I recently stumbled upon a discussion about how some translations, particularly technical ones, are boring.
I have been thinking about this back-and-forth today. Is technical translation boring?
Few people dream of becoming translators. And the profession lacks the profile of being a doctor or scientist. And when compared to "real" professions like lawyers or social workers, translators come up short and risk becoming a commodity.
Does what we do make a difference? I know translation service providers that firmly believe that through their work, they have a positive influence on the world. In some fields, like our medical translation space, we make a difference in patients’ lives. Also, translators have the opportunity to work in different subject matters, using various technologies, all while interfacing with people around the world - what's boring about that?
But maybe reality is quite a bit more mundane. Most linguists handle two or three formats and types of work and don't regularly move from, say, A/V work to software localization to technical translation. Similarly, being in contact with clients and collaborators in different parts of the world can quickly lose its allure. And who hasn’t experienced the drudgery of the 500th IFU to translate or yet another stylistic "car vs. automobile" argument?
How about it? Are you bored to tears or have you found ways opportunities for making your job more exciting?
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Helen
I supposed the area you work in makes a difference but if you don't like it, find a new area.
I love translation so far.
I feel really lucky because I can make a very decent living out of this beautiful profession.
Personally, I find the translation profession to be moderately boring, but that's due to external reasons. I just miss the human contact.
My personal opinion is that every routine leads to boredom once in a while, but sometimes it also provides peace of mind. I think perhaps that with translating, like Femmi said - you can versatile your work. Now that's a bonus :)
Additionally, getting to work with and 'meet' people from all over the world is extremely interesting.
While the same is true for multilingual DTP'rs...none of us dreamed of formatting documents for a translation agency, it is a job that pays the bills. Once, a professor asked my class why we decided to go to art school and major in graphic design. Someone replied "I'm in it for the Benjamins!" and everyone laughed, because you don't go to art school expecting to make money. I replied "I hope to find a job where I can make art AND help people." While I might not be making 'art' per se, I am doing something directly related to my degree, helping people, AND have a fair salary.
I think you do need to be passionate about what you do for it to be interesting. Case in point, when I try to tell someone what I do, inevitably their eyes glaze over and they just start nodding their heads. Perhaps 'interesting' is a relative term.