Translators bridge the language barrier between cultures, countries, and people. Moreso, they widen the room for seamless communication among businesses, governments, and individuals.
If you’ve been looking to earn with your language translation skills as a Nigerian, you’re at the right juncture. In this article, we will provide detailed guidelines for establishing your career as a language translator in Nigeria.
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What Does a Language Translator Do?
A language translator interprets conversations, speeches, and texts from one language to another. Language translators are an integral part of global communication networks. Without them, there wouldn’t have been a way for information to fly around.
From a shallow view, the job of a language translator may seem easy. However, becoming a translator requires more than mastering a second or third language. It requires a deep understanding of cultural expressions like idioms, slang, and jargon.
Language translators interpret information from one language to another while maintaining the original context, conciseness, clarity, and cultural convention.
Read also: Career Opportunities of Learning Foreign Languages in Nigeria
How to Become a Language Translator
Below is a list of what it takes to become a professional language translator:
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Be proficient in the second language
Mastery of a second language and fluency in it is mandatory for anyone who wants to become a language translator. You can choose a specific language and study it as a subject or course in college. You can also learn it online using language teaching apps like Duolingo, Mondly, etc.
The fact is that, even without a degree or certificate, you can earn as an online translator in Nigeria, as long as you’re good at your job.
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Have a formal education
Formal education is sometimes a prerequisite for becoming an online translator in Nigeria. Meanwhile, having a bachelor’s degree in any language-related field can provide a strong background for aspiring language translators.
People with a bachelor’s degree in translation, linguistics, or a related field and with relevant experience will be considered for a language translation role before those without a degree or professional certification.
Also, a university degree in language translation aids the development of relevant skills like translation techniques and cultural sensitivity. It allows you to understand different dialects, punctuation techniques, and axioms.
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Obtain certification
A certified translator is an individual who has received a valid certification as a translator from one language to the other. Certifications from recognized organizations such as the American Translators Association, the Nigerian Institute of Translators and Interpreters (NITI), etc, will help to improve your language translation skills and test your competence level.
Most of these certifications are only earned after the given standard has been satisfied through several proficiency tests.
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Specialize in a niche
Language translators are not generalists. Most of them are specialized in a particular field of practice. Language translation is as diverse as any profession but specialization shows who is adept at what task. Just the same way you wouldn’t take your shoe to a doctor to fix it or contact a heart surgeon to treat a dislocated shoulder, you can’t make a medical translator work as a legal translator.
Examples of some sub-branches under language translation include legal translation, medical translation, literary translation, financial translation, and technical translation. Specializing can benefit your career as a language translator by improving your productivity, which in turn increases your earnings.
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Be familiar with CAT tools
Impressive computer skills are a must if you want to become a language translator. You have to be proficient in computer programs like MS Word, Ms-excel, PowerPoint, and Desktop publishing. Present-day translators should also be familiar with Computer Aided Translation (CAT) tools like Trados studio, Redokun, and Smartcat.
CAT tools are designed to support linguists and translators, improve translation processes, and help with terminology management. It also edits, manages, and stores translations.
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Seek field experience
You need to have some practical experience as a translator. You can start by volunteering for NGOs or applying for internships at multinational corporations.
Acquiring field experience will help to improve your language skills, and develop your listening/communication skills as well as well-rounded interpersonal and cultural awareness skills.
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Build your portfolio
A language translator’s portfolio is an array of translated works. It is meant to showcase your knowledge and proficiency to the world or your potential client.
Your portfolio should only contain your best-translated samples—the translated copies of the NGO you volunteered for, internship projects, books, or even online content that you’re super proud of. Anything that sings the praise of your competence. Your portfolio is significant as it is the first taste of your skill that the client gets.
Thus, you should exclude sensitive and confidential documents such as materials with copyright (except with the originator’s permission) from your portfolio.
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Connect with professional translators
Networking is essential in today’s world, regardless of your profession, because of the limitless opportunities therein. Connecting with other language translators allows you to stay up-to-date on trends in the language translation industry.
It also allows for sharing information, knowledge, and ideas among your colleagues. Through networking, you might link up with a seasoned translator who would mentor you through your journey.
Now that you know the necessary steps to take to become a language translator in Nigeria, let’s talk about the high-demand languages for translators.
Top 6 Languages with High Demand for Language Translators
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French
29 countries, which includes 21 African countries, have French as their official language. Owing to this, French remains one of those languages with the highest pay for translators. French speakers are currently over 300 million worldwide, and Forbes estimates that number will rise to 750 million by the year 2050.
Consequently, the demand for French translators has multiplied by three since the 1940s. French is highly valued for translation in sectors like international relations, academics, fashion, commerce, and tourism.
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Chinese
Chinese has over 1.4 billion speakers worldwide, accounting for 16% of the world’s population. Chinese is the most difficult language to translate. Thus, Chinese translators need to pay excellent attention to detail as well as the changing cultural and linguistic trends.
Technological breakthroughs in China have increased the demand for Chinese translators. The translators will be responsible for converting documents from Chinese to their indigenous language and vice versa.
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English
Over 15% of the world’s population speaks English. It is the third most-spoken native language worldwide and the most used language on the internet. Over 65 countries in the world speak English as their official language.
English language translators are in high demand to bridge the communication gap between other languages. There are numerous job opportunities for English translators online and offline.
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Arabic
Around 300 million people speak Arabic worldwide. As a result of this large population, there’s a high demand for Arabic translators. The demand is due to the growing interest in Arabic culture, the booming Muslim population around the globe, and economic ties with the Middle East.
One of the most challenging languages to interpret by a language translator is Arabic. This is because some Arabic words do not have an English equivalent. All these factors account for why translators in this field earn handsomely.
Arabic language translators are needed to convert Arabic texts into English or other languages for academic and research purposes. They are also required for business and diplomatic relations.
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Spanish
As one of the most widely spoken languages globally, with over 500 million speakers, Spanish translators are sought after in tourism, international trade, and cultural exchange sectors. They are also in high demand in the financial and corporate sectors.
Spanish is not complicated. It is easy and fun to learn, both written and verbal, except for gender-specific words. Spanish also shares some words with the English language due to their relationship with Latin.
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German
German has the most speakers in Europe, with over 170 million people worldwide. It is one of the official languages of the European Union (EU) and is the fifth most commonly used language on the internet.
It’s not a surprise that German is one of the high-paying languages for translators in the world.
Understanding German increases your job opportunities in any field of study such as engineering, automobiles, hospitality and management, health, etc.
Conclusion
Your career as a language translator will be lucrative if you can follow all the steps listed in this guide. Language translators can work full-time or as freelancers. Additional certification allows you to earn more as a translator.
The most important thing is identifying your niche, sticking to it and staying up-to-date on it. By now, we believed we’ve walked you through the steps you can follow to have an illustrious and fulfilling career as a language translator in Nigeria.
Edited by Priscilla Ajayi.
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