Talking the talk of greater European integration

Career Focus/Linguist and translator: The process of European integration has led to a huge increase in the amount of business and flow of information between different countries. With a number of new member states, many different languages are gaining currency within the expanding European Union. While they may welcome new markets, English-speaking countries have no great tradition of embracing new languages. All of which is good news for translators, writes Olivia Kelly

The word translator is often used to refer to both translators and interpreters, however both jobs are not the same. "Translators work with the written word, while interpreters work with the spoken word," says Gabrielle Carthy, chairwoman of the BA in applied languages at DCU. Basically, translators translate written texts and documents from a foreign language into their native tongue, while interpreters, translate spoken language, mainly at large multi-lingual conferences or smaller business meetings.

Translators work in two ways - as freelances or as employees. A freelance translator can expect to work with any range of documents, from company reports to promotional literature. Freelances work with agencies or directly for clients, but most commonly, Carthy says, it's a mixture of the two. Some people will specialise in a particular area, such as medical or technical documents, but most translators working in Ireland will offer a wide range of services.

Translators who work as employees of companies, governments or international organisations, usually concentrate of one type of document, whatever it is their company or department deals in. The majority professional translators work on a freelance basis and there are very few staff translator jobs in the State, however most new graduates do not find work as freelances and need to work for companies in order to establish themselves.

"In relation to getting staff work, graduates typically go away to work. It's unrealistic to think you'll get staff work in Ireland and to get the freelance work, you need experience," Carthy says.

However, most people are happy to work abroad and for many, travel is one of the main reasons they choose the career. "This job is ideally suited to living anywhere in the world. To get the experience and cultural context you need to work in the countries of your chosen languages," she says.

Translators find work with banks, pharmaceutical companies, large accountancy practices, computer firms and a whole range of multi-national companies. Some may also find work with EU institutions or with the Department of Foreign Affairs or other international bodies.

Professional translators may also choose to take up jobs closely related to translation. Carthy identifies three such careers: technical writing, software localisation and subtitling.

Translators working as technical writers will be involved with translating language and translating technical jargon, often written by engineers, into a more user-friendly form. Computer software, often written in English or American-English, needs to be translated into other languages, but software localisation also involves in identifying the most appropriate terminology, for example translating the term computer "mouse" directly may not make any sense.

The third area, which is much smaller than the other two, is subtitling. It has "limited application" Carthy says, but some do get work in film and television.

The job prospects for translators are good, but it is important to remember that most of these jobs are abroad. DIT statistics indicate that 40 to 50 per cent of graduates go abroad to work each year. Of those who stay at home, many go on to postgraduate studies or professional training with IT and teaching being the most popular two postgraduate study options.