| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Does the completion of certified courses on translation guarantee more and better jobs? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Does the completion of certified courses on translation guarantee more and better jobs?".
This poll was originally submitted by Jenitta jaffrine Vernest. View the poll results »
| | | | | Other is missing | May 23, 2022 |
I wonder what is meant by a certified course on translation? Anyway, either you have completed a course or you haven’t. If you haven’t, you can’t compare the before and the after and you won’t be able to say if it has guaranteed more and better jobs.
| | | | Ana Vozone 
Local time: 16:18
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
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| No, not really | May 23, 2022 |
I have a specific "Specialized Translator Course" (3 years - ISLA - Lisbon 1973) and it has not guaranteed more and better jobs. In fact, throughout my career, I have "competed" with colleagues who have very different courses, often full graduate 4- or 5-year courses) from engineering to medical to language/literature.
As a rule, clients do not ask me about my academic qualifications, they ask me about my experience and often ask me to do small tests to prove my skills.
... See more I have a specific "Specialized Translator Course" (3 years - ISLA - Lisbon 1973) and it has not guaranteed more and better jobs. In fact, throughout my career, I have "competed" with colleagues who have very different courses, often full graduate 4- or 5-year courses) from engineering to medical to language/literature.
As a rule, clients do not ask me about my academic qualifications, they ask me about my experience and often ask me to do small tests to prove my skills.
The only exceptions are probably European Union bodies and other international organizations where applications have become extremely burocratic and complex, and where applicants are required to have "official" language skills (but not necessarily translator courses) when applying for positions as "linguists". ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marjolein Snippe
Netherlands
Local time: 17:18
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
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Obtaining the Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists gave me more confidence as a translator. In the course I did I also learned some useful tricks and insights. Although some potential clients have asked me about my qualifications, others have not. I would say it is certainly no guarantee, but it may help convince some potential clients that you know what you are doing.
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| Not necessarily | May 23, 2022 |
I would focus on courses that you believe will make you a better translator. Clients won't necessarily care what courses you have done, but they do care whether you can consistently deliver top-quality work.
At best, an impressive course will get you a foot in the door. The rest is up to you.
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I do have professional credentials, but hardly any clients are asking for them, and those that do are in fact less likely to give you any serious work than those that don't. Enough said.
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Anton Konashenok wrote:
I do have professional credentials, but hardly any clients are asking for them, and those that do are in fact less likely to give you any serious work than those that don't. Enough said.
Or use them for some tender and never give you work. However, experience in your speciality fields does lead to work so that is what counts in my opinion and delivering quality and respecting deadlines and a professional relationship.
| | | | Paulinho Fonseca
Brazil
Local time: 12:18
Member (2011)
English to Portuguese
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| In my case, it has made a difference. | May 23, 2022 |
Although I agree with some colleagues regarding competing with 'non-qualified' translators and interpreters.
XD
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 17:18
Spanish to English
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It might.
Speaking from experience, I've never done any type of translation course, but I get enough work.
| | | | | It will help initially | May 23, 2022 |
Back when we recruited and outsourced, we would look for candidates with a translation qualification.
Not only can you get an idea of general aptitude from their grades, and especially from their referees, but they will have had more practice in some rather important things that "subject experts" often struggle with at first, such as understanding the source language, writing the target language and proofreading their work.
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 17:18
French to English
I can't say that it gave me access to more or better jobs, because I was working in-house at the time.
What I can say is that it erased all trace of the irrational imposter syndrome I suffered from.
And I felt far more comfortable launching myself as a freelancer knowing that I could point to my master's from the best school in France. Although none of my clients have actually asked me about it, since most of them already knew me in some capacity or other.
It certainly didn... See more I can't say that it gave me access to more or better jobs, because I was working in-house at the time.
What I can say is that it erased all trace of the irrational imposter syndrome I suffered from.
And I felt far more comfortable launching myself as a freelancer knowing that I could point to my master's from the best school in France. Although none of my clients have actually asked me about it, since most of them already knew me in some capacity or other.
It certainly didn't improve my translation skills, since I obtained it on the strength of my professional experience rather than slogging away at uni for two years. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 11:18
Spanish to English
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| A hill of beans | May 23, 2022 |
In many language pairs, having a translation-related degree and/or one or more certifications essentially puts you in a position to compete with tens of thousands of others with similar qualifications for poorly paid gigs that that might, in the best of cases, lead to more opportunities for similarly poorly paid gigs with the assigning agencies.
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Personal relationships to contract teachers ("sub lecturers") at your University (at least mine, a small University of Applied Sciences here in the provincial north of Germany) make the difference whether you get contacts to end clients or not. Forget about your diploma, background experience, KudoZ points, or education: Only personal contacts pay at the end of the day.
| | | | | unrelated things | May 24, 2022 |
these are absolutely unrelated things: being a [certified] professional and being a well-paid person, ask Omar Khayyam about it )
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When I used to hire translators, some of the best were ones who had graduated from a multi-year course at a serious university. A certificate for taking a single course means a lot less.
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