Quote: (01-09-2011 08:50 AM)rampage Wrote:
Wow, thanks a lot for taking time to answer. You really posted some very useful information. By the way, do you think that Chinese is in high demand for translating? Do you think it is worth taking few years to learn it? Because I was thinking of taking some Chinese courses and later study it in university.
Knowing Chinese will undoubtedly be a good thing in the years to come. How much you get out of it depends on how you put your knowledge to work.
Now, translating stuff from Chinese to Slovenian is probably still a tiny niche, and I doubt the demand is high right now. But it is a market that may expand in time, as the Chinese economy continues to grow. You may have to try to get almost a monopoly on that particular combination of languages, but once you do, it will be very hard indeed for other translators to get a piece of that business. The barrier to entry (that is, learning Chinese) may be too high for them.
I suggest you learn Chinese with a view to dominating that niche in a few years, and that you also polish up your English and/or other major language for the volume it brings. Spending time in China and keeping your eyes open for possibilities could land you some decent business opportunities (and exotic babes).
You can (indeed, should) probably get your feet wet right now by offering translations from English (or Spanish or Turkish or whatever) to Slovenian. Contact translation agencies and offer your services. That will give you a good start and an idea of how the business works. Many language students do just that.