Why for successful work a translator needs training in the industry basics. Some considerations and examples from personal practice.
Vlad Belousov, member of the Union of translators of Russia, author of text-books and training courses for oil and gas translators and interpreters.
Industry training of translators – is it required in principle? Some translators say that no, it is not needed, and they will teach you in the industry when you come there. Actually some time ago it really was so and training was provided. But no more nowadays. Currently competition in the market of translators is very high and employers strive to find ready competent specialists there.
In this short article on my own example I will show you how an untrained translator can adapt in the industry and also how it is possible to significantly reduce the way of translator competence development.
I began working as a translator in an oil and gas field in 1991 in the North of Russia, in Komi republic, close to the Arctic circle. Indeed, that time was significantly different from the current realities, and we must take it into account.
First, there were not so many translators as now, there practically was no competition, anybody who could understand at least something and speak English a little bit already was a good candidate for a job. And of course, nobody talked about specialization of translators. Today there are many translators and also those who believe that can work as translators, competition is very high, and requirements of oil and gas companies to competence of translators are many times higher, so it is much more difficult to find a good job.
Second, at that time we just did not have any applications, training programs or glossaries for translators in the oil and gas industry, we had to study directly in the process of work, write down new words in a notebook, ask many questions and develop personal dictionaries. Currently we can see more and more training courses for oil and gas translators, there is a choice of courses and even translation schools. From this point of view now it is much easier to attend theoretical training in advance, before start of work.
So, looking for a job, I had spent my last money for air ticket and came to Usinsk town close to the Arctic circle. I found a hotel, checked in, got to know where offices of oil companies were located and went to visit them. It is amazing but that time it was really possible to enter a company office and even talk to some manager. In other words, I managed to visit all companies that I wanted and found even three positions.
After my visit to Canadian oil and gas company, they called me just half an hour later, offered a job, and gave me 15 minutes to collect my things. The vehicle came even earlier, therefore I even did not have time to take all my things from the hotel. I was put into a Ford-pickup between two big Canadians, and all the time of traveling, for over two hours they talked to each other across me. Now I know that it is much easier to understand Canadians than people from other countries, but that time it was like a mare. Their speech mainly consisted of technical terms and swear words. As long as I had not been taught all of that at the university, I could understand only separate words. Then for the first time I understood, that untrained translators should never be sent to the oilfield.
Then we came to the field camp, I was immediately included into the night shift and in just half an hour sent to the drilling site. Two well workover crews – Russian and Canadian worked there. And a translator was required for their communication. A Canadian tool-pusher gave me a tour around the drilling site and briefly told me about applied equipment. That did not help me at all, because I did not understand how that equipment worked, what it was used for, and also did not know terminology and names of equipment and tools. So later I had to take a notebook and a pen and follow first Russian and then Canadian drillers asking multiple questions “What” and “Why”?
The first two weeks it was very difficult and I felt ashamed because even Russian workers, for whom I translated, knew how the equipment was called in English, and I did not. However after two weeks the Russian crew was urgently transferred to another drilling site, and they left me with the Canadians because according to the staff list my working place was there. I had nothing to do at all. Then, rather than just sitting in the dog house, I came out to the Canadian crew and suggested to help with their work. They were happy to accept it. Together with them I carried pipes, put stands pulled out of the well in the derrick, and even worked at power tongs in the process of pipe-tripping operations. In response Canadians readily and in detail told me about the equipment, explained how it is called and what it is applied for. That is how I compiled my first dictionary.
Such experience helped me to understand that success of an oil and gas translator depends upon two factors – not only knowledge of English-Russian terminology, because it does not provide for full understanding of the process and does not help to translate correctly, but also good theoretical training in the area of the oil and gas industry. Most probably, for experienced translators, the second is even more important, because understanding the industry, an experienced translator will always be able to independently expand vocabulary and correctly define the required meaning of the word in the process of translation.
On this basis and taking into account such principles I decided to develop the training course Oil and Gas English offered for you today at PETROTRAN portal. I have showed you actual but rather complex way of oil and gas translator development. It is more correct to take another way, provided for us by contemporary conditions, and avoid mistakes. First of all you need to attend training courses for oil and gas translators in order to understand the translation subject matter. Such training courses must include both introduction into the specialty and studying of terminology. Unfortunately, so far it is not included into the state education system, however there are private schools for translators.
Studying industry terminology without introduction into the industry is a way to the dead end, it is similar to learning a dictionary by heart, because there will be no success without conscious application of terms. It is not worth attending such courses.
Again, it is very important not to make a mistake when choosing a school. The process of studying is not as simple as it is often presented in advertising materials of some training providers, for example: “Oil and gas English – it is simple”. It is a lie and it is not simple, particularly for non-technical persons, however everybody can learn it. Also, do not try to find very short training courses. They are much cheaper, but you will not learn much. In the process of work you will drastically lack knowledge. But having received systemic information on the industry and a relevant certificate, you can start your practical work in the field or in the office, and continue your professional development as a translator. Therefore industry training of translators is not only needed, but in some time may become mandatory.
