Barcelona City Council | Capital humà

The translator works on translating words and written expressions from one language to another handling texts, documents and other written materials. This distinguishes him/her from interpreters, who focus on oral transmission.

Additionally, translators must commonly specialize in a particular field, as terms and expressions vary greatly depending on the subject matter to be translated (technical, scientific, legal, etc.). Another professional field where we can find translators is in the editing of subtitles in audiovisual materials or occasionally in stage plays that are performed in their original language (opera, theatre, etc.).

• Translate the documentation and often uses computer-assisted translation programs.
• Review the style of the text.
• Adapt the translated documentation to the company's requirements.
• Where appropriate, the context of the work or audiovisual material to be translated is documented and studied in depth, in order to fully understand it.
• In the case of subtitle editing, use software to integrate and synchronize the sentences with the original image and audio. If it is a live performance, it is in charge of adapting them to the real time, with the possible changes or improvisations that may occur.

Regulated training and graduates

• Grau: Anglès
• Grau: Estudis anglesos
• Grau: Estudis àrabs i hebreus
• Grau: Traducció i interpretació
• Grau: Estudis francesos
• Grau: Filologia clàssica
• Grau: Filologia catalana
• Grau: Filologia hispànica
• Grau: Estudis d'Àsia oriental

Complementary training

Many companies, apart from mastering a particular language, require mastery of a specific sector since terminology varies greatly according to the field of activity (scientific, technological, medical, industrial, etc.). There are courses in specialized translation.
Naturally, translation professionals must have a thorough knowledge of the languages they work with, but especially of the target language. Universities and professional translation associations recommend that, because of the language into which they translate, you should be a native speaker or have lived in another country for many years so that this level can be assimilated. That is why university programmes of stays abroad such as Erasmus and Leonardo can be very interesting for the future development of this occupation.
Language education (degrees from the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, etc.).

Other specific skills

Self-confidence: Level 1

Orientation within reach: Level 2

Concern for order and quality: Level 2

Learning and use of knowledge: Level 1

Initiative: Level 2

Communication

Those who show a preference for the field of communication are interested in the generation and dissemination of information. This information, however, can have various purposes: provide information on events and occurrences, generate public opinion on a certain topic or promote and publicise a service or product. Carrying out these activities requires knowledge of various techniques aimed at communication, persuasion and marketing.

Humanities

The key interests of people who are interested in the field of humanities are studying the activity of human beings over time as well as their cultural and artistic expressions. Activities that represent this field are the creation of cultural products and the organisation of exhibitions and events, in addition to the promotion of actions for the preservation and dissemination of an artistic group. Significant knowledge of cultural, historical and linguistic heritage is required to carry out these activities.

Proofreader

Copyeditor

Publishing agent

Director of publishing line

Writer

• Work hours

  Part-time or full-time. It may vary depending on work peaks.

• Salary

  The remuneration depends on the place of work and the specialization required. It can vary from 16,119 to 22,220 euros. The average gross annual salary is around 18,924 euros.
  
  Reference source: Estudio "Observatorio de empleos y salarios del Mercado de Trabajo Actual. Barcelona Activa", elaborado por ICSA Grupo. Abril 2015.

• Other features

  The translator works by projects. Therefore, they are asked to be very flexible: sometimes they work part-time and sometimes they are required to work full time.
  In the case of translating and/or editing subtitles, they may be hired by a hall or auditorium, institution or stage production company.

• Human resources and equipment

  It depends on the cost of the computer equipment you use (computer, Internet connection, software).

• Initial investments

  It is advisable to have a computer-assisted translation software. Sometimes the client provides these resources.