- What do you want to be when you're big and tall?
- To be a tourist guide.
“What do you want to be when you’re big and tall?”. My buddy asked me this when I was 10. “To be a tourist guide”, I replied. Time flew. Then I entered UTE. Time flew again. I graduated from my beloved UTE and I changed my mind: I want to be a translator.
I’ve been working as a Translator-cum-Interpreter in Construction for 10 years. I love my profession for several reasons.
First, I enjoy working with people in various situations. For instance, I’m going to take part in a meeting in Ho Chi Minh city in July, but in August I will fly to Hanoi to attend a conference with my boss. Getting involved with realistic life scenarios that I’d have never experienced is one of the advantages of this job. I can encounter new situations and learn from them. It feels so great to keep up-to-date with the world surrounding me.
Second, I find it exciting to convey a message from one language to another. When I am interpreting in a meeting, I feel happy to help people understand what is being said. Besides, as a translator, I can translate an Employment Contract one day and Construction Method the next; an Internal Regulation on Monday and an Employer’s Notice on Wednesday. Every time I do a new translation, I learn something new from reading and researching the dossier, or at least a few fantastic new words or technical terms.
Furthermore, in my opinion, this job requires creativity. For example, when reading the subtitles of foreign films, one can understand a lot of things. If the translator is talented and competent, the film will be much more interesting than when an unenthusiastic translator with lack of humor does it. In translation, as long as you’re able to comprehend the text, you can be as artistic as you want.
All in all, becoming a translator is a dream came true for me. Although there will be obstacles with which I have to face, I am confident that I can overcome them all because I do believe in myself. What about you? Do you want to join the translation team with me?
NGUYEN THI CAM VAN
Alumnus 2006
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