Having obtained the German equivalent of an M.Sc. in biology, and working on my thesis for a Ph.D. in agricultural science, I knew I wanted out of the lab and out of the rat race of a science career. Yet I did not want to part with science completely. Looking for alternatives, I considered science publishing and science writing, but was discouraged by the prospects of the job market and by the pay in those fields. Then I translated the user's manual for a biological oxidizer used at "our" lab, and the idea was born: translation as an alternative career.

But how to go about it? Was it a reasonable pathway to consider? Where to get information? Probably everyone considering a major career change is faced with insecurity and a lack of resources to help answer his questions. I was lucky enough to chance upon a Web article by Cathy Flick, a scientist turned translator. She was the first of many to advise and tutor me, and I would like to pass on to others what I have learned since.

Where to Begin, Besides Knowing Science?

Obviously, one needs to be able to read and write more than one language. In your native language, the one into which you will translate, you need to be able to write clearly and concisely, to write in different styles, and to spell and punctuate correctly. In your other language(s), you need to be able to fully comprehend the source texts you will translate, to appreciate the style they are written in, and to catch the cultural connotations (yes, they do exist in scientific and technical texts). The latter is not usually achieved without immersion in the language by living and working in a country where the language is spoken, by extensive reading in that language, and by conversation with native speakers of that language.

But simply being able to read and write two or more languages is not enough. Translation is a skill in itself that in Europe is taught at universities and other institutes of higher education. In the United States, only a few university-level programs in translation are available, and the art and science of translation is still not much appreciated. Yet to translate a text means not only to render in the target language the full and unaltered content of the original text, but also to give the reader of the translation the same impression a native reader of the original text would have obtained.

On certain occasions, this definition of translation may even force one to reproduce a poor style. On other occasions, one may have to change a writer's style completely. For example, user's manuals in the United States require a direct, active, and personal approach, whereas German manuals favor a passive, indirect voice that never addresses the reader personally.

You will also need patience and a love for detail - skills that are not foreign to trained scientists. Translating long documents can be a tedious process, but the quality of your output must not suffer from your wish simply to get it over and done with. Clients, whether translation agencies or direct clients, expect a translation that is free of errors and omissions - and the spell checker of your word processor fulfills just a minimum requirement in that area.

Computer skills these days are a must for a newcomer to translation. They include software skills such as word processing (with desktop publishing being an asset), use of email, the Web, and FTP - tools with which most scientists should be familiar. It also helps to understand about different computer platforms, data exchange between different platforms, and the like, but a lot of that one can pick up as needed. More important are the last two skills I want to point out: self-motivation and marketing.

The satisfaction and money in science and technical translation are in freelance work (or in running your own translation company). There are only a few positions for staff translators, and they usually aren't well paid. An established freelance translator, on the other hand, can easily earn more than what scientists in academia are paid - although probably not more than the going salaries for top-level scientists in pharmaceutical and related industries. However, in order to become that established freelance translator, one needs an entrepreneur's spirit. Working some nights and weekends should not deter you, and you should know or learn about marketing as well as accounting. Building your client base is a never-ending challenge, even for experienced translators. If you hate networking in science, you probably won't like it much in translation, but without it you won't get far.

What Is the Work Like?

If you still are in academia, you are aware that money is always short there. Thus, don't expect to be translating highly scientific journal articles only - unless you are working, for example, with Japanese and Russian. Textbooks are translated - sometimes - but usually translating them offers more prestige than money. The big bucks in translation are where money is made using those translations: user's manuals, product information, catalogues, material-safety data sheets, and patents.

As a science and technical translator, you will often be asked to translate materials related to information technology. I myself am interested in computer networks, databases, and the like, and therefore I don't mind that kind of work, and it makes up about 50 percent of my translation jobs. You should be prepared to work in these areas (at least if you are not a complete computerphobe) when beginning your translation career. It will be comparatively easy to get assignments, and one can gain a lot of translation experience that way.

Translation is a challenge, because you are faced with new subject areas all the time - even if you specialize in the sci-tech field. Last year I did jobs ranging from seed-package instructions to scientific journal articles to manuals for radiation therapy and telecommunications equipment. As a scientist with a broad background training (biology, agricultural science, database design, and data modeling), I feel confident taking on jobs in various areas, but I know my limits - no contracts, no computer games, no novels, no financial stuff. I enjoy learning new things practically every day. Often I need to do some background research (a lot of which these days one can do on the Web rather than at a library), and that, in combination with being my own boss, is what I love best about my work.

Where Do I Start?

Suppose you have established that you have all the skills outlined above and are ready to plunge into that new career. Go and get a part-time job, preferably still in science. While the market for translation is growing, the competition is as well, and it will take some time before you can make a living as a freelancer. If you have that part-time job to sustain you in the beginning, you obtain a certain freedom in choosing your assignments. You won't have to accept low-paying jobs that force you to produce sloppy results and will damage your reputation.

Next, set up your office. You don't need to rent space for it, but you need room for a computer, fax machine, printer, telephone, and lots of shelf space. You will need your own email account and a reliable Internet service provider. Get the latest editions of good general dictionaries for your language combinations. You will also need specialized dictionaries, but they usually are expensive, and you should take your time figuring out what you do and do not need.

Now you are all set to market yourself. While direct clients such as biotech companies are a desirable target, it is difficult for newcomers to break into that market. Unless you already have good contacts due to your position in science, my advice is to start working for translation agencies. A good agency (or translation company) will have your work edited by another native speaker and will give you feedback on your work. You can then gradually improve your quality of work and acquire an in-depth knowledge of the translation process and the various problems that may occur.

Since HMS Beagle is in English, I am assuming that at least one of your languages is English as well. If you are based in the United States or still have connections there, you should consider becoming a member of the American Translators Association. Its annual conference, which usually takes place in November, is a great place to network with translators and translation agencies as well as to learn more about translation and the translation business. Also, the ATA offers an accreditation program for the most frequent language combinations, and there are translation agencies that prefer to work with accredited translators. But wherever you are, get in touch with your local translators' organization and inquire about regular meetings, job fairs, and the like.

Make use of the Internet - the Web as well as mailing lists. Enter your contact information in the various databases on the Web, for example, the Aquarius database, where you can also find contact information for several hundred translation agencies worldwide. Subscribe to mailing lists specializing in your languages or to LANTRA-L, probably the biggest list out there. They are a great way to get in touch with translators, get a glimpse into a translator's daily life, and sometimes even to get jobs.

Write up a one-page résumé detailing your expertise and experience, also including all your contact information. Send it to translation agencies, using, for example, the mailing addresses contained in Glenn's Guide. Send out a lot of those letters, because the initial response rate will be low. Expect agencies to ask you to do sample translations, and take care in preparing those. It will take some time to establish yourself, but if you deliver quality translations and don't neglect those marketing skills, you should find science and technical translation a rewarding career.