Poll: To what extent do translators need to be "jacks of all trades" (know a wide range of topics)? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "To what extent do translators need to be "jacks of all trades" (know a wide range of topics)?".
View the poll results »
| | | | | It all depends on each translator... | Jun 18, 2025 |
I started out translating some 40 years ago as a generalist but pretty quickly realized that there are certain types of text I’m not qualified to handle or that I simply don’t enjoy. There are a few unfamiliar areas I will never venture in as I know my limits. I still consider myself a generalist and enjoy projects where I can use my skills. Diversity is the spice of life!
| | | | | Chief cook and bottle-washer | Jun 18, 2025 |
Independent translators are an aging species, if not actually dying out.
They need to be part sales agent, part tax expert, part accountant just to run a business, before they even start translating, while general IT skills and perhaps an understanding of DTP are also necessary. People skills are nice to have, but I get by without. 
Then you can begin on the subject areas for translation. OK, you do need to... See more Independent translators are an aging species, if not actually dying out.
They need to be part sales agent, part tax expert, part accountant just to run a business, before they even start translating, while general IT skills and perhaps an understanding of DTP are also necessary. People skills are nice to have, but I get by without.
Then you can begin on the subject areas for translation. OK, you do need to specialise in one or two areas these days, but if you can't keep up with subtitling, QA, MTPE, AI and all the rest, then you are in trouble. And when your niche dries up, can you move over into the amorphous ´general´ field to earn a few cents until your regular clients come back? I get bored if I work too long on the same topic, so two or three are ideal.
Translators definitely come high on the ´jack of all trades´ scale! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Liena V. 
Letland
Local time: 14:19
Member (2014)
uit Frans in Letties
+ ...
Is this another question to feed AI so that it could then provide answers with exact percentage? How could it possibly be measured? Of course, we need a lot of flexibility and willingness to learn, perhaps, more than in most other professions, but it also takes some knowledge to know your limitations. "Jack of all trades, master of none", as the saying goes in full.
| | |
|
|
|
Lieven Malaise
België
Local time: 13:19
Member (2020)
uit Frans in Nederlands
+ ...
| Recommendable | Jun 18, 2025 |
I don't think you need to "know" a lot of topics, you have to be able to translate them. That's a big difference as far as I'm concerned.
As stated many times before on these pages I have been accepting, from the beginning, work from every specialization field that was offered to me. People are free to limit themselves to 2 or 3 specializations, but there is no doubt in my mind that I still receive the amount of work I like and need to receive in these challenging times because I we... See more I don't think you need to "know" a lot of topics, you have to be able to translate them. That's a big difference as far as I'm concerned.
As stated many times before on these pages I have been accepting, from the beginning, work from every specialization field that was offered to me. People are free to limit themselves to 2 or 3 specializations, but there is no doubt in my mind that I still receive the amount of work I like and need to receive in these challenging times because I welcome every subject. If you work for translation agencies, then it's about making the lifes of project managers as easy as possible (high availability + diversity + quality = coming back again and again).
[Bijgewerkt op 2025-06-18 14:31 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Chié_JP
Member (2013)
uit Engels in Japannees
+ ...
| We don't decide anything, clients do. | Jun 18, 2025 |
We don't decide anything, clients do.
Some clients may want several specialization without realizing it (or they do not bother recruiting differently specialized linguists for just one or two lines)
As for admin and management skills, Yes, they are equally or more important than linguistic skills these days. Not knowing an Excel tips can sometimes consume thousands of hours.
Christine Andersen wrote:
They need to be part sales agent, part tax expert, part accountant just to run a business, before they even start translating, while general IT skills and perhaps an understanding of DTP are also necessary. People skills are nice to have, but I get by without.
| | | | Mario Chávez
Verenigde State
Local time: 07:19
uit Engels in Spaans
+ ...
I think some of our colleagues confuse specialization (deep knowledge in a few areas) with encyclopedic knowledge (a wide knowledge across many domains).
This encyclopedic knowledge comes from formal education (elementary and secondary school), wide reading and writing, conversations with people from varied backgrounds and professions, travels, cultural activities, etc. In short, from an understanding of the wide world around us.
There are subject-matter experts (doctor... See more I think some of our colleagues confuse specialization (deep knowledge in a few areas) with encyclopedic knowledge (a wide knowledge across many domains).
This encyclopedic knowledge comes from formal education (elementary and secondary school), wide reading and writing, conversations with people from varied backgrounds and professions, travels, cultural activities, etc. In short, from an understanding of the wide world around us.
There are subject-matter experts (doctors and medical technicians in a hospital, for example) who know everything about their areas (specialists) but can't write well about anything in an organized fashion. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Costa Rica
Local time: 05:19
Member (Oct 2026)
uit Engels in Spaans
+ ...
| Depends on many factors! | Jun 18, 2025 |
It is important to be aware of the current economical and political situation in your town, city, country, and around the world because you could make better decision for the good common.
It is not mandatory for translators knowing that, but it could help us to get out of our own world. I also think that it is better for translators to translate topics that they really like, except for those moments that they need to pay the bills, so they have to translate a dislikable or not fasci... See more It is important to be aware of the current economical and political situation in your town, city, country, and around the world because you could make better decision for the good common.
It is not mandatory for translators knowing that, but it could help us to get out of our own world. I also think that it is better for translators to translate topics that they really like, except for those moments that they need to pay the bills, so they have to translate a dislikable or not fascinating topic.
All depends! ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Zea_Mays
Italië
Local time: 13:19
uit Engels in Duits
+ ...
So around 25% think translators should only focus on a few areas, while around 51% that they need to be absolute allrounders.
Could this result be read like a mirror of the actual situation? 25% are matter specialists while over 50% quickly acquire new knowledge if required?
Poll results right now:
None. They should be experts in a few areas. 25.2%
80% 21.9%
70% 15.6%
90%-100% 15.2%
Other (Please share your thoughts) 8.1%
60% 7.0%
50% ... See more So around 25% think translators should only focus on a few areas, while around 51% that they need to be absolute allrounders.
Could this result be read like a mirror of the actual situation? 25% are matter specialists while over 50% quickly acquire new knowledge if required?
Poll results right now:
None. They should be experts in a few areas. 25.2%
80% 21.9%
70% 15.6%
90%-100% 15.2%
Other (Please share your thoughts) 8.1%
60% 7.0%
50% 4.4%
40% 2.6%
270 vote(s). ▲ Collapse
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: To what extent do translators need to be "jacks of all trades" (know a wide range of topics)? | LinguaCore | AI Translation at Your Fingertips
The underlying LLM technology of LinguaCore offers AI translations of unprecedented quality. Quick and simple. Add a human linguistic review at the end for expert-level quality at a fraction of the cost and time.
More info » |
| | Pastey | Your smart companion app
Pastey is an innovative desktop application that bridges the gap between human expertise and artificial intelligence. With intuitive keyboard shortcuts, Pastey transforms your source text into AI-powered draft translations.
Find out more » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
