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| Photo: Pete Souza, The White House |
Celebration time for inwhatlanguage! As many of you know, we recently were selected to translate the Sunnylands websitefor meetings between President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping. It is such an honor to be able to work on such an amazing project, with such distinguished personalities, and to hold such a responsibility with global diplomacy.
Once again, it is clear that inwhatlanguage, as a translation agency, is growing at a dizzying speed. Not only we are expanding all over the US, but our base of clients is turning into a real hall of fame.
We also keep receiving resumes and questions from talented translators who want to be part of all this. So I figured that it was time to give some basic pointers to our dear potential linguists to show what we appreciate the most in our employees. Because yes, obviously, being native in one language and fluent in a second one is a must, but it is not all; it is merely the beginning. A translator in inwhatlanguage…
- Must have good writing skills. A linguist who doesn’t know how to write well is like a genius hacker not able to afford a computer: it is just as basic as speaking the languages you are working with. Our clients demand quality, and that sometimes doesn’t mean literal translations, but translations adapted to regionalized languages and rewritten in a way that doesn’t show that they’ve been translated. That requires a knack for writing. And that is what a translation agency like ours needs.
- · Must be reliable. Sometimes we receive projects at the last minute, and we need to know that we will be able to find you if we need you at any time (unless you are on holidays, which you are perfectly entitled to). A person who says she/he’s going to be there today but is not sure about tomorrow could be a burden on a company whose main aim is to be able to provide high-quality translation services for our clients anytime, anywhere.
- · Must be thorough. Again, this shows especially clearly when it comes to rushed translation. Speed is great, obviously, but it doesn’t do any good if it comes with sloppy work. If you know that you need time to do things right, don’t be shy to say so. We’d rather have quality than extra fast delivery.
- · Must be open to learn new things. We live during times when the world, and our industry, keep changing every day due to technological advances, politics and globalization. There is absolutely no reason to be afraid of trying new ways of translating, or to learn how to handle new software. Quite the contrary: it’s really exciting stuff! And we are all there to help you walk this path. We are a family!
- · Must be part of it. Of our family. The team at iwl prides itself in the fact that it’s composed of good, friendly people who love languages, help each other and the clients whenever it’s needed, and generally have fun doing what we do. Our job is not an obligation: it’s a pleasure, because we work with that which we love the most, and we contribute to society in many great ways… And we get money out of it! What’s not to be happy about?
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