When it comes to translation areas, most people think of the well-known areas such as legal, medical, financial and software. However, did you know that there are dozens of translation fields and that each one requires specific skills and knowledge to succeed?
There is more to translation than simply substituting one word for another. Although some texts are simpler to translate, such as general ones, others are more complex. The difficulty of translating a death certificate, for example, is not the same as that of a medical report or a novel.
So, let’s take a look at what fields of translation expertise there are, what kind of skills a specialized translator needs to succeed, and when a generalist translator might be the best choice for a specific project.
Legal translation
Translators specialized in legal work with documents such as contracts, decisions, certificates, etc. They need to be familiar with the terminology and legal practices of the country to which they are translating.
Marketing translation
This includes SEO transcription and translation specialists. Typical marketing field text types include website copy, ad copy, brochures, press releases, social media content, SEO-optimized copy, blog posts, UX/UI, product presentations and descriptions.
Marketing translation requires a high level of creativity, a good understanding of marketing strategies, and a deep understanding of consumer behavior in both the source and target markets.
Accounting translation
The target audience for texts in this area are usually accountants, financial managers and other finance professionals. Typical areas include bank reports, financial statements, annual reports, shareholder newsletters/circulars, etc.
Tourism translation
Translators specialized in this area work with travel-related text types, such as hotel lists, travel agency websites, vacation brochures, airline websites, etc. They need to have a good understanding of the destination country’s culture and conventions, the travel industry in general, tourism trends, and destination-specific practices.
Journalism translation
The texts in this field include articles from magazines, reports, speeches, interviews, press conferences, political discourses – anything that is read by the general public. Journalist translators need to be familiar with the conventions and jargon of the media industry, as well as relevant subjects such as politics, sports, health, technology, culture, etc.
Medical/pharmaceutical translation
Medical translation involves documents such as clinical research articles, informed consent forms, patient education materials (dealing with conditions such as cancer, asthma, diabetes), medical certificates/reports, and more. Medical translators need to have in-depth knowledge of the relevant medical area. After all, any error in translating medical material can have serious consequences. This makes medical translation one of the most difficult areas of translation expertise.
Literary translation
Have you ever read Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings? How about the Little Prince or Don Quixote? If so, you have probably read a translated version of these books. Literary translators work in all types of literary works, which include fiction and non-fiction books, short stories/novels, poetry collections, plays, graphic comics/novels and more.
Audiovisual translation
This translation field includes subtitles and video games (but also much more!). In the era of streaming, with platforms such as Netflix increasingly bringing the world closer together, the need for experts who can translate audiovisual material fluently and accurately has grown exponentially.
Global Languages offers technical translation service in several areas and has highly qualified and experienced translation professionals. To find out, please contact us and request a quotation with no commitment.
