Why do you make little account of the higher education of a translator?The fact is that the mere availability of the Diploma of Higher Education gives us no useful information on the current qualification and the ability of a translator to cope up with the future work. Similarly, the diploma marks given whenever, by whomever, and according to whatever criteria, do not reflect the current abilities of a translator. Any way all the candidates (with a Diploma of Higher Education available or not) undergo the same testing, on the results of which we later decide on his or her recruitment. The qualification data filled in by the candidates in the application form are not obligatory and are collected for our information. How difficult is it to gain a foothold in your company?Generally, it depends on your abilities and aims you have in mind when you decide to work as a translator. As to the freelance translators, we find it a good luck if we get interested in one application out of 50 CVs received by us. On the average, only one translator out of five continues to work for our company for more than 6 months. For the permanent work it goes down to one out of twenty. Generally, it is related to the fact that we tend to give permanency only to the best specialists or to those willing to become so, with a sound knowledge of both Russian and the foreign language, responsible and predictable, who can plan their activities and are at the same time creative, have flexible thinking, react adequately to our criticism and can see their prospects in the field of foreign languages. As to the staff translators, to the above we can add knowledge of at least two foreign languages, willingness to make interpretations and to go on business trips (including those abroad), as well as readiness to participate in the activities of our Centre of Translations. In our opinion, if the only goal you pursue looking for a job is to earn your living, you are doomed to change work from time to time (be it our company or not) until you set new objectives for yourself. In any case, if for any reason your work in our company is not that smooth for you and you are not satisfied with such state of things, you can always discuss the problem with our management. We are always ready to pay you our attention and render reasonable assistance. Whom is the job of a freelance translator meant for?The job is meant for several categories of translators: - 1) Those willing to work as staff translators but who are for some reason hesitating to make this decision. In this case, the job of a freelance translator is a good chance to test your skills and, in case you’re a success, to continue your career as a staff translator.
- 2) Full-time students with good translation skills who upon graduation wish to continue their career as translators.
- 3) Those who want to combine the job of a translator with any other job.
- 4) The adherents of domestic labour and free schedule.
- 5) The non-residents of Yekaterinburg who have no opportunity to work as a translator domiciliary but have got Internet access.
The job of a freelance translator is by no means designed for the fast-buck artists. How long does consideration of applications take?All the applications received are generally considered within 5 working days from the date of their receipt. In case there are too many applications, this period may be extended. If your application draws our attention, you will be offered to make a trial translation (if you have not rejected this option in your application). If we are satisfied with the quality of your trial translation, we shall send you our proposal for cooperation. All the trial translations are generally considered within 5 working days from the date of their receipt. In case there are too many trial translations received this period may be extended. If in your application you have rejected the option of trial translation, your information will be entered into our database, and it will be considered as soon as we stop receiving applications from candidates ready to make a trial translation. Therefore, in this case we shall contact you. I have sent an application for the position of a translator. Who is in charge of these applications? How shall I fill in the application form and what data should I specify in order to raise my chance of getting the position of a translator?As we receive a large number of CVs, all the applications are analysed by a proprietary computer programme. The programme makes a scoring assessment of the data in your application and produces an estimate of the potential benefits from our cooperation. The similar data assessment is performed by banks, for example, when considering your credit application. Once the programme produces the corresponding recommendations, our specialist checks the accuracy of the data processed and takes a decision on reasonability of our cooperation with you. As the human factor is practically excluded from the process, all you need to raise your chance to get the job is to be patient, to spend a few minutes to fill in the application form accurately and carefully, and to specify your authentic data (particularly the mandatory information). We do not comment on our decisions made on the basis of consideration of your applications. I was given a proposal for cooperation as a freelance translator. What scope of work may I expect?For the English and German translators:
Most likely, during the first three months your employment will be occasional. The reason is that first of all we allocate the orders among the translators already working for us. Besides, we pay close attention to the compliance of the translators with our requirements. Eventually, provided that you meet our requirements and there are no insoluble problems in our relations, you may expect any acceptable and even regular workload. For the other language translators:
The scope of your work will depend on the general amount of the orders in the corresponding language available in our company. We cannot make any exact forecasts in this respect. I am not a resident of the Russian Federation. What do I need to work for your company as a freelance translator?In addition to meeting our general requirements set for the translators, you should choose an appropriate way of payment for your services. This is the main reason for rejecting cooperation with translators who live in foreign countries. Most of our payments are made in the Russian roubles. Therefore, it is convenient for us to pay for the translator’s services in this currency. We may cooperate with a translator who uses other methods of payment, however, we would probably prefer the one with a method of payment more convenient for us. In the application form I am asked to specify my efficiency (the number of thousands of characters a day I can translate). I have never checked it. Is there any way of getting work in your company in this case?All you need is to test your actual capabilities. We prefer to work with those who are aware of their own capabilities and can state them not only for a potential employer, but also for themselves. I have lived abroad for many years and am proficient in a foreign language. How does it increase my chances of getting a job in your company?The mere knowledge of a foreign language has no effect on your chances of getting a job in our company. We believe the knowledge of a language and the ability to translate (adequately convey the meaning expressed in one language into another) to be different things. |
