing etc., ground-breaking contemporaries like Joanna Moncrieff, to the "founders" Freud and Jung. But I would not be able to translate their work.


I totally agree with you on this. But I'm more interested in clinical psychology and psychopathology, so it might be slightly different.

I don't think I can afford to go back to university at the moment, as I'm the only one who works in my family, courtesy of the pandemic crisis. Luckily I don't have kids, still it's not an easy situation.


 
Marina Taffetani
Marina Taffetani  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:55
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Vladimir Jan 27, 2021

So it's not impossible Thanks for sharing your experience, it gave me food for thought.

Sadek_A
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:55
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Luckily Jan 27, 2021

Marina Taffetani wrote:

.... Luckily I don't have kids.....


Alice Miller would probably agree with you


Marina Taffetani
P.L.F. Persio
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Have faith Jan 27, 2021

Tom wrote:
In my opinion, to translate psychology texts requires a degree of knowledge that goes far beyond that of the ordinary interested person. So my suggestion would be to begin acquiring that knowledge by enrolling on a university course.

But how do you learn about psychology at uni? By reading books.

There are things you'd learn as a practising anything-ist that you couldn't get from books, but how often would you need them in a translation anyway?

Marina Taffetani wrote:
but if I were an agency or a direct client, I would hesitate to assign a translation job to a translator with years of experience in a totally different field (I work mainly in e-commerce and automotive).

Maybe, but maybe not. You already have an advantage as there are agencies who know and trust you.

I don't think self-study is inferior to academic study. Quite the reverse.


P.L.F. Persio
Marina Taffetani
Tina Vonhof (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Michele Fauble
Philip Lees
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:55
Member (2008)
Italian to English
You need teachers Jan 27, 2021

Chris S wrote:

I don't think self-study is inferior to academic study. Quite the reverse.


Academic study imposes a discipline on you, forces you to marshal and organise your thoughts, substantiate them with cogent argument, and express them in language that is recognisable to peers. Without tutoring, there is no order or development.

Had it not been for number of particularly good teachers and at least one maestro (in the Italian sense of that word) I would have spent my life like a bee - flying hither and thither from one attractive-looking flower to another. I would be a dilettante (to use another Italian word).

How's that for wandering off-topic?



[Edited at 2021-01-27 16:17 GMT]


Marina Taffetani
Christopher Schröder
Rachel Waddington
P.L.F. Persio
Emanuele Vacca
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 13:55
Spanish to English
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Just ... Jan 27, 2021

... do it, Marina. I agree with Chris.

Don't be like Marlon Brando sitting in the back of that car with Rod Steiger, saying "I coulda been somebody. I coulda been a contendah."

Chris, that's a great slogan. If I were you, I'd patent it PDQ and sell it to somebody. Don't find yourself sitting in the back of a car some day, saying "I coulda sold it to somebody. I coulda been a vendah."

[Edited at 2021-01-27 16:35 GMT]


Marina Taffetani
Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:55
French to English
I did it Jan 27, 2021

In the UK, I originally trained and qualified in English law and French language and politics. After working in the legal field (cargo and personal injury insurance, then in private practice in professional indemnity), where my language ability was almost always a bonus point, I moved to France.

Long story short... I got interested in language and the brain, applied to a research master's programme in biology and cognitive science and, much to my surprise, was accepted. From there I
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In the UK, I originally trained and qualified in English law and French language and politics. After working in the legal field (cargo and personal injury insurance, then in private practice in professional indemnity), where my language ability was almost always a bonus point, I moved to France.

Long story short... I got interested in language and the brain, applied to a research master's programme in biology and cognitive science and, much to my surprise, was accepted. From there I decided to train and qualify as a clinical psychologist. To satisfy France's requirements, that meant going "backwards" to obtain a bachelor's degree in psychology and a then getting through the selection process and through a two-year master's degree in psychology.

In reality, my determination way surpassed my financial means. I had divorced and had two teenage children to support. At the end, the children were also studying at university! I learnt to find time where there was none and would occasionally work as an employee when clients got slow at paying or when work was thinner on the ground.

I got through it and can now work as a psychologist and a translator/interpreter.

All sorts of things are possible! When it comes to translation, I have access to a number of different fields. Each has areas in which I refuse work if I don't think I can do a job to a professional standard. In the French>English language pair, there are notions that seem familiar but French clinical practice differs in many ways from that in France. However, being able to access academic papers in more than one language is such an advantage. I suspect that if English psychologists were to rely upon French language sources to further their knowledge, they'd have a tough time!

Looking back, the big obstacle was financial, particularly with two dependent children.
In academic terms, although my formal education in biology dated back more than two decades, I had done so much personal reading with a fun but academic approach and was quite familiar with the work of major authors by the time I was on the biology/neuroscience course. I discovered that I had a sound "academic culture" in the field and that helped me make sense of some fairly technical stuff that was new (biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular biology, structural biology, neuropharmacology, etc.). I had the bigger picture but I was missing so much of the basic knowledge. I had so much extra work to get up to speed and a lot of it was no doubt fairly superficial.

Having worked as a translator meant that I was efficient at finding out information, could read through it fairly quickly and was more than used to having to get to grips with new notions. Having seen so much of other people's writing and presentations and being more mature than I had in my initial studies as a much younger adult, the advantages of experience and knowing what worked well for me helped me to learn efficiently too. I actually did quite well and wondered how on Earth I had done quite well in previous study when I think I was nowhere near as well organised as I was this time round.

So try a couple of online courses, gain a couple of formal qualifications in the field. it will organise some of the knowledge you already have, certainly open up translation possibilities and even a whole new career!

[Edited at 2021-01-27 16:58 GMT]
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Rachel Waddington
Marina Taffetani
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Dan Lucas
Emanuele Vacca
 
Marina Taffetani
Marina Taffetani  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:55
Member (2013)
German to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks, Nikki Jan 27, 2021

What an amazing story! It's really inspiring. I'm so glad you had the determination to go through with your dream, despite the difficulties. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it.

@Mervyn, ah, that's one of my biggest fears. Sitting in the back of the car, saying "I coulda been somebody".


P.L.F. Persio
Emanuele Vacca
 
Sheila Wilson
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Spain
Local time: 12:55
Member (2007)
English
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MOOCs? Jan 27, 2021

Marina Taffetani wrote:
I don't think I can afford to go back to university at the moment, as I'm the only one who works in my family, courtesy of the pandemic crisis. Luckily I don't have kids, still it's not an easy situation.

Maybe you could find some MOOCs on the subject and follow them in your spare time.

But to start with, I advise you to add psychology to your specialisations here and ask to be notified of any KudoZ questions on the subject. Providing answers will give you both practice and visibility, and gain you the respect of your peers, some of whom will be outsourcers.


Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Peter Shortall
Philip Lees
Marina Taffetani
 
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