I want to be a transalator, what do I need?

I want to become a translator, what do you think are the things that I need to become one?

sely1007... As for your question, here's my contribution :

For translation you must know the target language (the one you will be translating into) in great depth, and its grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation and semantics should be nearly perfect. You must love words and be detail-oriented, for you will often have to research a word or phrase diligently — in books or dictionaries, on the Internet, with friends, wherever — until you find just the right translation for the context.

As a translator, you must also have practical and theoretical experience and knowledge in the fields you choose to work in, before you can turn out a good translation, and you must be familiar with business and technical terminology.

Of course, you will need specialized monolingual and bilingual dictionaries in your chosen fields. If you will be self-employed, you will need to invest in computer hardware and software( for instance, try to get ready to buy Translator Environment Tools, also known as CAT Tools, such as Wordfast or Trados SDL, MetaTexis, etc.) and to spend time learning to use them efficiently. You may eventually want to invest in terminology-management software and other translation aids.

A good thing for you would be to find out whether or not translation suits your talents and personality. Translators are usually advised to work only into their native language. I'm not the best and brightest concerning translators, but I've seen a lot of awful translations when it comes to using my native language.

Also, take language and grammar courses in your weaker language to get it up to par with your stronger one. Read newspapers and magazines in both languages. Keep up with changes in usage. Note how new words and phrases are incorporated in general and in your chosen fields.

Hope this will be of help to you and I have answered at least part of your inquiry.

Good luck,
seeker50.