I recently received an e-mail from a language graduate wanting to specialise in marketing translation. They asked me how I chose to specialise in this field and for some advice on how they could do the same. Personally, I got into marketing translation after working with a range of subjects as an in-house translator in Germany. I found that I enjoyed translating marketing materials, press releases, adverts, websites, etc. and that I produced higher quality work when translating these types of texts. When I set up as a freelancer, I seized the opportunity to control what type of translation jobs I took on and chose to specialise in marketing translations.
There are several things that I would advise would-be marketing translators to do to develop and hone their skills in this area of specialisation. However, they are also relevant to seasoned pros.
I have mentioned on several occasions how important it is for translators to read widely, both in their source language(s) and their target language(s), so that they can familiarise themselves with a range of different registers and styles. Marketing translators would be wise to read the types of texts that they want to translate. For example, if you’re going to be translating press releases, you’ll need to be familiar with their style and layout conventions. The more familiar you become with these materials, the better.
- Write at every opportunity
Good writing skills in the target language are important for any translator, but they are all the more important for marketing translators as our work is usually destined for publication and therefore needs to be top-notch. By far the best way to polish your written style is to write regularly. It doesn’t have to be for publication – it can be in a diary or notebook, for example. If you don’t mind your writing being read by others, why not try starting a blog, commenting on other people’s blogs or contributing to industry publications?
- Take a course in creative writing, copywriting, proofreading or editing
Writing and copywriting courses are a great opportunity to be creative, to practice and perfect your writing, to get feedback on your style and to reflect on the writing process. Proofreading and editing courses will give you the tools you need to revise and edit your work and to help ensure that you deliver translations that are typo- and error-free.
- Get to know marketing specialists and other marketing translators
Ideally, you will build a network of contacts who can help you to learn more about marketing and marketing translations. Get to know marketing specialists, copywriters, editors and other marketing translators that you can approach for support and advice. Professional associations are a great place to start: Percy Balemans recently wrote an excellent blog post on the benefits of joining a professional association for translators and interpreters, which is well worth reading – those interested in finding out more can read it here. It might also be worth contacting an experienced marketing translator to see if they would be willing to mentor you as you begin to specialise in the field. Gaining work experience in a marketing-related field may also help by giving you industry insights and improving your subject-specific knowledge.
Any other marketing translators have any tips they’d like to share?
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I’m delighted to announce that Marketing Translation has been nominated as one of the Top 100 Language Blogs 2009 in the Language Professional category. Special thanks goes to the readers who nominated this blog – it’s really great to know that you are enjoying the weekly posts and I feel honoured to have been nominated alongside so many well-respected translation and language bloggers.
Voting for the nominated blogs is now open and ends on 27 July 2009 so if you are enjoying the blog and find it useful, please vote for Marketing Translation here or by clicking the button below. Thank you for your support!
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by Serena on 2 July 2009
in Books
I came across Anthony Davis’ Mastering Public Relations when looking for a good introductory book on PR to read for continuing professional development (CPD) purposes. At 233 pages long, it isn’t a stuffy academic textbook; instead, it is a easy-to-read, easy-to-understand guide to public relations, providing a good overview of the differences between PR and publicity and exploring how PR differs from and complements marketing and advertising. The book also looks at PR and corporate communications, the differences between image and reputation and explores topics such as PR strategy and planning, relationship building and the relationship between PR and the media.
I particularly liked the checklists at the end of each chapter, which give a summary of the key points made. This is great for when you just want to look up specific information relating to the chapter topic, refresh your memory on a certain subject area or, if time is short, grasp the basics quickly. Short but helpful case studies also aid understanding by outlining how the key points are put into practice.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone working in the field of PR translations or anyone who is interested in learning more about PR!
Davis, Anthony. Mastering Public Relations. 2nd edn. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. ISBN 978-0-230-54930-2.
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I was recently asked what it’s like to work as a freelance translator and what sort of work I do as a marketing translator. Here’s an insight into a typical day’s work:
8 a.m.
My office hours officially start. 90% of my clients are based in Germany, which is one hour ahead of the UK. So it’s already 9 a.m. there and the e-mails and phone calls are starting to come in. Settle down at my computer with a cup of coffee and start to go through my e-mail inbox.
8.20 a.m.
I start proofreading 500 words of copy for a customer newsletter for an online shop. I translated it and revised it yesterday and, although it’s not due until 4 p.m., experience tells me that I am far more likely to catch any typos or other hiccups first thing in the morning.
9 a.m.
Take a five-minute break to see what’s going on in the world of Twitter this morning and to check out any useful links and resources that fellow translators have shared.
9.05 a.m.
Start preparing to translate some promotional brochures and leaflets on a new technology for washing machines, 5,000 words in total. The texts focus on energy efficiency and the environment, so I do some initial background reading on the subject and bookmark some similar promotional materials I find online – they may come in handy later.
10 a.m.
Start translating the brochures. 5,000 words will keep me busy translating for at least two and a bit days, plus the extra time needed to edit and proofread my work.
11 a.m.
Coffee break. Time to catch up on my RSS feeds – other translation blogs and marketing and advertising news. I also browse the BBC News website and have a quick read of The Guardian online.
11.30 a.m.
Back to my translation. I need to come up with some creative headings as quite a few of the headings in German involve word play that doesn’t work in English so I start brainstorming some ideas and jot them down. I’ll come back to them later because sometimes a really great headline sounds really naff when you come back to it with fresh eyes.
1 p.m.
Lunch. If the weather’s nice, then I’ll go for a walk to give my eyes a break from the computer and to recharge my creative batteries. I take some time out to read something non-business related – a chapter of the novel I’m currently reading: Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore. I come across a beautifully-worded sentence that I love so I make a note of it in my writer’s notebook, which I use as a source of inspiration and ideas.
2 p.m.
Back to the translation. Yuck. I no longer like one of my ideas for a heading. It’s a bit stilted. Back to the drawing board. It can take several drafts and much editing and proofreading until I’m totally happy with my translation.
2.30 p.m.
I’m interrupted by a phone call from a client who needs an urgent 100-word text translated by 4.30 p.m. It’s an additional couple of paragraphs for an advertising campaign description as part of an agency’s competition entry. Seeing as I translated the rest of the text, they need me to do this bit for them, too. I agree to take the job on and start working on it immediately. Marketing texts, particularly advertising texts, are frequently needed urgently so I often have to juggle longer projects with short items as and when they land on my desk.
4.15 p.m.
Three drafts later and, after one final proofread, I have handed in the urgent text. I decide to spend another half an hour on my washing machine translations before finishing for the day.
4.45 p.m.
I spend the last fifteen minutes of my day watching German-language news in a video podcast while my computer makes back-up copies of the day’s work. Unless I have made a specific arrangement with a client, my office hours end at 5 p.m. – I’m quite strict about when I work as I am far more productive and far more creative during the daytime. Some translators are night owls and enjoy burning the midnight oil but I find that I can’t produce quality work much later than 7 p.m. so I stick to my computer-off-at-5 p.m. rule whenever possible.
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by Serena on 18 June 2009
in Events
The Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) is holding its Annual Conference at Vanbrugh College, University of York, from 13 to 15 September 2009. The presentations, lectures and seminars at this event will all be based around the topic of ‘Editing in the 21st Century’ and the programme has something for everyone working with texts, such as editors, proofreaders, translators, writers and copywriters.
Topics range from on-screen editing, grammar issues and copywriting techniques to software information and advice, e.g. tips on switching to Word 2007 and an overview of Adobe InDesign. There will also be seminars relating to various aspects of working as a freelancer, such as work-life balance, relaxation techniques, marketing yourself and the advantages of blogging. The copywriting and Adobe InDesign sessions will be of particular interest to marketing translators, particularly as a basic understanding of various DTP software packages is becoming increasingly important in our field. For more information about the conference, please visit the SfEP conference website.
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