There have been quite a few times when people have inquired about what I was “doing” — for a living. I would say, “I am a Translator — and also run a Translation Company!”. And their immediate reaction has been, “Okay… great… but what do you actually dofor a living?!” I would simply shrug off their reactions, and just leave it at that!
Worldwide, translation and its allied fields form a multi-billion-dollar industry. In the Indian context, very few people are aware that there is such good scope to pursue a full-time career. These are the primary prerequisites:
- Flair for the languages
- Absolute control over at least two language pairs — mother tongue and English
- Flair for literature and writing
- Being able to be crisp and to the point
- Being creative in one’s own mother tongue
- Good English drafting skills — so very important for end clients to be able to relate to you
- Lastly, the ability to market oneself well. This complements all of the above — and you will be all set to move forward!
But all this does not happen overnight. If you think you are potentially good, then just start translating small paragraphs, and get these reviewed by like-minded well-wishers. Once you develop that confidence, you will start off!
~ Kedar Desai