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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Interpreter - translator here. I love my job but it's has been changing a lot and I would not recommend it to the new generation.[/quote]

Why would you not recommend it? My DD is considering this as a career so I would be interested hearing your perspective. Thank you. [/quote]

For translation, machine translation is progressing very quickly. It's still not as good a qualified translator. But soon enough most translation jobs will be underpaid post-editing from machine translated texts. For interpretation, I fear that the same will happen down the line. This is still in a distant future but things have accelerated with the pandemic and the use of on-line platforms. Generally, we have seen a deterioration of our work conditions and it seems like no one really cares about quality anymore. Remote interpreting is hard on the ears and brain. Tinnitus is a big issue for us. We now have to compete with interpreters based elsewhere with a lower cost of living, as long as they have a good internet connection. Luckily, we still have some in-person meetings and some clients who really care about quality. But things are not looking up in the profession. I am lucky to be in a place in my career where I can work in interesting meetings and make a good enough living. But the effort it look to get there would have easily landed me a much higher compensation in a different field. Being multi-lingual is not enough to be a good translator or interpreter, you need to have in-demand languages and get an MA from a recognized school. Then most of us are freelancers, so no job security. Some opt to go to project management or localization and are hired as employees.[/quote]

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