xxxIanW wrote:
cbolton wrote:
If by "professional translator" you mean a person who translates for a living, fair enough. But I think you'd be surprised by the number of very GOOD translators who do NOT happen to have a degree in translation. When I was in college no school in my area even offered a degree in translation, and I'm sure many other Proz users will tell you the same thing.
Much as I resent having my thread hi-jacked (count the number of off-tangent postings here, guys!), I must agree with Catherine. I spent two and a half years managing the freelance English department of a translation agency, and there was a healthy mix of "trained translators" on the one hand and musicians, actors and other bohemian types on the other and there was little to choose between them. And the best translators I know did not take the most conventional routes there.
Qualifications should not be confused with ability, and at the end of the day, it's ability that counts.
[Edited at 2014-09-23 15:56 GMT]