V. DALRYMPLE

WORKING AS AN IN-HOUSE TECHNICAL

TRANSLATOR

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION

• Subject matter: life as an in-house translator.

• Background information.• The transition from university to

work.• Moving between jobs.• Current employment.• Tools of the trade.

THE TRANSITION• First job• How and when – University notice boards,

test translation, interview and another test translation.

• 6-month probationary period. • Starting salary – £16K. / two bonuses per

year.• Pay increases at the end of each financial

year.• Working environment, expectations and

collaboration / support.

MOVING BETWEEN JOBS

• Looking for a job?• E-mails / make use of the alumni network.• Do your own research – use social media e.g.

LinkedIn.• It can sometimes be who, not what, you

know.• Sending out speculative applications.

• Expertise in a wider range of fields.• Paid on a commission basis (not common).• “Expected” output: 465 lines per day /

actual output: between 300 and 350 lines per day.

• Working with a bigger company can be challenging, yet fun, too.

• Other skills gained.

CURRENT EMPLOYMENT

THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE• Reliable online dictionaries / ProZ.• CAT tools – Trados, Across, MemoQ…• Didn’t have any experience with CAT

tools before starting work – a daunting experience.

• Why CAT tools and how they help.• Trados demonstration.

END• Thank you for listening.• Any questions?