September 30 is the International Translator's Day. The holiday unites teachers and students of different educational departments of SSU. At the university, future professional translators are trained in such educational areas as "Philology", the profile "Foreign Philology" (English and German/French) and "Fundamental and Applied Linguistics". Students of all faculties and institutes of SSU have the opportunity, in parallel with studying the basic educational program, to also master the additional qualification "Translator in the field of professional communication" and receive a diploma of the established standard.
Since 2011, the University has been operating the Translation Bureau No. 1, which is headed by Associate Professor of the Department of Romance-Germanic Philology and Translation Studies Alina Bolshakova. Alina Sergeevna graduated from the Faculty of Philology of SSU. She has extensive experience working abroad, has been teaching students English and translation for many years, and provides simultaneous interpretation of important events in the country and the region.
Today, Alina Sergeevna talks about the specifics of her profession, how to get an additional translator's qualification, where to start if you want to connect your life with foreign languages, and whether artificial intelligence can replace a person.
– What does a typical translator's working day look like?
– The translator's work is very unstable in terms of schedule. We are completely dependent on the volume of orders and their delivery dates. We can say with confidence that we are always busy, because even the smallest orders are labor-intensive, as they require accuracy and punctuality. Very often, translated documentation must be notarized. It takes time. However, individual customers and businesses want to do everything faster. At the same time, the translator is usually informed at the very last moment, forgetting that our work also requires time and a lot of effort. During the day, my colleagues at the bureau translate an average of 5 to 10 translation sheets.
– How does your profession and work change over the years?
– To our surprise and joy, the volume of work is only growing every year. There are fewer orders from businesses: perhaps they have changed the format of their work or switched to languages that we do not work with. We have a large request for the translation of documents from foreign students who actively come to study at all Saratov universities. Very often, young people just come to talk to us or ask various everyday questions. We are always happy to help them, because it is not easy to be in a foreign country with minimal knowledge of the local language. Translators can help in such situations!
– What languages does your office work with?
– We mainly work with European languages: English, German, French, Spanish, less often with Italian. We have a lot of requests for translations from Arabic. I hope that in a few years we will have a new generation of specialists who will work professionally with the Chinese language.
– How many people work at the translation agency?
– We opened in 2011. During this time, only SSU graduates have always worked in the bureau. We have practically no "turnover" of personnel: here people feel in their place. We have a small young team: five people who work here full-time. There are people whom we attract to carry out individual projects. For example, colleagues at the Department of Romano-Germanic Philology and Translation Studies, as well as specialists in the Arabic language.
– Does the translation agency provide support for university events?
– We are constantly working with colleagues from the International Service of the SSU: they send students to us to translate documents on education and status. Of course, there are university events for which we are involved as consecutive or simultaneous interpreters. For example, in October, the Institute of Physics will host an international conference on criminology and weapons research. You always need to prepare seriously for simultaneous interpretation: you must request materials from speakers and organizers, compile working glossaries, and read materials on the topic in both languages. It is always visible when a person has previously become familiar with the topic.
– How did your career at the university begin?
– I studied at the Romano-German department of the Faculty of Philology. I've always dreamed of going to Saratov University: It was the only place I saw myself. All my favorite teachers work here, who later became colleagues.
While studying at the university, I was on an internship in the USA. At Randolph–Macon College in Virginia, I studied foreign language teaching methods and acted as a language assistant at the Russian department. After returning, I was offered a contract at a language school in Germany: I taught English courses for businessmen and doctors. In addition, I had experience translating from German to English: it was difficult, but interesting.
The choice of the topic of my dissertation research was influenced by a great interest in studying the methodology of teaching foreign languages. Therefore, I am a candidate of pedagogical sciences, not philological, like many of my colleagues. In 2008, at Saratov University, I was offered a job at the Department of Romano-Germanic Philology and Translation Studies, and I gladly agreed.
– What subjects do you teach students?
– They can be divided into two clusters: the first is the teaching of a practical English course for the study groups of "Foreign Philology" and "Fundamental and Applied Linguistics" of all courses. The second cluster is translation studies. In the 3rd and 4th years, I conduct practical classes on interpretation, coordinate translation practice, which takes place among students enrolled in the additional program "Translator in the field of professional communication", on the basis of the university "Translation Bureau No. 1". The students are tasked to participate in current work tasks, carry out written translations of various types of texts, and help us with the process of coordinating notarial verifications of translations. In addition to the current work in the framework of translation practice, we always ask students to translate scientific articles in the humanities and technical fields. Students feel like they are part of our team, and we are very pleased to work with them.
– How else are students involved in translation practice?
– Interesting statistics: there are 330 thousand professional translators in the world now. 45 people out of one thousand have translation skills. And our students have a great opportunity to get this profession. For many years, the university has had an additional qualification "Translator in the field of professional communication". The diploma of a translator can be obtained not only by philologists, but also by students of other specialties and directions. Thus, any SSU student can add this skill, the translation skill, to his piggy bank. A foreign language is a way of life, many people learn languages throughout their lives. Having the translation skill is an undoubted advantage for any specialist: no one will be able to translate an article on physics the way a physicist will do it, and on medicine the way a practicing physician or a medical researcher.
– How is the training of future translators at SSU going?
– The Institute of Philology and Journalism has a department of Romano-Germanic Philology and Translation Studies, which trains future translators in two educational areas – "Philology", the profile "Foreign Philology" and "Fundamental and Applied Linguistics". IFIZH students study English, German, French, Spanish, and optionally learn Chinese. They undergo serious language and translation training, are able to work competently with the word, with the text, with dictionaries and various means that provide the technical side of translation work, have the cultural competencies and specialized knowledge necessary for a translator and a linguist, which are the main tools of their work.
– How is the process of "entering" the profession of future translators going?
– It is very correct to start trying to work in a profession from the 3rd or 4th year and try to choose for yourself what is most interesting: language teaching or translation. For example, there are a huge number of organizations that are looking for volunteer translators. I would recommend starting with this. Early experiences in the profession always contribute to increasing the attractiveness of a candidate applying for a position.
– What challenges does the profession face today?
– This issue has been discussed in our community for a long time. As soon as the first machine translation systems appeared, laymen and ordinary people considered that our profession was in danger of extinction, and began to predict when machine translation would be able to completely replace a person. However, there is such a thing as "humantouch" – human touch, it is important always and everywhere, since the machine will always make mistakes that a human will never make. The human brain cannot be equated with artificial intelligence. Any machine translation needs to be able to edit correctly. A professional can understand that the text was translated by machines already on the first sentence. Therefore, the profession of translator, in my opinion, will always remain in demand and prestigious.
Text by Daniil Pronin
Photos by Victoria Victorova and from the interviewee’s archive
Translated by Lyudmila Yefremova
