Where they train as a translator of foreign languages. Where is it better to study the profession of a translator - personal experience

On the Russian market The profession of translator is gaining popularity. What is this work? What activities does it include?

Who should study in this specialty? What is wage specialist? Let's talk about everything in detail.

Professional translator - description and characteristics of the profession

Some people think that learning a foreign language is enough for a job. But this activity is not as simple as it seems at first glance. From professional qualities a specialist sometimes depends on the success of negotiations, the conclusion of an important deal.

Translation is oral and written. Written specialists translate texts, fiction and other works, documents.

Interpreting is divided into consecutive and simultaneous. Consecutive interpreting is often used in situations where the speaker is speaking to a large audience. In this case, he pauses after a certain phrase, and the translator reproduces what was said in another language. Consecutive translation is also often used in negotiations.

Simultaneous translation is different in that it is carried out during the speech of the speaker. It is much more complex and requires the following qualities:

• mindfulness;
• literacy;
• good command of the language.

In this case, the interpreter usually sits in a special booth. The work requires a lot of mental stress, so specialists work in shifts of 20-30 minutes with an hour break.

Professions related to foreign languages

With knowledge foreign languages you can learn other professions. Foreign languages ​​open up many new possibilities.

Who do people with knowledge of foreign languages ​​work:

• teacher;
• linguist;
• guide translator;
• literary translator;
• decryptor.

Knowledge of a foreign language may be required not only in professions related to it. Sometimes Russian companies cooperate with foreign ones. Then knowledge of the language will be a plus for an employee of such a company.

How to become a good translator

To become the best specialist, you need to know many nuances of the profession. For this should study the works compiled by qualified professional translators. In them you can find a description of many errors that prevent talented people move on.

For example, the most common mistake is literal translation. The goal is to convey meaning. It is important to understand that each language has its own style and way of presentation. You need to feel the language.

To do this, you can try to put yourself in the place of the author and ask the following question: “How would he say this phrase if he spoke my language or the language into which I need to translate?”.

One more thing - you will not surprise anyone with the English language. A good specialist must know several foreign languages, preferably rare ones.

Universities of Russia with a specialty "Translation and translation studies"

The peculiarity of the profession is that translators are required in various areas and spheres of life, for example, you can get the profession of a military translator. Therefore, the appropriate education is in the military, humanitarian, physics and mathematics, and in various other institutions.

Examples of Russian universities with this specialty:

1. Institute international law and Economics named after Griboyedov.
2. Moscow State University ways of communication.
3. Moscow International School of Translators.
4. Institute of Linguistics of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute.
5. Nevsky Institute of Language and Culture in St. Petersburg.
6. International Academy of Business and Management.
7. Far Eastern Institute of Foreign Languages.
8. Ural State Pedagogical University.

You can enter the first or second higher education. it The best way learn a profession.

University is almost the only way to get a profession. Colleges do not train translators. Translation courses are gaining popularity. However, it is better not to forget that a diploma can play an important role.

What exams do you need to take

To be eligible to become an interpreter, you must pass Russian language, as well as social science and a foreign language as additional subjects.

You can get a profession at the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

How many years to study as a translator

The time that will have to be spent on training depends on the choice of program. To study for a specialist is 5 years, for a bachelor - 4 years.

If you choose courses, then no one guarantees you either subsequent employment or the quality of knowledge. But the training period will be no more than 12 months.

Where can an interpreter work

The place of work of an interpreter depends on the direction of activity that he chooses. Most of the students already during their studies begin to earn money as written translations. This can be done without leaving home, via the Internet.

There are many platforms and online venues that require translators. True, you won’t earn much on this, but you can get the first skills.

After training, you can go into teaching, or get a job in a foreign company. The position of a personal assistant provides many opportunities for career advancement.

What is the salary of a translator in Moscow

Job pay varies. It all depends on the experience, professionalism, direction of activity, company.

Novice specialists will receive from 20,000 to 40,000 rubles per month.

With the acquisition of experience and professional qualities, new opportunities will open up. Over time, income can grow to 100,000-125,000 rubles.

Career growth and development prospects

Currently, international cooperation is only developing. The growth of the economy, the expansion of sales of many firms have made the profession of a translator in demand. Many companies are willing to pay high wages to specialists.

True professionals in the labor market are worth their weight in gold. Therefore, career growth and development depends only on the willingness of the translator himself to grow and improve.

Is it worth studying to be a translator: the pros and cons of the profession

Pros of work:

1. Opportunity to work as a freelancer. In this case, the employee has freedom of action. You can build a schedule and work at your own discretion.
2. No income ceiling. If you go to work with foreign bureaus or foreign customers, you can significantly increase income.
3. There is always an opportunity to work or, as they say, "you won't be left without a job." Translators are needed all the time. But even if there is no way to get a job in any company, again, you can do freelancing.

Cons of work:

1. Great competition and difficulties at the start. It will be difficult for a beginner translator to find a job without experience.
2. Health problems. They usually occur with freelancers. If you constantly sit at the computer, your eyesight will decrease. There is also the possibility of curvature of the spine and problems with posture.
3. Low wages in Russia. Not everyone manages to reach the international level in work, and wages in Russian companies no one is happy.

It is worth studying to become an interpreter for those who truly love foreign languages, read books in the original, watch films, and travel often.

Translation is not just an activity. It is possible that this will become a lifestyle. It is important to love your future profession to get satisfaction.

Interpreter - general concept professionals involved in the translation of oral or written speech from one language to another. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in foreign languages ​​and Russian language and literature (see the choice of profession for interest in school subjects).

There are several explanations for where the different languages ​​came from. For example, the Bible describes the legend about the Tower of Babel. According to this tradition, God confused the languages ​​of the builders of the tower because of their desire to surpass him and excessive pride. People ceased to understand each other and dispersed around the globe without completing the construction of the tower, which was supposed to reach the heavens.

There is an explanation in the difference in the language of people and from a scientific point of view. Even in prehistoric times, people began to speak different languages ​​due to disunity due to the mountains, deserts and oceans located between them. Languages ​​were formed in different tribes in isolation, one tribe communicated little with others. The greater the degree of geographical isolation, the more distinct the language. On the plains, where it is easier to move around, individual languages ​​occupy very large spaces (Russian, for example). But whatever the background, there has long been a need for people who know more than one native language.

Majority modern people knows not only his own language, but can also speak a foreign language to some extent. Tourism is actively developing, and with it there is a need to communicate with foreigners, to understand at least superficially the language of the country you are going to. Most often, the population learns English, which is increasingly taking the place of the universal language of international communication.

But for professional translation, competent, prompt and clear, people with special education and experience. Such specialists are called translators. In a general sense, translators are divided into oral and written.

An important quality of an interpreter is the ability to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and partnership. The specialist must understand that the success of the ongoing negotiations largely depends on him. It should help to find a common language for people with different cultures, mentalities and who understand business in different ways.

There are two types interpreters- sequential and synchronous.

A consecutive interpreter is indispensable in business negotiations, at events where some of the participants speak one language, and some speak another. In such cases, the speaker delivers his speech with small stops so that the interpreter can formulate the phrase in the language of the listeners.

Simultaneous translation- the most difficult type of translation. Such translation is carried out with the help of specialized equipment for simultaneous translation. A simultaneous interpreter must speak a foreign language almost better than his native language. The complexity of the profession lies in the need to quickly understand and translate what is heard, and sometimes speak at the same time as the speaker. The most valued are specialists who are able to build competent and informative sentences that do not allow pauses in their speech.

Translators can translate technical, legal, fiction, business documents. Nowadays, more and more professionals are using modern technologies(for example, electronic dictionaries). Such a special software for translators will help increase its productivity by up to 40%.

Technical translators work with technical texts containing special scientific and technical information. Distinctive features such a translation are accuracy, impersonality and unemotionality. There are many terms of Greek or Latin origin in the texts. The grammar of technical translations is specific and contains well-established grammatical norms (for example, indefinitely personal and impersonal constructions, passive constructions, impersonal forms of the verb). The types of technical translation include full written translation(the main form of technical translation), abstract translation (the content of the translated text is compressed), abstract translation, translation of titles and oral technical translation (for example, to train employees to work on foreign equipment).

Legal translation aimed at translating specific texts related to the field of law. Such a translation is used to exchange professional information related to the socio-political and cultural characteristics of the country. For this reason, the language legal translation should be as accurate, clear and reliable as possible.

Legal translation can be divided into several types:

• translation of laws, regulations and their drafts;
• translation of agreements (contracts);
• translation of legal opinions and memorandums;
• translation of notarial certificates and apostilles (a special sign that certifies signatures, the authenticity of a stamp or seal);
• translation constituent documents legal entities;
• translation of powers of attorney.

Fiction translator- a specialist in the translation of literary texts. He must, in addition to a comprehensive knowledge of a foreign language, be well versed in literature, master the word at a high level, be able to convey the style and style of the author of the translated work. There are many examples when recognized masters of the word (V. Zhukovsky, B. Pasternak, A. Akhmatova, S. Marshak, etc.) were engaged in translations. Their translations are works of art in themselves.

Required professional skills and knowledge

• perfect command of one or more foreign languages;
• competent Russian;
• good knowledge of technical terminology, both in the source language and in the target language (especially relevant for technical translators);
• deep knowledge of literature and literary editing skills (for translators of fiction);
• knowledge of the characteristics of language groups;
• the desire to improve knowledge of a foreign language every day.

Personal qualities

• linguistic abilities;
• high level of analytical thinking;
• the ability to store a large amount of information;
• accuracy, patience, attentiveness;
• high level of erudition;
• fast reaction;
• the ability to concentrate, to be attentive;
• sociability;
• verbal abilities (the ability to coherently and extremely clearly express one's thoughts, a rich vocabulary, well-delivered speech);
• high efficiency;
• courtesy, tact.

Pros and cons of the profession

Pros:

• the possibility of implementation in different areas (written translation, simultaneous interpreter, translation of films, books, magazines, etc.);
• a person who speaks a foreign language can find a very prestigious and highly paid job;
• there is an opportunity to communicate with people of different countries and cultures;
• high probability of business trips and travel.

Minuses

• in different months, the volume of transfers can vary several times, hence the unstable download;
• often translators are paid not upon delivery of the material, but when payment comes from the customer.

Place of work

• press centers, radio and television centers;
• international funds;
• travel companies;
• ministries of foreign affairs, consulates;
• book publishers, mass media;
• translation agency;
• museums and libraries;
• hotel business;
• international firms, companies;
• international associations and associations;
• international funds.

Profession linguist description

A linguist, in short, is a specialist in foreign languages, he usually speaks English and another foreign language.

But it is impossible to acquire the profession of just a linguist, because this is a broad concept, its general name, usually, when entering a university, you need to make a choice in favor of a linguist-translator, linguist-teacher, teacher of English language or, in some universities, a regional guide. It is clear, yes, that a linguist differs from a translator in the same way as, for example, a fish from a carp - both fish, but the name carp is more specific)

Let's look at the pros and cons of these professions.

Since I am a certified linguist-teacher and I have practical experience in this profession, let's start with it.

It is implied that linguist-teacher is a specialist who will teach a foreign language at a university.

What are the responsibilities? Firstly, it is clear that - to conduct classes in a foreign language, in addition, the teacher has a part of the work that is not very noticeable for students, this is the so-called "second half of the working day." During this time, free from classroom studies, the teacher should organize educational activities for students, write scientific articles, draw up various methodological documents, and, of course, prepare for conducting their classes, as well as check various tests and other written work done by students.

You need to keep in mind that if you choose this profession, your supervisor (head of the department) will constantly “push” you to go to graduate school and get a PhD, so you need to be ready for further scientific activity. Postgraduate studies are inevitable because: only it can lead to a more or less normal salary, and, in practice, will "reserve" you workplace in the university, which, in connection with the current policy of the Russian state to reduce the number of universities, will be even more unsteady for non-candidates of science.

If you do not want to go to graduate school at all, then you should think about teaching profession and then go to work in school. They won't demand it from you.

What are the duties of a teacher? Yes, you yourself studied at school and you know that the teacher conducts lessons, checks notebooks, fills out a journal, if he is a class teacher, then he conducts extracurricular activities and parent meetings. Hidden from your eyes is that the teacher must write a lesson plan for each lesson and show it to the leader, he must also attend teacher councils (where all teachers gather under the guidance of the head teacher), which in some organizations are held once or even twice a a week, and they last not for half an hour, but for two hours (boring things are still the same, but you can’t skip it!). Teachers, just like teachers, compile various methodological documents and write articles. In order for the salary to be bigger, you need to be certified for the category, I don’t really know the subtleties, but it’s quite difficult, you need to public lesson, be tested in a foreign language, certificates of professional development, work experience are also important. There are several categories and you need to pass certification every time to get the next one.

Advantages of teaching professions

Part-time work (classroom classes / lessons are held in the first or second shift, the remaining time, if there is no meeting of the department or teachers' council, the teacher / teacher can distribute it himself: he decides for himself - where, when, what kind of extracurricular work he should do)

The creative nature of the work (the teacher can be creative in the learning process, use various methods and techniques so that both he and the students / students would be interested)

Work with your favorite foreign language (now a foreign language will always be in your life, six or seven (do not forget about checking the written work of students) days a week, and even if you didn’t learn something while studying at a university, teaching you will definitely learn it )

Work with young people: children or youth (maybe you don’t quite understand what the plus is here, then imagine that you have to communicate with the elderly at work, they come to you and constantly complain about their health, their lack of demand, disrespect for young people, you, for example , local doctor or Social worker. And if you are a teacher, then you are dealing with young people who are having fun, everything is interesting and they have an attitude that their whole life is ahead and everything will work out. Feel the difference?)

Disadvantages of teaching professions

A lot of paper, uninteresting work (methodological documents, reports, journaling, etc.)

There will always be a feeling that you have homework(it seems that she has already graduated from the university, but she still needs to prepare for classes and check written work, and so all her life, and people of other professions, having graduated from the university and got a job, after graduation labor day off duty)

Discipline ( young specialist it is very difficult to establish discipline, especially at school, do you remember yourself how your class “stood on its ears” if the teacher was not a vixen? In a university with discipline, it is better, but still, students of a young teacher for a long time will not be taken seriously, and there is no way to solve it, it remains only to wait, because, as they say, youth is the most quickly passing disadvantage)

The next minus, which is a disadvantage at school and an advantage at a university: the need to communicate with the parents of students (parents, as it turns out, are inadequate and may simply not understand why the teacher gave their child a deuce and calmly “run into” the teacher about this! The children fought , again, the teacher is to blame! Fortunately, at the university, the teacher has practically no such component as "communication with parents"

For a teacher, entering graduate school and defending a dissertation can be a disadvantage of the profession, because this is a really difficult and difficult task.

It should also be noted that all the achievements of a teacher at a university will not be taken into account if he enters a school (position, degree, candidate, for example, work experience), so a candidate of science, having come to school, will be considered a “young specialist” and occupy the lowest position, and receive the smallest salary.

Linguist translator- a specialist who speaks one or more foreign languages ​​and is engaged in translation from native into foreign or from foreign into native languages. In this case, it is possible to subdivide: translation of oral speech and written texts.

translate spoken language very difficult, you need to have not only a high level of foreign language proficiency, but even more important - the experience of doing this kind of work. Yesterday's graduate, a translator with honors, is unlikely to successfully cope with the duties that fell upon her the first time. In addition, I would classify this profession as temporary, it is more like a part-time job, because not every city has organizations that need such a unit, and there is a full load.

FROM translator the matter is simpler, on the one hand. Any production facility has a department of translators for translating documents from foreign languages ​​and maintaining business correspondence with foreign partners. But, imagine that you got a job, for example, at a machine-building plant, and in the texts there will always be some kind of bearings and gears, do you understand them in Russian? And in order to translate correctly, you have to figure it out.

Pros and cons of the profession of a linguist-translator:

Working with foreigners, in the case of interpreting (it is always interesting to talk with representatives of other cultures)

There are no problems with discipline (which the teacher and the teacher have)

No need to engage in scientific activities, unlike a teacher

Full-time work in the case of a translator, temporary work in the case of an interpreter

Monotonous, monotonous, painstaking work (imagine that all day you need to translate texts, documentation, constantly referring to the dictionary, choose the right word, having difficulty understanding the content of what is written, and which word-translation from a dozen presented in the dictionary will be correct in this context ?)

You need a lot of experience to perform oral translations.

What are the job opportunities for a linguist?

tutoring

well paid

You can choose the time that suits you best

Students do not always want to study English (it is customary to think that if money is paid for classes, then they are very important for the exposed person, and he will listen carefully and complete all the teacher’s tasks, in fact this is not always the case. Often, studying English is a desire parents, not the child, they want him to know English, but no one asked the child, so he does everything without enthusiasm, it is very psychologically difficult with this).

part-time work at a private language school

You can choose the most convenient time for classes and the amount of load

Compared to work at school, there are a lot of poles: there is no paperwork, scientific activity, better discipline, no checking notebooks, etc.

Administration control (not everyone will be able to get a job in a language school, before admission they often require you to successfully write a test in a foreign language, to come for an interview. After hiring, the administrator will be present at the lesson and control the quality of the lesson by the teacher - this is psychologically difficult, especially for young professionals)

Payment is less than when conducting private individual lessons (tutoring found on your own)

There is no social package (this is important if working at a language school will be your main one. If you get sick, the sick leave will not be paid, if you go on maternity leave, you will not receive any maternity money, etc.).

part-time job as a guide

In cities where tourists come, there is an opportunity to earn extra money as a guide. There is such a direction of training in some universities, you can also take guide courses if higher education has already. As for a translator, not every city has a job for a guide, so I would classify it more as a part-time job. To be in demand, you need to have a good level of foreign language proficiency, be sociable, polite, friendly. It is very important to establish yourself well and get into the contact database of travel companies, if everyone is happy with you, you will be invited, and this work is well paid.

Working with foreigners

Good earnings

Temporary, seasonal work

It takes time to get into the contact database of travel companies and reach a large number of orders, which will allow you to have good earnings and a constant load during the tourist season.

What should be taken into account when choosing the profession of a linguist-teacher, teacher, translator or guide?

I described the pros and cons of these professions, and if you have a “soul” for foreign languages, and you want to focus on the profession of a linguist, think about what exactly you would like to do more. If you like working with children, then - a teacher, if scientific activity is close to you, then - a teacher, if you are not against full-time work and do not want to work with people, then - a translator, if you feel that you have a talent for foreign languages, and in your power to learn how to simultaneously translate, then - an interpreter. In addition to what is close to you in spirit, it is very important to consider what city you live in or plan to work in: is there a job for an interpreter, a guide, or is it a university town? It is very important to choose a profession right away, before entering a university, so that later you do not have to get a second higher education, because in many cases the organization avoids, for a number of reasons, hiring a specialist with a non-core education.
Where to study as a linguist?

Higher linguistic education can be obtained at the philological faculties or at the institutes of linguistics. In the same place, there is usually an opportunity to take courses or complete a second higher education, if there is a desire to receive a diploma of an interpreter or guide.

On the one hand, in the global world, the profession of a translator is in high demand. But at the same time, why learn another language if there is a universal English that everyone tries to speak one way or another? Thirdly, competition in the profession is very high, and machine translation technologies are actively developing. T&P learned from five young translators what it's like to constantly be an intermediary between different cultures and how one more linguistic subpersonality helps in life, as well as about the joys of a successful formulation and the social significance of their case.

Anastasia Pozgoreva

translator from English

“You don’t just translate, but recreate the author’s text in another language”

In working with English, I tried a lot of different formats and topics, and eventually found my niche - I specialize in reverse translation. Of course, I also translate from English, the professional tradition has developed in such a way that usually a person translates into his native language, but any skill can be developed with practice. A huge bonus of working with the most common language in the world is the ability to choose any topic. I would never undertake to translate something medical, but I am happy to work with the museum and exhibition complex "Institute of Russian Realistic Art", I translate exhibition catalogs and signatures for exhibits for them, because it is very close to me.

I don't think the machine will ever replace the human in translation. On the other hand, now there is practically no market for interpreting from English. Most of all I liked to translate at negotiations and meetings, but the demand for this is now almost gone. Most likely, now a large employer will simply not hire employees who do not speak the language. It is good to know the language as an addition to some other profession. I also had to retrain along the way and do more management, marketing and online sales. I coordinate the work of the translation service global company A: A large organization needs marketing materials in 35 languages. As a translator, I work on recommendations, I have never had to look for a job.

AT recent times people around have become noticeably better in English, but this is rather an achievement state system education, but the Internet and the ability to travel. English is still relatively easy. I now feel quite confident in any work with English, although I am not a native speaker. The difficulty for a non-native speaker is mainly articles and commas, in the correct use of which we can never be one hundred percent sure. These nuances are best asked to proofread by a native editor.

The people I've met in the English translation industry tend to be much older than me, in their mid-40s, who've dedicated their entire lives to this work and are probably not ready to change anything. Very young people work with translations for about a year, and then they want to move to another area. After all, translation is a fairly monotonous job that requires perseverance. The pace of life has accelerated: people want to learn as much as possible in a short time, and not focus on one task.

Not everyone is able to work as a simultaneous interpreter from English - even if they have the appropriate education. It requires special personal and cognitive qualities. I sometimes do synchro for fun, but it would be very difficult for me to do this as my main activity.

The specificity of translation from Russian into English for me is that a lot of cultural and other realities have to be given in transliteration or descriptively. When translating, the most important skill is to have a good sense of style and transcreation (transcreation = creative translation). For example, once the “minibus driver” in the context had to be translated as “kamikaze driver”. Transcreation requires a lot of time and effort: you cannot translate directly, you need to comprehend the text all the time and redo something. But as a result of the work, the feeling of belonging is especially dear to me. You feel like a colleague of the person who wrote the book. After all, you do not just translate, but recreate the author's text in another language.

Customers very often do not understand how much time it takes to translate. According to the conventional norm, one page, 1,800 characters, is translated per hour. But if a translator approaches his work responsibly, he will definitely understand the terminology, proofread and edit. With this approach, it is difficult to comply with the temporary norm. And they often do not understand that translation is, in principle, difficult. Just think: I took it, translated it, especially from English. In general, long-term communication in any foreign language is a big load on the brain, you get tired physically and mentally from this.

Sonya Grigorieva

German translator

"In another language, you're just a different person"

I studied international journalism at MGIMO and just last year I graduated from the master's program. In my last year of undergraduate studies, I started translating from German and into German in the theater. 2012 was the Year of Germany in Russia, when I worked at the New European Theater (NET) festival, which was entirely dedicated to Germany. It was so cool that I started thinking about it as a possible future professional activity. Since then, I have been working as a translator - mainly in the theater. It can be tours, when German troupes come, for example, to the Chekhov Festival. Or joint productions, say, at the Bolshoi Theater, when a German soloist, set designer or conductor arrives. Less often I work with dramatic performances, but this is very interesting, I was lucky to translate in Praktika and at the laboratory of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov and the Goethe Institute. I also translate all sorts of normal things that are not related to the theater, and I work on cultural projects at the Goethe Institute.

In general, if you want or need to work hard, this is not a problem, there are a lot of opportunities. The main thing is to understand what exactly you want to do, to develop your own structure. My situation seems perfect to me. Perhaps this is because I have not been in translation for 10 years yet - I do not feel tired of the monotony. In fact, this work is very diverse both in content and in rhythm. There is a day when you work 10 hours in a row: you are the only translator and you are tired. And the next day, only a couple of technical moments can fall out.

As you know, at MGIMO you learn the language you were assigned to (since the institute is connected with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which needs specialists in all languages). I don’t even remember exactly what I indicated when I entered, but I got German. I accepted this choice, and everything worked out very well with him. It is said that when you learn another language to a certain extent, it is like gaining another soul. I think this is absolutely true. I have seen this many times with friends. In another language, you're just a different person.

I feel very comfortable in Germany and in the German environment. I am glad that no one can ever determine what my accent is, which means that I am not perceived as some kind of alien element. When I work with Germans here in Russia, I also cannot say that I see in them representatives of some completely different culture. Yes, they always turn off the lights when they leave the room, they try not to use plastic bags, they say that it's too warm here and we don't save electricity at all, but these are rather trifles.

Translation translation strife, it all depends on the situation. I translated at the Golden Mask award ceremony, when you need to go on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater or the Stanislavsky Theater and translate in front of a large audience. This is a completely different feeling of yourself and language than when you translate the same important people, but within the framework of armchair negotiations.

It is very difficult to translate on the move without preparation, but it happens. Once I translated almost impromptu to lectures at the Museum of Military Uniforms. Usually there is an opportunity to prepare, to look at the terminology and special vocabulary in advance. And here, with the lecturer and the audience, we practically played the game “guess the word from the description”, I translated the details of the military uniform descriptively, and they told me the correct names. A special case is when it is necessary to translate director's comments during rehearsals. Here it is important to very accurately convey often very complex philosophical concepts so that the intent and interpretation are clear. Recently at the Bolshoi there was Shostakovich's opera Katerina Izmailova, staged by Rimas Tuminas, and the German soloist had to translate about "consciousness". In German, this is a more complex concept associated with "conscience" ("Bewußtsein"), and such abstract phenomena are more difficult to convey than technical points.

Most of the actors and directors I work with speak English, but at a level that is sufficient for basic everyday communication. For real workflow and rehearsals, a translator is needed. On the one hand, this is an additional intermediate link in communication, on the other hand, it is a guarantee of a more complete understanding, and the interpreter must feel when to leave the conversation, and when, on the contrary, to help and explain.

It seems to me that one should not exaggerate the omnipotence of English at all. AT professional field there always comes a moment when a person must speak in his native language in order to say exactly what he wants. In addition, I had an interesting experience working with young actors: it would seem that people of our generation who should know English fluently, because all the films and TV shows around broadcast this linguistic reality anyway. But the time when it was possible to study the language, they completely spent on their career, so at the age of 25-26 they cannot work freely with English, translation is still necessary. If I had another life, I would probably try to do something of my own in the theater. This is probably why so many critics at some point try themselves as creators in their area of ​​​​interest, but often turn out to be so-so. So while I really enjoy watching this world, the theatrical environment is incredibly enriching and developing.

Denis Viren

Polish translator

“We have a lot more in common with the Poles than it might seem”

With the translation and the Polish language, everything happened quite by accident. I studied at VGIK as a film critic and thought that I would use Polish in my studies, and then I worked as a translator at the Moscow Film Festival a couple of times and after that I began to take on a variety of orders.

When I first learned Polish, I had the feeling that it was a rare language (for example, Polish has such a status in publishing houses). But over time, I discovered that this is rather a misconception. Firstly, quite a lot of people learn Polish just for themselves. Secondly, it turned out that there are quite a lot of translators from Polish, and they, in turn, have quite high demand. It would seem, who needs the Polish language? Many Poles of the older and middle generation still know Russian, and if they do business with Russia, then, as a rule, they speak Russian all the more. Young people, most likely, know English, and they do not need an interpreter from Polish. It turned out that this is not the case and the translation is really needed. I know more about the sphere of culture, where major events are regularly held. For example, the theater festival of children's performances "Gavrosh", where Poland was the main guest last year. So it's hard to talk about competition in my business. In fact, there are a lot of niches, and everyone can find their own.

We have much more in common with the Poles than it might seem. Poland positions itself as a country that tends more towards the West. This is certainly true, but at the same time the geographical and historical aspect they still make themselves felt, you can’t get away from it. Poland is somewhere between East and West, and this is one of the main reasons for its specificity and the fact that it is a very interesting country from many points of view, including cultural. At recent business negotiations, I drew attention to the difference between the Polish and Russian mentality - to the fact that, for example, the Poles who are engaged in business are very specific people. This is very felt in their manner of speech: they know what they want to say. Our businessmen have more confusion, chaos, so a conversation is often a kind of stream of consciousness. I think this is due to the fact that the thought process continues during speaking, and Poles are more likely to think everything through in advance.

I often hear fears that because of English as the language of international communication, local languages ​​like Polish will not be in demand. But practice shows the opposite. It often happens that people who even know English well say: “No, I want to speak my native language. Why, if there is an interpreter from my native language, will I express my thoughts not as fully and not as vividly as I could?

A translator is always more than just a translating machine from one language to another. It's very important here human factor. There is a very special connection with the person you translate, especially when you work together for a long time. On the other hand, the human factor can complicate the work. Here, customers have a strange idea of ​​translators as people who, firstly, must be available all the time, and secondly, they love their languages ​​so much that they can work simply because it pleases them. I can still understand the first point: apparently, these are the costs of the profession. The second point seems to me completely wrong, and, according to my feelings, this state of affairs has begun to change a little. There is respect and understanding that this is a difficult job, sometimes physically difficult.

Roman Bondarenko

Japanese translator

“In Russian everyday life, I don’t encounter my Japanese subpersonality”

I really liked the sound of the word "arigato", and I decided to learn Japanese. I studied at ISAA at the Department of History and Culture of Japan, so I was supposed to study the language and translation technique in full. It was quite tough training and very useful.

In 2014, I got a job as an interpreter at Baikonur. It so happened that to launch the Japanese satellite, they were looking for trilingual translators with Russian, English and Japanese. Our department issued a certain list of specialists, where I went after the teachers, but at that moment they all left to work for the Olympics in Sochi. Now I'm still working with French and getting my Spanish up to working order, so I don't even know what I should be called. Quintiling, probably. I feel that knowing Japanese in itself commands respect. For some reason, people think that learning Japanese is very difficult.

Part of the Japanese picture of the world was very clearly explained to me at the institute, and part I had the opportunity to experience for myself. As for the financial return from working as an interpreter, I will say that you need to know the places. There are many sites that are full of not even ads, but rather requirements like “we need an ideal specialist, already yesterday and for a thousand rubles a day.” It is simply unrealistic to work on such conditions, but, apparently, there are still people who need experience or really need money - this is the only way I can explain that such ads appear all the time.

A translator is a person who is designed to provide interaction between two parties, in fact, a live interface. I'm pretty sure it can be replaced with a mechanical one at some point in about 90% of the cases. A qualified translator is a guarantee that people will understand each other and they will not have to take into account the risk that a busy leader with knowledge of English does not understand a busy leader with knowledge of Japanese. This is an opportunity to delegate the guarantee of mutual understanding to the human interface.

In terms of interest, only my experience as an interpreter at a karate training camp in Russia can be compared with work at Baikonur. Shihan, a 9th dan master (higher than sensei) came. I have never practiced karate, and I wanted to understand an unfamiliar environment in a minimum amount of time, master the terminology and mimic one of them. I remember that at one of the training camps, one of the honored sensei from the Russian side approached me during a break and asked me not to shout. And we are in the gym where 200-300 people train at the same time, I translate the commands, and they must be pronounced loudly, including phrases like “So, hand over the black belts to me after training, I will take them to Japan and send you brown ones in return” (which means downgrading). I can not mumble such phrases! No, I convey the same emotion when translating. That's how I shouted, being in full right, at 300 people, who represent a formidable enough fighting force.

I heard the theory that with each language learned to a certain level, a separate linguistic subpersonality develops in a person, which bears the characteristics of the mentality of the people who speak this language. This may be due to grammatical structures, such as the dominance of verbs in Spanish. I have a strong enough Japanese sub-personality that when I speak Japanese, I am a completely different person. But in his Russian Everyday life I'm not particularly familiar with the Japanese subpersonality. There are some concepts of the Japanese worldview that are very attractive to me. For example, "ikigai". Approximately it can be translated as “the meaning of life”, but more precisely it is something like “goal”, “direction”, “path”. The Japanese think much less in abstract terms, they are much more specific. Therefore, haiku poetry is like a magnifying glass on a particular moment. In observation, the Japanese are very strong, in contrast to theorizing.

Alexandra Bibikova

Italian translator

"People often ask me: 'You know Italian so well, why don't you leave?'"

My choice of profession began with a rather vague desire to become either an interpreter or a writer. It's just that I've always been inspired by the fact that translation is needed to facilitate understanding between people. We often do not understand each other in the same language, and even more so in different languages. I studied at the philological faculty of Moscow State University and chose Italian simply because I fell in love with Italy, with the language and culture. I remember one of my first interpreting experiences: I helped an Italian director who came to Russia to make a film about icons. He was interested in the Savior Not Made by Hands, since in Italy this genre is much less common. It was both very interesting and difficult - a specific topic.

In the end, I realized that I like both oral and written translation, the most important thing is what to translate, the topic. For example, I am not very inspired by the routine work on documents or the negotiations of oilmen. I am ready to take on something like this, but the social significance of my work is important to me. For example, now the help of an interpreter is often required for paperwork for adoption or for medical support.

I would say that translation is an absolutely thankless profession in the sense that those who can pay for this work usually do not see him as a worthwhile person. Often the customer wants to pay less or is not always respectful. So the translator is far from the most profitable and respected profession. But still, I can say that in Moscow many graduates work in one way or another by profession, in particular with the Italian language. And here, as in many other places, it is important to be quick, to be able to get into the professional environment, the very skill of communication and the ability to make acquaintances and keep in touch are important. In the work itself, it is very important to understand the life realities of the country whose language you are studying.

People often ask me: “You know Italian so well, why don’t you leave?” In sunny, carefree, friendly Italy, it is now very difficult to find work for both Italians and visitors. So it seems to me that working with the Italian language professionally in Russia, in Moscow, is easier than there. There are a lot of pitfalls in Italian. You will never stop improving.

My job is a constant compromise between what I want to do and what I'm paid to do. It can be quite dreary, you have to sit at night with several orders at once. No matter how well you do your job, there are still dissatisfied customers, and something has to be redone, re-arranged. But if you are translating for more than money or praise, you will find a lot of inspiration and pleasure. There is always a challenge in the work of an interpreter. For me, it was such a challenge to translate Italian poetry. When my colleagues and I were working on a book of poems by Corrado Calabro, it was supposed that I would make an interlinear translation, and then the poet would process my material into poetry - in this way we would have such a joint translation. As a result, my interlineators were published as something that is closer to the author.

In translating poetry, the most difficult thing was to convey realities into Russian Italian life. For example, there was a poem called "A targhe alterne", and such a concept simply does not exist in Russian. Targhe alterne is such an Italian law, it is aimed at limiting the flow of cars in the city center. According to this law, on even days, you can enter the center only by car with even numbers, and vice versa. Of course, the Italians will find a way to get around almost any law, and almost every family has two cars: one with even numbers, the other with odd ones. Nevertheless, such a restriction exists, and it is well understood by any Italian. The poem ended with the phrase "our life is unfair, like targhe alterne". As a result, we translated the name as "Roulette" and gave a footnote with explanations.