The work and life of a translator

All smiles after the talk

The Centre for Foundation Studies of Kampar Campus organised a talk titled “The Work and Life of a Translator” on 24 July 2019 at UTAR Kampar Campus. The invited speaker was Seah Li Ling, a full-time freelance translator who has gotten into the field since 2008. She has translated nine language pairs and published translated works and a book titled “Work Anywhere, Work Everywhere”.

Aimed at providing participants insights into the work and life of a translator in Malaysia, Seah enlightened the participants with her experiences and advice. While she gave a brief introduction of herself, she also explained her reason for becoming a translator. She also explained the essential elements required to produce a good translation and to ensure quality work.

The participants were smitten with the interesting facts of a freelance translator, which includes having able to work from home, no time wasted in traffic congestion, countless working locations as long one possess a laptop and internet connection, and the possibility of working while travelling. However, it is not always sunshine for a freelance translator, when she explained the drawbacks which include unstable income, no employee benefits, overdue payment from clients, and in worst case, some clients do not pay at all even after the work is completed.

“Personally for a translator, we must have self-discipline and a positive attitude. These are two very crucial qualities that have helped me survive the harsh competition in the freelance translating field, for more than 10 years,” advised Seah.

Seah explaining the benefits of becoming a freelance translator

Subsequently, she shared her thought on the future of translators in this technological world. She expressed her concern on whether human translators will be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI). Not denying the possibility, she said that many human jobs have also been replaced with machines because science and technology are developing rapidly. Though it may sound worrisome, she still expressed positivity in the possibility and advised participants to find opportunities when working with machines, rather than fearing technology, to produce better and more quality work.

“Challenges are inevitable, so you must continue learning. Knowledge is always important and reading is one of the good habits that will help you acquire new things each day. My advice to everyone in this ever-changing world is to first learn to embrace new challenges and then step out of your comfort zone. It is also important that you find ways to adapt and stay relevant to the changes around you,” advised Seah.

The talk ended with an interactive Q&A session and a certificate presentation from CFS Kampar Director Tan Lee Siew to Seah.

Tan (right) presenting the certificate to Seah