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Off topic: If you weren't a translator / interpreter, what would you like to be?
Thread poster: Marina Steinbach
Marina Steinbach
Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 15:45
Member (2011)
English to German
May 17, 2020

If you weren't a translator / interpreter, what would you like to be?

 
Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:45
Member
German to English
+ ...
So many options May 17, 2020

Oof, this is a hard question for me, as I'm interested in so many things. Well, I'm still an engineer by day and love my job, so that would technically be the answer for me. Once I leave engineering to pursue translation full-time, I'm actually planning to go back to school to study physical therapy. It's something I've always wanted to do, and while it'll serve as side income for me (and open up medical translation), I just never know where life will take me...I hope language is where my career... See more
Oof, this is a hard question for me, as I'm interested in so many things. Well, I'm still an engineer by day and love my job, so that would technically be the answer for me. Once I leave engineering to pursue translation full-time, I'm actually planning to go back to school to study physical therapy. It's something I've always wanted to do, and while it'll serve as side income for me (and open up medical translation), I just never know where life will take me...I hope language is where my career will "live" forever, but PT is my fallback in the event translation doesn't pan out for me. Or maybe I'd wind up circling back to engineering...Collapse


 
The Misha
The Misha
Local time: 15:45
Russian to English
+ ...
A pirate May 17, 2020

Definitely a pirate:)

Liviu-Lee Roth
Christopher Schröder
P.L.F. Persio
Dan Lucas
Tradwind (X)
 
Wolfgang Schoene
Wolfgang Schoene  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 20:45
Member
English to German
+ ...
If you weren't a translator / interpreter, what would you like to be? May 17, 2020

- Pediatric heart surgeon
- Rock guitarist
Still undecided


Angie Garbarino
 
Michele Fauble
Michele Fauble  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:45
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
May 17, 2020



[Edited at 2020-05-17 17:49 GMT]


 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 20:45
English to German
In memoriam
Game designer May 17, 2020

I tried my hand at board game design and I know some board game designers, but it's a time consuming process and not many can really make a living out of it. The Essen games fair in October is one highlight of my year, but at the moment no one knows if it will happen this year or not.

 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
On being May 17, 2020

For better or for worse, I don't see my identity as defined by my professional activity.

I am just a living being of the homo genus.

With that out of the way, if I didn't do translations, I would probably do programming/software development.

[Edited at 2020-05-17 17:45 GMT]


Elizabeth Tamblin
Tradwind (X)
marijaflora
 
expressisverbis
expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 19:45
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Journalism May 17, 2020

Foreign correspondent, but ideally special envoy.

Angie Garbarino
marijaflora
 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member for the following reason: User requested
Christophe Delaunay
Christophe Delaunay  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 20:45
Spanish to French
+ ...
Maybe a magician :-) May 18, 2020

just for the pleasure to see the kids mesmerized.

Or a stand-up comedian.


expressisverbis
 
Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:45
Member (2003)
French to Italian
+ ...
Journalist or Lawyer or Public Prosecutor May 18, 2020

Also a detective

Elizabeth Tamblin
expressisverbis
Liviu-Lee Roth
 
P.L.F. Persio
P.L.F. Persio  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 20:45
Member (2010)
English to Italian
+ ...
So many great jobs, so little time May 18, 2020

Flea trainer, librarian, dominatrix, teacher, international woman of mistery, butcher, baker and candlestick maker.

Christopher Schröder
Mr.Q
 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
A decent business owner May 18, 2020

Oh, someone useful and called-for who not only knows the biz but also can run it in several languages?

expressisverbis
Liviu-Lee Roth
marijaflora
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 19:45
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Moot point -- I'd rather retire :) May 18, 2020

I wouldn't have minded reviving some of my past careers. Computer programmer/data analyst (1970s-style, mind!), business English trainer, and job coach were all enjoyable and interesting, although I certainly wouldn't want to go back to being a secretary and I don't think managing a café/bar, teaching kids English or interpreting were ever really "me" jobs. One career that I regret missing out on is as a chef (I got accepted as a ... See more
I wouldn't have minded reviving some of my past careers. Computer programmer/data analyst (1970s-style, mind!), business English trainer, and job coach were all enjoyable and interesting, although I certainly wouldn't want to go back to being a secretary and I don't think managing a café/bar, teaching kids English or interpreting were ever really "me" jobs. One career that I regret missing out on is as a chef (I got accepted as a trainee by a big London hotel), and if I'd been rich I'd have liked to have done a lot more motor-racing, maybe even as a Grand Prix driver like my grandmother.

I've had lots of other ambitions, of course. I'd have loved to be an international correspondent for a "serious" newspaper, magazine or radio station. I'd love to be able to encourage the type of tourism that I'd been having trouble arranging for myself before this damned pandemic arrived: exploring the industrial heritage and the current industries and agriculture of an area, rather than lying on beaches and doing whistle-stop group excursions. Archivist, librarian, crime scene technician and laboratory technician have all appealed at some time, so I suppose it isn't surprising that I've been a proofreader for the last 20-odd years.

But at 64 I'd really appreciate fewer obligations and constraints. I'm planning on expanding my propagation of plants to the point where I can justify having my own market stall for local charities. And recording books for blind people is a possibility.
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expressisverbis
Liviu-Lee Roth
Angie Garbarino
Christine Andersen
David Lin
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
:-) May 18, 2020

Gigolo, obvs

Liviu-Lee Roth
P.L.F. Persio
 
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If you weren't a translator / interpreter, what would you like to be?






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