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It translates into a lot of money

People are cashing in on the elimination of physical and language barriers in the world of translation, says K. JESHI

PHOTO: K. ANANTHAN

OPPORTUNITIES BECKON There is a world of chances out there for the skilled

A flair for languages and passion for words is bringing happiness to many at the click of a mouse.

Bitten by the language bug, engineers, government employees, housewives, teachers, students and professionals now log on to the World Wide Web to join the growing community of freelance translators.

For Lalitha Jitendra Marathi, a freelance translator in Mumbai, expertise in German, Hindi and Marathi has worked wonders: "I run the family and make thrice the money that a regular job can give. Installing a translation memory software (glossary of words in different languages) comes in handy while working on larger projects. Referring to dictionaries, reference books and the encyclopaedia is vital to deliver quality work," she adds. Now, she has turned publisher with a book, titled `Learn German through English'.

Chennai-based R. Chandrasekar, a mechanical engineer and a starter in this field says earning Rs.1,000 to Rs. 2,500 per day is a possibility in translation. He translates technical manuals, business communications and patent documents from English to Japanese. "It takes more than eight years for an engineer to earn Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 60,000 per month. Though I continue with my regular CAD work, my Level II qualification in Japanese has made a lot of difference," he adds. For M. Hari Ganesh, a government employee, love for languages drew him to the world of translation.

"It is lucrative and your knowledge is the investment. Flexible hours are an advantage. Brushing up skills in multiple languages widens job opportunities," he adds.

Websites

Most translators reach out to websites (www.proz.com and www.translatorscafe.com) to scan opportunities. "The `blue board' forum in such websites lists the comments of individual translators on various translation agencies. So, you can pick and choose your agency," he adds. Segments like IT, pharmaceuticals and health have fuelled the growth in a big way. "The commercial segment is not to be left behind," says Manohar Barve, senior partner of Bhasha Bharati Arts in Mumbai, who has been providing translation services for print advertisements, posters and hoardings and TV commercials in Indian and foreign languages for three decades.

"When international commercial houses want their products to reach the common man in India and remain in his mind for long, it has to be conveyed in the local language," he adds.

V.R. Sasidar, director of Lyric Labs (www.lyriclabs.com) , says technology has revolutionised the translation industry. "It's time language is considered a serious profession," he adds. Lyric Labs, an online translation agency with a network of 7,000 freelance translators across the globe, has translated the e-learning programme of Satyam and a number of pharmaceutical products of Cadilla, Cipla, Ranbaxy and Dr. Reddys in many languages. They also translated the usage manual of polio drops in African and Latin American languages as a part of the WHO campaign.

The challenge here is avoiding literal translation. "It is not about word-by-word translation but about communication. We get more than 10 registrations on a single day and jobs are assigned based on their expertise and availability. Quality check is carried out at various levels," he adds.

Apart from software localisation, ITeS (Information Technology enabled Services) and e-learning, there is demand for translation of user manual of computer peripherals, maintenance guide and printer manual. The non-IT segment has also thrown open a world of opportunities, says Robin Lloyd, VP/GM, Lionbridge (www.lionbridge.com) , Mumbai. US-based Lionbridge is the world's largest provider of language service, according to a survey report by Common Sense Advisory.

Mastery over the native language and target language and expertise in a particular domain, like automobiles, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, telecom, and consumer electronics, is the key to explore this segment.

"As publishers, editors, language managers and project mangers, `localisation engineers' play a key role in ensuring error-free translation. They get to handle 70 per cent of the work in translation," he adds.

Native speakers

The core translation work is just 30 per cent and is confined to a pool of native speakers in Indian and international languages. "We want to hire people, train them and build the talent pool in the non-IT segment. And, accelerate the maturity of the nascent Indian translation market," Robin says, and adds, "What is required is a strong and stable network of translators, vendors and technology tools."

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The nativity factor

Literary translators say it important to retain the native flavour. "Copy-writing and technical content are verbatim translation. In literary works, retaining the flavour of the language, the aesthetics and the ethnic value of the original is important," says Vijayakumar Kunissery.

His Malayalam translation of `Thisaiettum,' a revolutionary Tamil novel on Dalit feminism, was published as a 20-week series in a Malayalam weekly and later released as a book.

"Understanding of Tamil and Malayalam helped retain the Dalit slang of the original," says Vijayakumar, who is currently translating `Asokamitran Manasoravar' into Malayalam.

"When the foundation in your native language is strong, you have the liberty to replace words yet retain the charm of the original," he adds.

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