r/TranslationStudies

Helloo guys , it’s my first time posting here. The question is basically in the title. I’m currently working on translating/localizing a game that has quite extensive choices in pronouns. And I was wondering: Greek is obviously very gendered and the only pronoun choices I have found yet ( to do my job appropriately) are “οι” “Το/Τα” and “@“.
Of course the application of neopronouns in Greek is near impossible without ruining the syntax and form of the phrases .

So before you go on to me I wanted to ask all queer genderfluid/agender and nonbinary people that speak Greek for their opinions:

1. ⁠Are the aforementioned choices appropriate or even enough ( and respectful of course ) for a game translation
2. ⁠Is trying to create a semblance of agender pronouns worth it for such a project, and lastly
3. ⁠what are your preferences , what would be at least not insulting to you if you were to play such a game ( heavily story/text based) ?

Every helpful answer would be appreciated, I m not trying to be sarcastic or mean , I wanna do my job in the best way possible

I applied for Glocco last month and I practically finished all the onboarding process, im now waiting only for the schedule to be sent to me
Last time they contacted me was on aug 12
Since then they vanished and they didn’t send me anything.
I started yesterday by sending them a follow up email just to see if everything is on track
They didn’t respond
I tried contacting everyone possible and even the other trainees that were with me on the training and they didn’t answer me as well
I don’t know what to do especially that I resigned from Big language so i can work with them since their rate is better and more flexible hours.

Hi,

I am researching underground theaters and their history across the world. However, sources for underground studies are usually very limited or in native languages. It's surprising how the English language hasn't covered most of it. So I would be very pleased if anyone who knows different languages and people from other countries could help me with this.

I've been studying Japanese for a while now with no particular goal in mind, it just became a bit of an obsession. I'm around n3 level, working towards n2, and I can pretty comfortably read kid's manga without reaching for the dictionary, and more advanced stuff with it. Is it a good idea to work towards eventually developing the skills for part-time Jp>En translation work? I don't think I'll ever become truly "fluent" since I don't plan on moving to Japan, but hopefully I can reach a sufficient level for more low-profile work like doujinshi, just to make some extra cash in my free time. What other skills would I need to work on aside from raw language skills?

Does anyone have interpretation equipment recommendations with two channels? Im looking to spend less than $2,000 for about 15 headsets and 2 transmitters. Thank you

Given the rise of AI should I rethink?

If I am translator that had learned 3 languages will that be good in the future already know 2 ?

I am subtitling a movie with a topic on underground rock bands to English. During a conversation between two characters, one of them mentions that their father has a "heavy band", this meaning a heavy metal band. I decided to include a gloss, and it ended like this: "He's on a heavy [metal] band."
Do you think this is well done, or with the context this scene is in it's enough for the audience to understand it without the commentary?

Hi everyone, for those working with DALS Link (DA Languages), have you noticed a decrease in call volume? I started working with them about a year ago at a rate of £0.20 per minute, and things were going well. However, over the past few months, I had to reduce my rate from £0.20 to £0.16 per minute in order to receive calls.

What surprised me the most is that last Friday, I noticed that my rate was no longer £0.16 but had been increased to £0.21 per minute. Even the staff member I used to contact to help me reduce my rate is no longer responding.Sometimes, I also receive emails from different company that I am not registered with responding to emails sent to DA Languages.

DA Languages themselves sent an email acknowledging that the majority of their interpreters have been complaining about the low call volume, yet they continue to say that everything is working perfectly fine. Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Hi everyone, curious question for the polyglots here. I work in tech and studied computer science, but I also speak six languages: Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish, Portuguese, German, and English.

I’d love to find a way to turn these language skills into actual income, ideally something on the side or a career path of its own. I know embassy jobs are often an option for multilingual people, but most of them require a degree in political science or international relations, which I don’t have. On top of that, a lot of translation work seems to have been taken over by AI these days, so I’m not sure how viable that path still is.

What are some realistic ways to make money with this kind of language combination? Interpretation, teaching, remote work, freelancing, anything that isn’t just plain translation… I’m open to ideas. Would love to hear from people who’ve done something similar.

I was just thinking, in University, you're often told that MT is only reliable when you know how to use it properly and catch its mistakes. But when you're a professional and you know the flaws of MT and AI, was it morally wrong to use it back then? Before the advent of AI, did any one of you used MT like DeepL or Google Translate in regular jobs just to optimize and be quicker? Did you always just translate from scratch?
Outisde of literary genres of course.

Right now, among those clients who hire translators and don't ask for MTPE, I feel it would be even more morally wrong to use AI or MT because of current trends and the market, but I'd like to read your opinions, people.

Thanks!

I'm required to present a photocopy of my passport to the legal department of a client in order to sign a freelancing contract with them. I've never been asked for this before and naturally I'm wary about it. It's an indie game studio and legit but still I'm not comfortable and think it's too much information. Isn't a tax ID enough? How should I approach this?

So here is my issue, Im a player at DND table and most of us speak spanish and portuguese but the DM speaks only spanish and theres one player that doesnt. I wanted to know if there is an app or something we can use to help translate what the DM is saying to the player that doesnt speak spanish. We have been trying to translate as much as possible but if anyone has any suggestions or a preferably free app for us to use that would be great. We ant everyone to have fun even if you dont know any apps but have had a similar situation and have a solution i would be happy to hear about your experiences solving it Thank you in advance

Dear translators, I have a question about your practice — I'd be very grateful for any answers!

1. How often do you encounter complex PDF files (with complex structure, tables, layout) in your work? What do you usually do in such cases — translate manually, convert them, use some kind of tools?
2. Imagine a service where you send in such a PDF, and specialists return it translated into the target language with the structure and layout fully preserved. The text itself is translated using AI models, the turnaround time is from 10 minutes, and the cost is very low compared to market rates. How useful would such a tool be for you? Would it help you speed up your work significantly? Here's the catch: you get the translation back as a PDF too, without export to Word and without integration into a CAT tool — how useful would such a tool be to you in that case? Or is there not much point in it without the ability to work in your usual CAT tool?

I'd appreciate an honest answer, even a short one.

p.s. My question is specifically about those who get sent a file not in an editable format, but exactly in PDF, which they then have to translate and reassemble themselves into the same layout that resembles the original.

p.s.2: This is about truly amazingly accurate preservation of the layout structure during translation. This means you get almost 100% of the original in appearance, but in a different language. This is all done automatically, with the help of specialists, for a small fee, and very quickly.

Hi everyone! 👋

I’m a Spanish–English translator based in Argentina, and I’m currently looking to find more freelance translation opportunities online.

I’d love to hear from other translators:

• 🌎 Which websites, agencies, or platforms do you recommend for finding freelance translation jobs?
• 💻 Are there specific platforms that are actually worth using for beginners/intermediate translators?
• 📚 What courses or certifications would you recommend to improve my chances of getting hired?
• 🤖 Are there any good courses focused on AI, AI training, localization, post-editing, or data annotation that are useful for translators?
• 💰 Which platforms offer decent rates and reliable payment?

I’d really appreciate any recommendations, especially from people who have actually found paid work through these platforms.

Thanks in advance! 😊

You know, in another world, we, as an industry, might have welcomed AI.

Imagine if AI was used as a real time reviewer of our work. Pointing out omissions, inconsistencies, number mismatches, etc.

Imagine if AI was used like a bilingual Grammarly-like assistant, suggesting, in a non-obtrusive way, stylistic improvements.

Imagine if AI could reliably fix QA errors and just require us to quickly confirm the change.

Imagine if AI could automatically provide sources and existing translations for us when quoting or referencing things.

Imagine if companies had decided that this was the correct way to use AI rather than as the translator itself, giving the human worker the shittiest part of the work flow.

I know it still would have resulted in translation becoming less feasible as a full time career as review work was often a solid income earner too, but I think the impact would have been lesser this way overall and it would have, at least, made the translator's job more efficient, which is what AI is supposed to do

I dunno...

Sometimes, it just makes me sad.