Love languages? Consider a career in the translation industry!

February 13, 2019 , ,

Do you speak a language other than English? Perhaps you have lived overseas and migrated to Australia. Maybe your parents are migrants and you learnt their mother tongue growing up as a child in Australia. Or perhaps you decided to study a second language at school because of an acute interest in languages.

No matter your situation, your language skills are are a unique and valuable skill. So why not consider putting this skill to good use and embark on a career in the translation industry.

To help you understand a little more about translators and languages in the Australian context, here is a bit of background information.

Commonly studied languages in Australia

French language studies

Did you know that in VCE, French language studies consistently have some of the highest levels of enrolment? And no wonder! The French language is terribly romantic. French is also relatively simple to learn as an English speaker and is categorised as a Category I language by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). This categorisation makes it one of the easiest languages to learn as an English speaker.

Monash University have a world-renowned Translation & Interpretation studies program which even offers Double Degrees in conjunction with Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 (France). So, what can you do once you have studied to become a translator at University? Of course, you can embark on a career as a French translator in Australia. Alternatively, many graduates are seduced by France’s mystique and pack their bags for Europe, never to return to Australia. If a career as a French translator interests you, then you would benefit from a French tutor for VCE.

Chinese language studies

Studying Chinese as a second language is also very popular in Victoria. Many schools are now realising the importance of a strong connection with China. Students with strong Chinese language skills set themselves up for a great career. Mandarin is spoken by nearly 900 million people worldwide and is the number 1 language in world based on number of native speakers.

Chinese migration to Australia is at all-time high, with thousands of Chinese nationals traveling to Australia each year. It’s no wonder that the demand for Chinese to English translation by native English speakers has hit critical levels. The level of commerce between Australia and China is also at all-time highs, with Australian businesses flocking to China to get their products in front of over one billion increasingly affluent Chinese. If you need a hand with your Chinese tutoring, LearnMate can help.

So, what do translators really do?

In a nutshell, translators convert the meaning of documents, official papers and any written text from a particular language to another. Philosophically, this should only be done into the translator’s native tongue. In practice, however, many translators translate in both directions.

Don’t confuse the role of translators and interpreters. In the Australian context, these two roles are quite different. An interpreter converts the spoken word, for example, at a medical appointment. On the other hand, translators work with written language.

In today’s fast-changing world, the translation industry is both very interesting and highly varied. Translators are expected to work with various file formats, across various domains including technical, scientific, medical and legal texts, all the while utilising technology in their workflow to improve efficiency, quality and speed.

Can anyone call themself a ‘translator’?

Becoming a professional translator is more than being bilingual, knowing the target and source languages, and having a reliable internet connection.

To achieve the level of proficiency to be considered a professional translator, you need a lot of practice and experience to be confident enough to translate in various fields.

Let’s take a look at some situations that help describe what a translator is not.

  • A professional translator is not someone who is a student of languages. A student of languages still has a long way to go in order to have the level of proficiency.
  • In the same way, a professional translator is not a teacher of languages. Why? Because teaching and translating are different. Of course, a translator can become a teacher, but that doesn’t mean that a teacher can necessarily translate to the expected standard. By the same token, not all translators can be a teacher of languages.
  • A professional translator is not someone who simply speaks two different languages even if it’s on a native level. To be a translator, an individual must always have the relevant research skills, cultural competence, ethical understanding and ability to transfer the intended meaning of a text from one language into another. Having very strong language proficiency certainly does help, but it’s not enough.
  • A professional translator is not a dictionary. A lot of people assume that a translator knows all words in two different languages; however, any experienced translator can tell you that different words can be used depending on the context. A translator’s role also involves significant research to ensure that they are choosing the most appropriate word for the context of their translation.

What makes a professional?

Let’s define a professional translator to give you a glimpse of the translation industry.

In Australia, there is a very rigorous credentialing system in place for professional translators, administered by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). In practice, almost all translators who operate in a professional capacity in Australia hold a current and valid translator credential.

Obtaining a NAATI translator credential is more than simply having proficiency in two languages. There is an ethical component that must be passed in order to be awarded with a NAATI credential.

Technically speaking, a person is considered to be a professional when he or she does something for a living. So whilst you could technically work as a professional translator without a NAATI translator credential, it would be quite difficult to gain employment in this field without the relevant industry-recognised credentials.

Reasons to consider a career in the translation industry

Now that you know a thing or two about becoming a professional translator let’s look at four reasons why you should pursue a career in the translation industry.

You love to learn

Translators work in different fields including medicine, law, science, and technology. To stay up to date, you need to keep improving what you already know and learning new things.

Translating into the target language isn’t enough. You also have to understand what’s happening in these fields and keep up with any changes or updates in your field of specialty.

In other words, you need to see that your job is a continuous learning process and enjoy it.

You love literature

Today’s best-selling books such as Harry Potter and the Bible wouldn’t be where they are now if it weren’t for their translations. These books have been translated into a lot of languages and have sold millions.

Translating such amazing books requires not only outstanding linguistic skills but also the ability to handle any cultural issues that arise between two languages. Not only that, a translator must have a wide imagination to deal with words that don’t exist in other languages.

You love law and all of its aspects

Do you still remember that time when your Aunt asked you what you wished for and you’d answer “world peace”? If you still feel the same way and want to contribute to the progress of law and peacekeeping around the globe, then why don’t you consider a translation career at an international body such as the UN.

Just think of all the international documents such as conventions and treaties that need dissemination to all parts of the globe. Doesn’t that make a career in translation sound kind of exciting?

Well, if international leg work doesn’t suit you, you can also help people by translating their legal documents such as birth certificates, passports, marriage certificates, adoption papers, diplomas and a whole lot more!

You can earn an income

Translators are highly sought after across the globe and the translation industry is growing. Increasingly, there are great opportunities to make a decent living, particularly if you obtain a credential that is recognised, such as a NAATI translator certification.

Summing up

So, what are you waiting for? Put your language skills to good use. Embark on a career as a translator and reap the rewards of your unique set of language skills.

LearnMate is Australia’s leading tutoring agency offering private lessons in all primary & high school subjects including English, maths, science, humanities, foreign languages, and so much more. Our mission is simple: to provide professional, engaging and enthusiastic tutors to students, while also ensuring the student feels empowered and confident during their assessments! Ultimately, our goal is to empower students all over Australia to achieve amazing results and make their dreams come true!

LearnMate provides you with tailored, one-on-one lessons for tutoring in a variety of suburbs in Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra, Perth & Adelaide! With hundreds of tutors on the LearnMate platform, you’re bound to find someone local for any primary or high school year level! You can choose to have lessons in-person or online – whatever is easiest for you!

Love languages? Consider a career in the translation industry!
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Refocusing after the Summer break

February 7, 2019

Refocusing after the Summer break

This article has been written by Celine Badaoui, an HSC Biology & Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Tutor at Learnmate. If you’re interested in private tutoring from Celine then please check out her page here.

With one term of their HSC year in the bag, many year-12 students are feeling accomplished and on a roll towards the end of December. Then, all of a sudden, this can be majorly disrupted by the lengthy Summer break ahead.

It’s finally time for students to enjoy a well-deserved holiday, hanging out at the beach with friends, watching Netflix and taking the time out to relax. However, this long period of down time can create an extremely difficult challenge for students returning back to school, turning their holiday mode switch off and study mode switch back on.

Refocusing after the Summer break is essential due to the importance of launching into the HSC with the best start possible, and there are several strategies students can undertake to ensure their transition is successful.

Get Organized

In order to avoid a rude shock upon arrival back to school, students should get organized as early as possible. Noting down key dates onto a wall calendar is a great start for students to become familiar with their workload for the term ahead. This includes recording due dates for assessments and exam periods, in order to allow for adequate preparation leading up to busy periods and minimize feeling overwhelmed.

Students should also set their own deadlines for more general HSC work, such as finishing syllabus notes 1-2 weeks in advance of exams. Allocating days of the week to certain subjects is also a great strategy that ensures study sessions are arranged in a way to cover all areas sufficiently.

Ensuring your Study Environment Looks the Part

A great activity for students resuming the school year is to reorganize their study space, which is often used as a recreational space over the holidays.

The first step is to remove all distractions from the area such as technology, books and games. Devices such as mobile phones can be replaced with digital clocks for students to keep track of the time. Having pre-prepared study snacks close by is also an effective way to avoid the need for multiple trips to the kitchen which often leads to students procrastinating.

Neatly organized study areas are advantageous over messy, disorganized work spaces which often contribute to the feelings of stress and confusion.

Incentivise Yourself

Creating incentives to work harder for things to look forward to is an excellent strategy for students transitioning out of holiday mode. These incentives can be as simple as organising to get breakfast with friends or playing sports on the weekends, which is also essential for student’s mental and physical well-being.

Realistic goals should be set for students to achieve before rewarding themselves with fun activities, such as finishing ‘x’ number of syllabus notes or completing ‘x’ number of words of an essay. This ensures they can thoroughly enjoy these times without the burden of uncompleted work in the back of their minds.

 

To get in contact with HSC tutors and other tutors in Sydney from LearnMate, please learn more here.

If you loved this article, you will LOVE all of our other articles, such as: 5 Ways to Best Prepare for the HSC!,The Best Way to Reduce Stress in Year 12: It’s Not What You Think and Study Tips for HSC English This Year!

 – LearnMate Tutoring.

 

LearnMate is Australia’s leading tutoring agency offering private lessons in all primary & high school subjects including English, maths, science, humanities, foreign languages, and so much more. Our mission is simple: to provide professional, engaging and enthusiastic tutors to students, while also ensuring the student feels empowered and confident during their assessments! Ultimately, our goal is to empower students all over Australia to achieve amazing results and make their dreams come true!

LearnMate provides you with tailored, one-on-one lessons for tutoring in a variety of suburbs in Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra, Perth & Adelaide! With hundreds of tutors on the LearnMate platform, you’re bound to find someone local for any primary or high school year level! You can choose to have lessons in-person or online – whatever is easiest for you!

Refocusing after the Summer break
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An Overview of Face Needs and Prestige

February 1, 2019

An Overview of Face Needs and Prestige

This article has been written by Liam McAlary, a Years 7 – 12, VCE Legal Studies and VCE English Language Tutor at Learnmate. If you’re interested in private tutoring from Liam then please check out his page here.

Hey guys, here is my first article for February. This article relates to two concepts which come up quite often throughout the course. These are face needs (positive and negative), and prestige (overt and covert) and these come up in both units 3 and 4 (although face needs receive more emphasis in unit 3 and prestige in unit 4).

FACE NEEDS:

Positive face:

Positive face needs are a person’s need to be liked and accepted and are more commonly (although not exclusively), associated with informal language. Respecting positive face needs entails using language that shows a low social distance (closeness, rapport, solidarity and intimacy), with the listener, reader or other interlocutor. Informal language features such as slang, colloquialisms (it is important to be aware that slang is generational, whereas colloquialisms have stood the test of time and are usually more widely understood), and taboo language can be effective means of maintaining positive face needs.  These features can show closeness and rapport as people (generally) will only use these features around people with whom they feel close to and are thus comfortable with subverting the formality of their language. Additionally, a key aspect of positive face is a feeling of belonging to a group (creating a sense of in-group membership). Jargon (often associated with formal language) is particularly good for this as the use of the jargon helps to promote closeness and strengthen in-group solidarity as most, “outsiders,” would not understand the jargon.

Negative face:

Conversely, negative face needs are more commonly associated with formal language and this is the need to not be imposed upon and to be independent. Negative politeness strategies tend to include giving the other person a choice (as opposed to imposing a task upon them), indicating reluctance (sorry to ask but…), and giving deference by using terms of address (this is commonly seen in interviews with experts such as doctors and with politicians who are senior members of the government such as the Prime Minister, premier, treasurer, etc). Respecting negative face needs tends to entail acknowledging social distance or power in the relationship between the interlocutors. For example, High School students tend to address their teacher as Mr/Ms/Mrs/Miss …, acknowledging the teacher’s status as an authority figure in their relationship with the student.

PRESTIGE:

As prestige is discussed in far greater detail in unit 4, I will keep this section short. Prestige can be broken down into overt prestige (carries prestige throughout the speech community), and covert prestige (carries prestige within a smaller group). Put simply, Standard Australian English is the variety of English which is overtly prestigious in Australia and consequently it is the variety used in most formal situations. Conversely, non-standard variations (non-standard is NOT substandard), such as Aboriginal English, carry covert prestige within the relevant social group and act as a marker of group identity.

Anyway, that is all from me and I will have another article for you in a couple of weeks.

If you loved this article, you will LOVE all of our other articles, such as: What To Expect As A First-Year University Student, Social Purpose and How it Relates to Informal Language and The Summer Holidays and Formal Language Examples.

 

LearnMate is Australia’s leading tutoring agency offering private lessons in all primary & high school subjects including English, maths, science, humanities, foreign languages, and so much more. Our mission is simple: to provide professional, engaging and enthusiastic tutors to students, while also ensuring the student feels empowered and confident during their assessments! Ultimately, our goal is to empower students all over Australia to achieve amazing results and make their dreams come true!

LearnMate provides you with tailored, one-on-one lessons for tutoring in a variety of suburbs in Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra, Perth & Adelaide! With hundreds of tutors on the LearnMate platform, you’re bound to find someone local for any primary or high school year level! You can choose to have lessons in-person or online – whatever is easiest for you!

An Overview of Face Needs and Prestige
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Creating a Study Timetable: Study Techniques

January 28, 2019 ,

Creating a Study Timetable: Study Techniques

This article has been written by Lydia McClelland, a VCE French, Music Theory, Literature & VCE English Tutor at Learnmate. If you’re interested in private tutoring from Lydia then please check out her page here.

It can be difficult to study when there’s nothing to hold you to account: why not make a study timetable? Here are some steps which will help you create your basic study timetable.

  1. Know your existing commitments. It’s worth knowing what you want to prioritise, especially if you know you’re going to be busy with schoolwork. However, make sure you don’t cut out all extra-curricular activities: I managed my time well in Year 12 while playing sport regularly, having lessons for and practicing two musical instruments, and still spent time with friends outside of school.
  2. Estimate how much time you will need for study. Make sure to schedule study at times that work well for you: if you concentrate well in the morning, organise to study then, and vice versa for night. Colour-coding your study and other commitments is a nice way of organising your study timetable.
  3. Leave some room for flexibility. If you fill in every single space in your life it can become exhausting and could even lead to burnout. If you think you’re in danger of overworking yourself, it could be good to schedule in free-time. Everyone needs a rest!

Here’s an example of a study timetable I created, thanks to Online Study Australia:

 

Study tips

Note that this study timetable is not 100% filled in – it’s important to allow flexibility, as circumstances will usually not remain the same every week. The important thing to do is to always follow the study blocks specified in the timetable. This will create a sense of rhythm through your week, and will make it more likely that studying becomes a habit. Print out your study timetable and pin it somewhere noticeable, whether it be above a desk or somewhere in your room that you can’t miss. Happy studying!

 

If you loved this article, you will LOVE all of our other articles, such as: 3 Facts You Should Know About Your ATAR, Tips for Supporting Your Child in Year 11 and 12! and Will anyone care about your ATAR in a year?

 – LearnMate Tutoring.

LearnMate is Australia’s leading tutoring agency offering private lessons in all primary & high school subjects including English, maths, science, humanities, foreign languages, and so much more. Our mission is simple: to provide professional, engaging and enthusiastic tutors to students, while also ensuring the student feels empowered and confident during their assessments! Ultimately, our goal is to empower students all over Australia to achieve amazing results and make their dreams come true!

LearnMate provides you with tailored, one-on-one lessons for tutoring in a variety of suburbs in Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra, Perth & Adelaide! With hundreds of tutors on the LearnMate platform, you’re bound to find someone local for any primary or high school year level! You can choose to have lessons in-person or online – whatever is easiest for you!

Creating a Study Timetable: Study Techniques
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An Introduction to the Analytical Commentary

January 18, 2019

An Introduction to the Analytical Commentary

This article has been written by Liam McAlary, a Years 7 – 12, VCE Legal Studies and VCE English Language Tutor at Learnmate. If you’re interested in private tutoring from Liam then please check out his page here.

Hey guys, here is my second article for January. Hopefully you are enjoying your holidays and are feeling fresh for when school resumes in a couple of weeks. This article will focus on the analytical commentary, which a lot of schools do not teach in year 11 so it is a style of writing that many students are unfamiliar with going into year 12. This style of writing is commonly used for SACs, (especially in unit 3), and is section B of the exam (30 marks out of 75), so it is worthy of discussion.

Particularly at the start of the year, many students find analytical commentaries difficult as they do not have a defined structure. However, there are some loosely defined approaches to writing them, which are the, “subsystem,” approach (where paragraphs are organised by subsystem), and the, “big ideas,” approach, which sorts paragraphs by key ideas such as function, register, context, social purpose, and the relationship between participants (particularly for conversations). It is common for students to write a combination of the two approaches and this is the model I personally recommend writing as it is probably the most flexible and can be adapted to different texts. Ultimately, write your commentary the way that you feel the most comfortable.

Although there is no defined structure to an analytical commentary, you still need to write a short introduction to the piece (a conclusion is not required). An introduction to an analytical commentary should quickly discuss the context (situational, cultural, etc.), audience, register (formality), social purpose(s), and function(s) (function and social purpose are not the same). Furthermore, an introduction should contain as little analysis as possible (none), The analysis will be done through the rest of the piece.

In terms of the body of your piece, it is pivotal that your analysis is specific to the text at hand. As you discuss the features of the text or transcript, it is important that you continually link their use to the context, audience, register, purpose(s), and function(s) of the piece. Assessors (and teachers) cannot stand commentaries that are, generic, boring, and clearly have rote learned discussions of the features identified. Also, make sure that you are analysing good examples from the text, that your discussion of the feature’s impact on the text is as accurate as possible and that you use examples from the entire text. Commentary texts are often multiple pages, so it is important to show that you have read, absorbed and used the entirety of the text and not just the first page or two.

Finally, a quick word on commentaries when they are SACs. Your SACs assess a certain part of the course, so having a paragraph (generally straight after your introduction) devoted to that outcome is worth doing. For example, in unit 3 AOS 1, write a register paragraph that focuses on informal language features within the text.

Anyway, I hope this article has helped and I will have another one for you next month.

If you loved this article, you will LOVE all of our other articles, such as: How To Take Notes To Maximise Success, 2U Maths Tips from a Past Student (98 in 2U Maths)! and Tips on Studying for Exams – LearnMate Tutoring.

 

LearnMate is Australia’s leading tutoring agency offering private lessons in all primary & high school subjects including English, maths, science, humanities, foreign languages, and so much more. Our mission is simple: to provide professional, engaging and enthusiastic tutors to students, while also ensuring the student feels empowered and confident during their assessments! Ultimately, our goal is to empower students all over Australia to achieve amazing results and make their dreams come true!

LearnMate provides you with tailored, one-on-one lessons for tutoring in a variety of suburbs in Melbourne, Sydney, Geelong, Brisbane, Hobart, Canberra, Perth & Adelaide! With hundreds of tutors on the LearnMate platform, you’re bound to find someone local for any primary or high school year level! You can choose to have lessons in-person or online – whatever is easiest for you!

An Introduction to the Analytical Commentary
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About LearnMate Tutoring

LearnMate is Australia’s leading tutoring agency offering private lessons in all high school subjects (Years 7 – 10) and HSC, IB, QCE, BSSS, SACE, TCE, UMAT/UCAT, WACE & VCE subjects (Years 11 and 12) including English, maths, science, humanities, foreign languages, and so much more. Our mission is simple: to provide professional, engaging and enthusiastic high school tutors to students, while also ensuring the student feels empowered and confident during their assessments! Ultimately, our goal is to empower students all over Australia to achieve amazing results and make their dreams come true! You can search for a tutor here.

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