Unlike interpreters, who translate what is being said almost simultaneously, translators‘ work takes place at a computer desk with a significant time delay. Translators are not only utterly good when it comes to languages and communicative skills. Also, the activity of translating written texts into the respective target language requires a high degree of endurance, organizational skills, creativity, and flexibility.
Endurance and organizational talent are essential traits because translators frequently have to work under high time pressure. Tight deadlines require dealing with stressful situations in a confident manner, as well as proper time management. Translators are creative when it comes to choosing appropriate wording and sentence structures, and if necessary use own word creations in order to be able to reproduce the meaning of the original text properly. Translators are flexible in that they are confronted with a variety of text types which in some cases require specialist knowledge and therefore involve considerable research efforts. From works of literature, business documents to legal and scientific texts – everything is possible.
Since it is only rarely that translators obtain a contract for permanent employment in translation agencies, publishing houses, media or government institutions, they usually work on a freelance basis anyway. In the latter case, translators are responsible for acquiring orders themselves. Those who have difficulties establishing their own network of clients and acquiring clients independently should not be discouraged, though. Even translators that lack entrepreneurial know-how have the opportunity to make use of their talent for languages. A popular place of work for freelance translators is the (academic) ghostwriting sector. Particularly due to the internationalization of academia that is currently going on, it is not uncommon for academic texts to be translated into a foreign language. This applies to degree theses, abstracts and summaries just as much as to journal articles. Depending on the degree program, presentations and lectures too have to be delivered in a foreign language. Many academic ghostwriters, however, do not necessarily have the linguistic knowledge required to directly write their templates in the specific target language requested. In those cases, academic ghostwriting agencies are forced to rely on the expertise and skills of translators in order to meet their customers‘ requirements.
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