There are different opinions about the specialization of professional language translators. Some agree that translators must specialize and some claim that there is no need for specialization, as translators rarely are experts in the areas which they localize.
Why professional language translators?
There are important reasons why translators have to specialize in certain fields, and here are the most important ones!
Reason 1. Level of knowledge
It is much easier to be a professional translator in one particular subject than in a number of subjects. There would never be enough time for a translator to have the required knowledge in all areas.
According to Charles Martin, a translator with more than 20 years of experience, in his article in a translation journal, Specialization in Translation—myths and realities:“… there is simply much more to learn about any given subject and many new subjects to discover. No translator can be expected to have the knowledge required to translate all types of documents well and within a reasonable amount of time.”
By specializing on only one or a few subjects, the professional language translators can focus their talent on those particular fields!
Reason 2. Competition and the Internet
Global Internet expansion has a huge impact on e-commerce growth rates. People are capable of trading in ways they could never have dreamed of before from a distance.
Also, with the growth of the Internet’s role in translation markets, customers can now select professional language translators more easily, both by topics and by prices.
Every customer would prefer a specialized translator for the localization of their documents. There are also more ways of becoming specialized for translators with the help of the Internet.
Charles Martin confirms this fact: “By enabling translators to deliver translations rapidly to customers anywhere in the world and promote their special skills and services far beyond their local markets, the worldwide web has made it much easier for translators to specialize.”
Reason 3. Languages matter
Whether the language in question is a widely-used European language or a rare language, the need for specialization is just as important. Each translator has to be specialized in order to provide quality services. AllBusiness, the world’s largest resource for small businesses gives this very good example: “As businesses continue to go global, more translators are combining their proficiency in particular languages with industry-specific expertise. While finding an electrician who speaks Kazakh might never be commonplace, your chances of hiring a Portuguese speaker with experience in the biotech industry is increasing.”
High quality services and professional language translators
It is very important to go to an agency where they have contact with hundreds of translators and can choose the right one depending on the subject matter. Our team of translators draw on their academic and professional background in order to transform their knowledge to suit various cultures.
NordicTrans offers high quality services and professional language translators: some of them specialize in several areas. Every member of our team is native and is qualified in the target language. A careful translator selection process is at the center of any translation agency quality control process. We attribute the high quality of our translations to the ability of our project managers to match all jobs to professional translators with the most relevant experience.
