Workplace reviews and discussion: 華樂絲語文顧問有限公司

I am a former full-time translator, and I would like to share some thoughts from my work experience here.

1. If you apply for a full-time translator position, you will be doing translation work once you join, so it is unlikely that you will be “arbitrarily transferred to another position.”

2. Since editors and proofreaders revise your translations, if you are willing to learn, you can clearly identify the blind spots in your English writing and translation process.

3. If you stay long enough, you will gradually improve your translation efficiency (the quality is subjective) and gain a better grasp of the wording and style used in academic writing. This may help you increase the number and rates of freelance projects you take on externally.

Once, on a friend’s recommendation, I translated an urgent master’s thesis abstract of just over 300 words. The client requested that it be completed within three hours of my receiving the manuscript and readily agreed to my proposed rate (NT$4.5 per word). Because the topic and content of the abstract were very similar to the materials I translated at the company, I completed the translation in 1.5 hours and spent another 30 minutes polishing it. (Before joining Wallace Academic Editing, I would have needed at least half a day to confidently complete an acceptable abstract translation.)

1. The translator position is more suitable for people who are looking for a decent salary and can be patient and persistent.

2. There is a fixed number of words to translate each day. However, if you encounter a difficult topic or source text that is disorganized and incomprehensible, you may need to spend more time solving the puzzle and even work late into the night.

3. If you truly love translation and language-related work, you should continue developing yourself during your time off. Personally, I feel that if I do not read after work, my language skills become rusty.