Let’s start with the most common question I received from readers. While there certainly are exceptions, reaching a a proficiency level in Chinese advanced enough to translate into Chinese would be orders of magnitudes harder than doing it the other way around.Īs the title implies, this interview is separated into two parts, one about becoming a translator and one about what it’s like working as one. This is of course because it’s much easier to understand a language well than it is to express yourself in that language. Second, most translators translate into their native language from other languages. First, translation and interpretation are two different activities and while both require advanced levels in both languages, the requirements and skills involved are quite different. I have also edited and combined various questions to make the interview flow better.īefore we start the interview, I’d like to address two things. It wasn’t possible to include all questions, but I have made sure to ask the most common ones. This interview is built on questions submitted by readers through Facebook, Twitter and as responses to my weekly newsletter. How to become a Chinese-English translator and what it’s like being one I have interviewed him once before in an article titled Chinese immersion with Carl Gene Fordham. His Chinese name is 傅君恺, and he runs a popular blog named 一步一个脚印, which has been featured in a separate article on Hacking Chinese. He has eight years experience as a freelance Chinese-into-English translator, and six years experience teaching translating and interpreting courses in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Master’s in Translation Studies from RMIT University, and is currently completing his second Master’s in Ancient Chinese History at Xiamen University, China. But what does it take to become a translator? How good do you need to be? How should you study to get there? This interview with Carl Gene Fordham is based on reader questions.Ĭarl Gene Fordham is a NAATI-accredited Chinese-English translator. Apart from teaching, becoming a translator is a long-term goal for many learners, or at least something that many have considered. We all learn Chinese for different reasons, but if you learn the language to an advanced level, it makes sense to also make it at least part of your profession.
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