Scientific Translator Needed - German/English | Tom T.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential for a career in scientific translation, specifically between German and English. Participants explore the feasibility of finding such jobs, the necessary qualifications, and the current landscape of scientific publishing.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Tom T. expresses interest in scientific translation and seeks advice on certification or entry into the field, noting his bilingual proficiency in German and English.
  • Some participants speculate that finding a job in scientific translation may be challenging due to the prevalence of English in scientific publications and the proficiency of German scientists in English.
  • One participant suggests that there may be opportunities in translating biomedical literature, indicating a broader market beyond physics.
  • Another participant mentions the historical context of translating scientific articles from languages like Russian, contrasting it with the current trend of English dominance in scientific writing.
  • There is a suggestion to contact major publishers for potential opportunities in translation work.
  • A participant notes that most translation jobs in the scientific field involve patents and legal documents, which may require accreditation.
  • One participant brings up the idea of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) for German engineers as an alternative career path.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the viability of a career in scientific translation, with some believing it may be difficult due to the current landscape of scientific publishing, while others suggest there are opportunities, particularly in fields like biomedical literature. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best path forward for Tom T.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the lack of concrete expertise in the field and the evolving nature of scientific publishing, which may affect job availability and requirements for translators.

Tom Thompson
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Hi,
I was wondering if there is anyone around here with some experience in the translation of scientific texts. The job occurred to me as I am currently looking for a location independent job and I would like to put my physics master to some use.
I`m completely bilingual german/english but have no other fluent languages.
Does anyone know of a way to get some certification or entrance to such a job? As I`m not really thinking about making this my lifelong career, doing a one or two year master is not really an option.
Any other pointers would be appreciated, thanks in advance :)
Tom T.
 
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Hmm if no one here has experience, maybe some wild speculation?

Regards,
Tom T :)
 
My wild speculation would be that you're going to have a difficult time finding such a job. Most German scientists speak English pretty well, and most science publications in the last 50 years are in English. You might try checking career pages of journals like Elsevier though to see what you find. There are old journals published in German that would be neat to see translated to English, but I certainly don't have the money to hire someone to do it.
 
I have no concrete expertise, but my wild speculation is that you could have an interesting career doing this- especially if you don't limit yourself to physics. I imagine there's a good market for the biomedical literature.

I agree with kanato- contact some of the major publishers (Elsevier, Wiley, Academic press...) and see what they say.
 
Julian Barbour earned his living translating Russian scientific journals. Do a google search on him you may find tips on how he developed his translating career - it left him with enough time to develop an independent "admin free" career in theoretical physics.
 
thanks guys - I'll do some more research, send some emails and post updates in a couple days.
 
The job description does exist, but people who do it are usually translating patents and other legal documents; not articles (which are written English anyway), and in order to do that job you would probably need to become an accredited translator.

It used to be the case that articles published in the Soviet Union and other countries in the eastern block were first published in e.g. Russian and then translated (by translators) and published in journals like JETP. But nowadays everyone writes papers and grant applications in English.
 

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