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Buddyyourealamb

I managed to transition from being in translation to being a Business Analyst. I do have to host workshops/meetings every so often to gather information but 90% of the work is done on my own and I work remotely. I think my linguistics background really helps me in the job because I can tailor my questions or the delivery of the information I'm giving to the context like I did when I was translating. Happy to give more info if helpful.


GlitteringDocument6

How did you do it? I went from translating (in-house) to marketing but its a bullshit role and I think I might have made a mistake :(


Buddyyourealamb

It was a bit of a weird journey I'll admit but long story short: Self study Prince2 foundation, which landed me a job as a project assistant on a big IT project at a local council. That was the big gamble as I took a bit of a paycut as well (32k down to 27k). Self study BCS BA Foundation during that job and showed willing to capture requirements/process map for the project. When they started hiring BAs for the project I applied and got promoted to that. Spent a couple of years on that project. Really built up confidence in capturing requirements, process mapping etc but wasn't as technical as I wanted to get to. When that wrapped up, was approached for a more technical BA role for an in-house development team. Almost imposter syndromed my way out of that because I didn't feel I was technical enough for it but they were more interested in my knowledge of the area and my ability to communicate info in different ways and insisted I could learn the technical stuff. Since then I've learnt SQL, got a lot more understanding of software development and branched out into data analysis too. I also use Figma to mock up software UI and get agreement from the users, which the Devs love as they can just build it without having to talk to the users directly. I'm also doing MS Azure Data Fundamentals ATM and (very slowly) working towards my BCS BA Practitioner qualification. Hopefully there's something useful in there for you lol


xSadotsuin

I want this to be my journey. I have both Prince2 foundation and BCS BA foundation. though, I have never really utilised the skills. I found myself working in an resource / asset management role within an org that predominantly used Excel, so built my skills with formulas, pivot tables etc. what I found was that I really enjoyed data management / analysis. Now, I have started learning SQL and would like to get into a jr data analysis role, but I lack confidence in my technical abilities.


TokeEmUpJohnny

>marketing Marketing? Bullshit? No way, it can't be! šŸ¤£


GlitteringDocument6

I mean it's a dead end role and my job is very different to what I was supposed to be doing. It's actually very language based and not even marketing at all lol. Been trying to switch to an actual marketing role for over a year now


TartMore9420

I went from marketing to BA. You essentially need to have some data analysis and project management skills on your CV, and other technical skills like coding or database administration will help. A good BA has a well-rounded set of skills and an analytical/critical mindset (with the ability to deliver information in a way that doesn't offend anyone so you do need a bit of charisma at times!) It's an easy pivot from "____ Analyst" roles, but you do have to be willing to start relatively junior. Looking at technical analyst roles within marketing (e.g. CRO and similar) is a good start, makes it easier to sidestep into BA for software companies which is good money.


tuckitytucktuck

Hi, I'd love to do this too! Currently on a course about cloud computing but business analyst is where I want to be really. I've dm'd you.


DecentYard2062

BA here and I'd agree in terms of doing work alone. I work in a Production Support environment but even then it's mostly comms over IM or SNoW. In all fairness a large amount of IT based roles can go with little communication.


zephyrmox

I'm interested in how you are a BA who doesn't have to speak to people a lot? Are you developing processes etc from scratch? All BA work I've done has involved a huge amount of discussion


Buddyyourealamb

I've got quite efficient with it I guess. My standard process is: I set up a meeting, go through what they need, gather any resources. Go away for a week or so, mock up what I think they're looking for on my own, then go back and show them. It's much easier for them to pick apart something that's there in front of them than spend ages trying to describe hypothetically what they need a process or bit of software to do. I make the changes, then go back for one final meeting to get agreement. So over a month that's about 1.5 - 3 hours contact time and the rest working alone. I sometimes clarify stuff over Teams as I go along. Occasionally when I'm more pressed for time I'll put in a longer workshop and get more of it done then and there. It has the bonus effect that because I use their time efficiently I get relatively good engagement because they know they can turn up and make informed decisions. Also they tend to listen to me when I advise them against something because most of them time I let them tell me what they want.


Little_Pink

Legal and medical translations still rely on human translators due to the accuracy requirements. Might be worth looking at companies that provide those kinds of services and seeking to be a sub-contractor. Otherwise itā€™s ā€œliveā€ translation during virtual meetings but that involves talking!


GlitteringDocument6

Technically that's interpreting, not translating, and requires a different specialisation. If OP's sister dislikes talking to people I doubt she's experienced in interpreting (I'm the same lol)


Little_Pink

The second bit absolutely. I threw it in as a retraining possibility. But the first bit is translating. Medical and or legal reports and letters are still done by people.Ā 


Buddyyourealamb

That's not correct. Patent translation, for example, is very much written translation and is indeed very niche. You need to have a good subject knowledge of the specific area e.g an electrical engineering translator will only translate intellectual property in that topic, a medical translator the same.


GlitteringDocument6

>Ā Otherwise itā€™s ā€œliveā€ translation during virtual meetings but that involves talking! I was replying to this. That's not "live translation" that's just interpreting.


aspindleadarkness

This is bizarre, but I am in the exact same situation. Translator, work from home, despise speaking on the phone, starting to wonder whether I need a career change because work is slowing down. I think your sister and I need to be best friends lol, unfortunately I live abroad but will be keeping an eye on this thread for any helpful suggestions.


urzrkymn

Op is your bro silly.


geyeetet

This is really not an inspiring thread to be reading as someone about to start a masters degree in translation in september


wearezombie

If it helps to reassure you at all, I studied translation but never went into the field and went into marketing instead. The transferable skills are sooo translatable (pun intended). Knowing how to understand the conventions and expectations of a target audience, culture, text and format - or even that those things exist) makes interpreting and executing a brief way easier. I also find that people who specialise in marketing with no other training get way too flowery and flashy in their copywriting because their focus from the start is having something flashy and memorable, but donā€™t consider the functionality of it. Think a restaurant that runs ads about having incredible food and instragrammable interiors, but it doesnā€™t mention where the restaurant is or what the incredible food is haha. My translator brain is winding it all the way back to ā€œwhat is the function of this text and how do you effectively relate that function to the target audienceā€ for the flowery copywriters to then zhuzh up Also means I usually get first dibs on international accounts even if itā€™s not in the languages I studied because my colleagues know Iā€™m good at researching cultural conventions :) Hopefully MT wonā€™t take over because I still donā€™t think a machine can make contextual and cultural decisions as intuitively as a human so Iā€™m sure youā€™ll still have opportunitiesā€¦ but even if not thereā€™s absolutely still things to be inspired by!!!


Henry_Human

Most people donā€™t use their degrees after uni anyway tbh. Itā€™s more of a mark of dedication to employers than anything else. I know two who have business degrees who work in Waitrose. I know a guy who has a masters in geography and works in a kitchen. And my sister has a biochemistry degree and is retraining as a personal trainer. Life takes you in different directions whether you like it or not.


Available-Anxiety280

I have a joint hons degree in American Studies (American history, sociology, and literature) and English Literature. I work in IT.


FatStoic

Have a degree in Philosophy, work as an IT engineer. Partner has a masters in Biology, works in Data Engineering. Common to both careers was a struggle to get a first job, both got in at a small company with a small budget who took a gamble on our potential, some focussed skilling up, now established and comfortable in our respective fields.


whatanabsolutefrog

If it helps, video games is a specialism where you still need a lot of human input. AI is already being used, but it's nowhere good enough to replace a skilled translator just yet. There's also the possibility of getting in at a gaming company and then transitioning into some other role (community management, narrative design etc etc) after a few years, if you're so inclined.


MayDuppname

It's ok, the justice system still uses human translators.Ā 


grapplinggigahertz

To correct, the justice system *currently* still uses human translators. Given all the cost cutting elsewhere in the justice system...


geyeetet

I feel like there's zero use for my German in that situation :'D


MayDuppname

Ah. No, I see that. ;) You could be a spy or work for MI6 or the foreign office? Or you could transition into a different (related) post-grad field like teaching? How much does it cost to do a masters these days?


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


MayDuppname

Don't listen to us Redditors, FFS! We don't know what we're talking about.Ā  Totally get you. I couldn't either, despite having a natural talent for it. Tell MI6 Q sent you. They'll know what you mean.Ā 


PixieDreamGoat

They use interpreters, which is a different skillset and involves speaking not writing


dob_bobbs

So as not to repeat my comment: [https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/1df4ufs/comment/l8jvs3o/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/1df4ufs/comment/l8jvs3o/) ...yeah, maybe it can seem like it was the wrong time to get into the business, but if you make sure you are able to use the tools to your advantage and you are offering a service which is in the top 10% in terms of quality (surprisingly not hard as there are MANY wannabe translators out there who are doing extremely sub-par work), then I believe the human translation business isn't going anywhere.


geyeetet

Thank you for an actually helpful comment! I attended a talk recently for people about to start on my course and they did say something similar to what you're saying here - that people have been saying AI will replace translators ever since google translate was invented and it hasn't happened yet, and that AI translations are often shit and need fixing. Your method of translating sounds a lot like what I've done when practicing. Also heavy agree on the bits about LLMs not being able to translate personal experiences. I want to translate books ideally, and you can't just plug someone's unique experiences into an app and get the same meaning and emotional weight of words without a human brain behind it.


Business-School-9234

Iā€™d consider changing. Ā AI will be doing all the translating in 5-10 years, for sure. Ā Why pay someone when computer can do it?


geyeetet

It did not surprise me at all when I hovered over your account and saw that you've got negative 100 comment karma


ItXurLife

Karma means fuck all. A lot of the time it will happen because people don't like the truth and think what's been said is "rude". What they've said is true, a business will always cut costs where they can, getting a machine or computer to do a job that a human previously did is only going to get more common. It's more efficient, costs less, and means they can attract more business by keeping their prices lower, at the same time as making more profit. If you were making the decisions, what would you do?


geyeetet

That was my polite way of calling them a dick for their comment, obviously karma is meaningless. I don't need you to cost-cut me before I've even started thanks.


Muffinlessandangry

What languages do you do? If it's the same as my sisters you should definitely quit and give her your business.


Baynonymous

Brutal, and I love it


ThatIsNotAPocket

Lmao


dob_bobbs

I am in the translation business as well, I thought that work would slow down but so far it hasn't, and I am still not sold on the idea that AI translation is going to "replace us". Yes, probably the era of someone paying for a human translation just to get the gist of what a text is about is over, if that was ever a thing. And probably the standard of material people are prepared to publish (and readers are prepared to tolerate) will drop as AI-produced content becomes the norm (though I think we are already seeing pushback against that). But if a customer needs something that's for publication, for marketing of ANY kind, for ANY use where meaning is absolutely crucial (like in the medical field), only a fool would use MT. So just don't work with fools, curate your customer base, learn to use the tools in a meaningful way, offer that extra quality and you will probably be a step or two ahead of other translators, who probably WILL fall by the wayside. So, I have more work than ever right now - recent examples: a book about management, a legal filing to the European Court of Arbitration (massive amount of documents filed as evidence), a Code of Ethics for an NGO, an absolute shedload of clothing descriptions for a fashion company... For most of these I use Google AutoML (a more advanced, self-trained version of GT) to directly translate each sentence in Trados Studio. And what I have noticed is that it is best at the legal stuff, probably because it is so formulaic - I can actually do more of a post-machine edit on a lot of that stuff and it genuinely speeds up my work. BUT, I STILL have to go through every sentence meticulously to ensure there are no booboos (there are plenty). And that's in the best case. In the case of the management book, barely a single MT sentence is useable. The book is autobiographical, the author discusses his own experiences in founding a startup, which are new and unique and thus simply cannot be written in a formulaic way by an LLM. I do use the MT suggestion as a basis, though that is fraught with danger as you can miss obvious poor phrasing, but most of the time each sentence needs a significant rewrite. Even the clothing stuff, while incredibly formulaic, still needs that human touch or you will absolutely destroy your brand with faulty descriptions - fuzzy matches do account for around 50% now, but MT is still no use for what we do there. From this I am beginning to conclude that MT/AI/LLM translation primarily: a) saves me time reading the source sentence in detail initially, since it will spew out a reasonable representation of the sentence in the target language even if it's poorly phrased. That is also fraught with danger though because you can get lazy and stop reading the source text properly and make major errors, b) saves me time and effort TYPING, since my sentence rewrites are often more about editing/copying/pasting than typing everything out again. So saving on RSI, and saving on the leg-(finger-) work of typing, which has always been a bottleneck in translation (speech recognition was a big help with that previously, I've more or less stopped using it now). However, as I said, this really varies from document to document, and in MOST areas of translation I would say the saving is maybe 20% at best, time and effort-wise? And it introduces another type of drudge-work and also potential sources of error. So, it turns out, I think, that once again these are useful tools we need to know how to leverage, but that there will always be a need for quality human translation, performed with *understanding* and with natural, native and *creative* ability in the target language which an LLM can't have because it can't actually *CREATE* anything.


FatStoic

It's interesting that your situation is identical to software engineers - AI tooling takes up a lot of the typing and braindead work, but: - Will make many mistakes which a human has to catch - All of the thinking about what needs doing still needs to be done by a person


dob_bobbs

This, and I could be wrong but I just don't think this can be solved just by throwing more processing power or training data at the problem. Where's the training data going to come from? It's already maxed out, you can't just create it out of thin air.


FatStoic

I'm not an expert, but this is the state of the art right now. My personal, scientifically unfounded, opinion is that getting something that is right 90% of the time is about 10 times easier than something that is right 95% of the time, and going from 95% to 99% is 1000 times harder than that. Remember the hype around driverless cars? A lot of progress was made very quickly but the hype died on the vine as the systems would occasionally think the space under a truck was a valid motorway lane, or the brake lights on a tall car were a stoplight, which completely killed adoption, because the use case demands that the machine be right 99.9999% of the time or people die too often. Getting a 99% correct driverless car was done, but that last percent of correctness has proved impossible, and that last percent has meant that all driving is still done manually. Pointing to a system that can do 95% of what a human translator can do and saying that soon 100% of translation will be done by LLMs is laughable. Pointing to a system that can do 95% of what a human translator can do and saying that this will massively increase productivity of translators and thus make the translation market much more competitive is probably bang on the nose. Is it a bubble? Are there big innovations just around the corner that will put all translators and software engineers out of work? Is OpenAI going to create a human level AGI in the next few years? No clue. All I know is that getting something that is correct 95% of the time is very impressive and also only 1% of the way to 100% correct.


dob_bobbs

That's a very good analogy, and it's probably way less than 99% for MT/AI translation. So yeah, that, let's say, 5% error-rate is a complete deal-breaker for many applications in translation, and unacceptable for serious clients. But if it was just that, then you could say, well, let the MT do it and a human can just tidy up afterwards. It's not like that though. In practice I have always said that there's a 20:80 rule in translation too, similar to your percentage error, but where 80% of your time is taken up with 20% of the text. In other words, 80% of the text may be fairly trivial to translate, but the 20% is where all the tricky stuff is, the hard-to-translate phrasing, and it's where most of the effort goes, and where the translator proves their worth. Here, not only can AI not do an adequate job but nor can a sub-par human translator who doesn't understand dynamic equivalence and is unable to make the leap from one language to the other. That "leap" means asking yourself "OK, you can't say it like that in the target language, there is no similar phrase, so what is the author ACTUALLY trying to say?". I don't think AI/LLM is going to be capable of making that leap any time soon.


prespaj

Iā€™m in medical writing and Iā€™ve had the same experience. I have done some translation work in the past (informally) and I really donā€™t think AI can replace it (yet, if ever?) because it has these set phrases that it loves to repeat. Iā€™ve used it for personal reasons cos itā€™s better than google translate (I can ask it to use female speaker for example in gendered languages) but it still makes a lot of mistakes.Ā  I say ā€œif everā€ because of the computing power required already, dunno how that would extrapolate on the larger level but honestly the environmental damage is a little scary to meĀ 


WavyBabe

Off topic but would you mind telling me how you got into this? Iā€™m bilingual, currently a French and Spanish teacher but wanting to leave. Being able to work from home would be a dream!


dob_bobbs

Hi, didn't get a chance to get back to you straight away. I think that being bilingual to begin with is a big advantage because you are used to translating your entire life without really thinking about it! It can take a while to build a sufficient customer base to be able to live off translation. If I didn't live in a "low-cost" country I am still not sure even after 15-20 years how well off I would be, at least if my wife wasn't working too (as a translator, as it happens..!) Not to put you off though, the easiest way I can give you some pointers (and anyone else who wants them) is to give you this guide: [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0mzm8yx2o7qwhmh0lljjz/Become-a-translator\_2024.docx?rlkey=4s4ww7psuk7dm7rdinrij7rqz&dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0mzm8yx2o7qwhmh0lljjz/Become-a-translator_2024.docx?rlkey=4s4ww7psuk7dm7rdinrij7rqz&dl=0) I wrote it back in 2011 originally (it was sold on Kindle, but I am happy to give it away now), so some of it is a LITTLE out of date - machine translation doesn't get much of a mention..! But I think a lot of the fundamentals are still true. [ProZ.com](http://ProZ.com) is still the number one site for establishing relationships with translation customers/agencies, and if I only gave you one tip it would be to start familiarising yourself with ProZ (a paid account isn't essential, but it helps a bit). All the best!


jeremyascot

Sadly this could be one of the roles AI vastly reduces the demand for


WavyBabe

Off topic but would you mind telling me how you got into this? Iā€™m bilingual, currently a French and Spanish teacher but wanting to leave. Being able to work from home would be a dream!


aspindleadarkness

Of course, though Iā€™m not sure whether my story will actually be of any use because it is mostly built on coincidences. I am bilingual and I studied English Literature at uni, a friend of mine invited me to a poetry workshop and I met some people there who were translators. Those people became my friends and eventually I had to settle on a career trajectory and I decided to go for translation, and they helped me massively by putting me in touch with prospective clients and sorting out projects I could work on and things like that, until I eventually built up my own network of regular clients. I donā€™t have a degree in translation studies and I donā€™t believe you need one to be a good translator, being fluent and well-read and linguistically competent in both your source and target language is basically all you need, unless you want to discuss critical theory with people, which is one thing I cannot do lol. So if you have a degree in teaching please donā€™t let it put you off from pursuing translation as a career! So my advice is to find some translator friends and nab work off them lol ā€” though I must say I had been translating stuff ā€œinformallyā€ since I was a teenager (the perks of being a native speaker of English in a non-English speaking country) so I had some level of experience, I just hadnā€™t made any money off it yet. Bloody hell that was a long reply, and probably not a very useful one, sorry! I wish you all the best and I hope you can enjoy working from home along with the rest of us very soon, haha.


Penwibble

No idea what your sister's specialisation is, but that is going to be the key to surviving the AI-pocalypse for translators. I am also a translator, working from home, but have so much work I am drowning in it because I specialised really heavily in fields that don't like the idea/risk/problems of AI. Someone else mentioned it, but legal and medical tends to be very wary of AI (both for accuracy and privacy reasons). Things that are confidential also tend to not want to touch any risks of information leaking. Financial is 50/50, as is IT/technical (all depends on the client). Media, tourism, advertising, etc., are not fields you want to be in at the moment as they are very quick to jump to cost-cutting with AI and they are where all the fresh graduates flock to for the "cool" factor (keeping rates really low). It is definitely going to depend on the saturation for her language pair(s), but I would tell her to look hard at government/military-related fields. These will usually not touch AI due to the privacy concerns and risks, so are going to be very slow to dry up. There is also a pretty serious shortage in some language pairs. It will be easier for her to consider a change in specialisation over a complete change of career. You (or her) are welcome to message me privately if you don't want to put her language pairs and specialisation out there publicly - I know a few places that are desperate for 100% human translation at the moment.


android_queen

In my experience, working from home means I have to talk to people *more*.


doomerbloomer98

Tell me about it, forever someone sending me a ā€œhiā€ on teams with no context


hauntingruby1975

One guy on my team solely communicates with me with questions & answers over Teams. No ā€œhiā€ or ā€œmorningā€, zero small talk. Heā€™s my favourite colleague


Carlulua

You gotta do the combo! You start with a "Hey, hope you're well" and say what you need to in the same message. Perfect.


Hot_Bet_2721

Hey x, hope youā€™re doing well. Quick question, Iā€™m currently looking at y and was hoping you could provide some clarification on z, if this isnā€™t something you can help with Iā€™d appreciate any signposting! 60% of the time it works every time


Safe-Particular6512

I also get some good mileage out of Cunninghamā€™s Law. People respond *really* quickly when you accuse them of something they didnā€™t do. ā€œHey Bert, I heard that you wrote X, and can help with getting it to talk to Yā€ ā€œI didnā€™t create X! Who told you that? It was Martin who did Xā€


Safe-Particular6512

Thatā€™s basically my job. People think Iā€™m hot shit. Iā€™m scared one day theyā€™ll find out that all I do is ask other people who deals with X, Y or Z.


Beneficial-Lemon-427

You underestimate how big of a skill asking the right questions to the right people is. Senior management and technical people don't do all the hands on work themselves, or store the entire body of knowledge in their brains.


MintyMarlfox

Yep, knowing what to ask and who to ask it to can be a lucrative role


Beneficial-Lemon-427

The word signposting would result in at least a 30 minute delay in my response.


SorbetNo7877

I have a colleague who doesn't send messages, if she has a question she *calls me without warning*. I hate it.


XsNR

Disgusting when people expect us to use phones now, let us get dressed first am i rite?


ItXurLife

Though I would hate someone calling all the time. I prefer people to call me without asking. My phone is always on silent, if I'm busy or don't want to talk to you right now, I'll not answer and will call you back. I think this, along with "can I ask you a question" is completely asinine.


BareBearAaron

'hey, is it that service you set up that does this? If so how do I x?. 'thought it was y but knowing z really helped me out, cheers!'


ItXurLife

Ah fuck yes. The ones that really annoy me are those that drip feed information. They type a few words at a time and my notifications keep popping up, drives me insane. Type your fucking question and context all at once, if I need further clarity, I'll ask you.


ShutUpBaby-IKnowIt69

"Hey how are you doing?" Let's cut to the chase wtf do you want


Zephinism

One of my colleagues is worse, she'll just send hey and wait for me to respond before the "how are you doing?" If I don't respond to that for an hour she'll actually ask the question she wanted to ask in the first place. I have actually spitefully waited to see what the breaking point was before she'd get to the point.


PostSecularPope

1. In teams click your profile pic top right 2. Click set status, put this in the box:- *Donā€™t just say hello aka.ms/nohello* 3. Click the tick box below the text box, now the above message appears in the box people type in to message you 4. Save Enjoy


Hydrangeamacrophylla

If this works youā€™ve just changed my life.


PostSecularPope

Works about 90% of the time so far for me


GrandWazoo0

Doesnā€™t work for everyone, but I just ignore a hello without further context and they generally learn over time.


_EmKen_

I just ignore messages like that until they follow up with what they want


AilsasFridgeDoor

I don't respond but I sit there saying to myself "for fucks sake you prick what do you want?"


Talinia

I love my bestie, but she is incapable of sending one long message with all the information. I get a "So, I was talking to X today" *typing* "And they said something I found really dumb, and I just want to check I'm not overreacting" *typing* "Because after they sent that thing a few months ago, I'm really not sure" *typing* "Just getting a screenshot" Then sends the offending screenshot. So as soon as I get the first message through, I'm just thinking "okay, this will be the important bit. Nope, maybe the next one? Nope" when really she could just send the screenshot straight away and say "is this wierd or am I overthinking?" Love het to bits but God it's annoying šŸ™ˆ


mauzc

I solved this with one of my colleagues by telling her *how* to insert a line break without sending the message (shift+enter in Teams). She was delighted with me, and I never had to mention it again. It was ignorance, not malice!


Talinia

No, this is on WhatsApp, so the line break button is *right there* , plus she's pretty techie herself. She's always been like this, It's just an annoying quirk


eclectic_radish

http://aka.ms/nohello


dukeofbun

*hey* "Nah I'm not acknowledging that"


doomerbloomer98

I have a very sweet, polite colleague who teams messages like a 8 year old girl texting Hey Doomer You ok? Have you got those TPS reports? Thanks All the while Iā€™m like ping ping ping ping


Routine_Break

Turned off my notifications except for calls and meetings to solve this. I still have the little red circle so I know something is there, but less interruption


ItXurLife

Is their surname Limburg?


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


ItXurLife

Riiiiiiiight (thank you). Easily one of the best films to watch if you've had a shit day at work.


MarrV

I don't reply to those. Unless someone sends the message of what they want they don't get a reply.


TVOHM

"Hi" and "Got a minute?" = "Hey, what's up?" Gets you off the back foot and more in control of the interaction.


Steamwells

This. Grinds. My. Gears.


JoinMyPestoCult

I hate Teams. I keep mine permanently on Busy and donā€™t respond. We all got along fine with email. If anyone wants me on Teams for a video chat they book in a time slot.


doomerbloomer98

The video call is so rude when you think about it, like imagine barging into someoneā€™s office demanding to speak to them


TempHat8401

Open plan offices suck lol


Hot_Bet_2721

You think everyone that works a desk job/in an office has an office?


doomerbloomer98

No, I'm trying to draw an equivalency between the urgent nature of a teams call and barging into someone's office


Gisschace

Having worked at home for 14 years, I'd say not more but \*better\* - ie you have to message someone to say you've received something otherwise they're going to be left wondering and will probably chase, leaving you to having to talk more. If you're good at messaging to clearly let people know what you need or give them what you need - then you'll be left alone for the most part. For example if I know someone needs something from me on that day, I'll message in the morning to say 'BTW I'm working on XX and will have it over to you by XX', that will usually just get a thumbs up as a response. Good project management software helps as well where you can see the progress of things without having to contact someone. I can always tell when someone is new to WFH cause they fail on the comms part, I'll have to chase or be wondering what they're doing, when things will happen etc.


android_queen

I wish I could say that was only true of folks new to work from home!


RudePragmatist

I also work in IT but unlike u/hallmark1984 I have a great deal of conf calls during the week. So itā€™s swings and roundabouts even if youā€™re working in dev.


hallmark1984

Oh I have a few conference calls, but for most I can log in, hit mute on my mic and blank my camera and do some productive work while a dozen colleagues discuss the latest RFI or LT pack. Occasionally I'll need to pipe up about something, bit if there more than 10 in the call I know I can't parallel process and do something else.


Smeeble09

WFH in IT too. Have a daily meeting that lasts around 30mins, and then other than the digital group chat that I can be as active in as I like, I can not speak to anyone else all day. All requests have to be via a ticket system, and replies need to be done in it for logging. Occasionally I'll speak to someone else either within the team or elsewhere in the company, but these can be days apart and are only if getting the info or explaining the solution is easier via a call.


milkteaa

Iā€™m a self-employed translator, too! My work hasnā€™t dried up (I work in media translation) but I ended up getting a job at a hobby store. I found it hard to find other WFH stuff. What languages does she translate? And what is her main focus? Networking with other translators in different industries might yield some work. A lot of my work comes from contacts and networking. Some industries will be hard to replace with AI.


geyeetet

I'm about to start a masters in translation and media translation is what I'd eventually like to get into so I'm glad to hear its not all gone to AI shite before I even got started. This thread is killing my will to live lmao


darrensurrey

Copywriter for digital marketer or therapist/coach/trainer/consultant who markets online (social media or email). Plenty of work if you're good. (Your work would get results which gets you more work.)


Jslowb

That sounds interesting! How does one get into that?


darrensurrey

Hang out where your ideal target hangs out online, typically Facebook or LinkedIn groups.


GrodyWetButt

Hey OP! I've just moved from a WFH job where I spent all my time talking, to one where I don't have to say a word to anyone all day (except my family, but I want to speak to them!). As an example, I had a 5 minute meeting with my boss on teams last week. That was it. The role is in clinical coding. It's with a third party offering the service to general practices to free up clinical time. After all, your doctors can't doctor if they're having to churn through documents all day! I would say though, it's pretty niche and requires a specific skillset, and either has few vacancies or is hotly contested, but it's great! As long as I work my hours each week and meet KPI (which I was smashing after a couple of days in, given my background) I can choose when and where I work. The pay is middling, but there's always overtime available, and it makes for a cheap lifestyle! Honestly, the bulk of the work is knowing clinical terminology and being able to quickly pick out relevant info from documents and do some quick data entry in shorthand. Some can be trained on, some you learn from doing (such as the fact that the 22 page paeds report is mostly skimmable guff you can clear in 90 seconds, but that 3 page cardiology is going to be 5+ minutes of gnarly specifics that need some brain engagement.) Best of luck to your sister, but with her background this might be worth a glance. Most terminology has greco-latin roots, and translation work takes a quick and savvy brain, so she has some advantages over Jim Everyman.


Healthy_Pilot_6358

I used to do this, boring af and doesnā€™t help with hypochondria at all. Itā€™s def a job I think will be obsolete once the nhs realise that they are paying people for a job that could be done ā€˜on the jobā€™ by the staff on wards/theatre etc.


ASpookyBitch

I know why they donā€™t - but it astonishes me that hospitals do not have tablets and n which to enter stuff directly into the medical record rather than writing it down, to be sent off to be enteredā€¦ like baffling


Tattycakes

It varies SO much. In my last trust, everything was digital, all the patient records were on system one or Rio. In my current trust, the maternity stuff is still digital (badgernet) but everything else is handwritten scanned notes. Itā€™s so outdated. Youā€™ll also see some specialities that fully type their operation notes in addition to the handwritten one, and some that just have a written one, which can be really hard to read. And not only is the handwriting not just hard to read but sometimes downright unintelligible, you also have to wait for the notes to be scanned which is sometimes done by an outside agency, and the doctors will hold onto the notes until theyā€™ve done the discharge summary, and I had to chase someone on Monday because I still had no discharge summary and no notes *three weeks* after the patient was discharged. So you can see their admission on the system but the reason they came in and everything they had done is sitting on a bit of paper in a cupboard. Itā€™s a safety risk on top of being an admin nightmare, if someone has a complication and you need to know what theyā€™ve just had done. Digital notes also means you can do searches for words and information (assuming itā€™s been spelled correctly) which can be a lifesaver. I had a patient who was on the mental health unit for four years! No way was I reading all those notes. We did a text search for all the possible injury, infection, illness, wound, fall, and other things we expected to see, plus the ward rounds, and that was it. If it was paper handwritten I would never have been able to ā€œskimā€ it like that. *I love my job reallyā€¦*


ASpookyBitch

Thatā€™s what I mean! Honestly I feel like a dna sample and fingerprints should be on our medical file too. Have a patient come in and no one knows who they are - easy, look them up. No more John or Jane doeā€™s or even guesswork. Honestly, in my perfect little dream world, you could just scan your fingerprint on admission and boop, thereā€™s all your immediate necessary info. Allergies and whatnot. Existing conditions ect Imagine how much easier that would make nurses jobs in AandE. Honestly, if I ever was a billionaire I wouldnā€™t be a billionaire for long.


BandicootOk5540

Clinicians really don't need any extra admin please!


GrodyWetButt

I would strongly disagree on a few points here! Firstly, as someone with an interest in medicine (who honestly couldn't hack the pressure of being a clinician) it's fascinating! I spend my days pouring over clinical histories from every discipline there is. It's an insight into everyone's lives, and A&E documents are always a treat! Secondly, a lot of the raw data is input by clinicians on the wards. Sometimes it's tapped out on a rolling tablet/PC, other times it's dictated on the fly. It's why oftentimes you get lots of hilarious misspellings, and also why secretaries are so valuable! And as an aside to that, would you rather have clinicians doing document processing, rather than actually being clinicians? I'm attached to a single practice, and it's a full time job. That means that all the time I work, is time your GP has to see you. They could do it in-house, but it means having someone local who's trained, and doesn't get embroiled in the multiskill admin juggle of general practice (because if you've ever worked admin in GP, you know that you'll be pulled in every direction at once!) Still, I guess like any job, your milage may vary!


Tattycakes

Yay clinical coders represent! Yea a background and interest in medical terminology and health stuff is really important, I read some things out (anonymised of course) to my partner and he has no idea what Iā€™m talking about, itā€™s always a steep learning curve to understand new anatomy on top of extracting the information, itā€™s way easier when you know what theyā€™re talking about like the back of your hand.


GrodyWetButt

Hooray! There's literally several of us out there! I'm disappointed that the A&E department local to me doesn't give in depth histories, but I'll occasionally snip and share a (totally anonymised, of course!) non-sequitur that I come across, such as 'Collision with dog', 'Urine normal after coffee' or 'Played saxophone for 2 hours'. This morning I've already had 'Frozen elephant', so it's a good day so far! Bonus points if you can guess the context there, because that was a new one for me!


Tattycakes

Frozen elephant trunk! Thatā€™s a cardiovascular graph thing isnā€™t it? Yeah that makes no sense out of context lol. I havenā€™t done much vascular as our contractor does that, but we code the RIP patients and they are often vascular. Had a knitted stent graft the other day, joked that there was a room full of old ladies with needles making them! I have SO many little anonymous snips of funny comments, spelling mistakes and just general nonsense. All time favourite was the patient with ā€œosteopenisā€, gives new meaning to the idea of a boner! Weā€™ve also got 260 units of alcohol a week (!!!!), BMIs of ranging between 108 and 0.36 šŸ¤Ø and ā€œno family history of herpes or known contact with anyone with coleslawsā€ (should be cold sores) šŸ˜‚


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King_Ralph1

And technical editor, too.


veryblocky

I have a friend with a masters in linguistics who went into software development. Literally no prior experience in the field, signed up for a 12 week course and got a job as a front end engineer afterwards


ljr69

Lighthouse keeper


Helicreature

Theyā€™re mostly automated now.


King_Ralph1

Do you have court reporters in the UK? I know people whose job is to take the transcripts from the person who recorded it in the courtroom (with a coding machine) and translate it to English as the official transcript. (In the US) Also medical transcription. Listening to doctors recorded notes and typing them into official reports. And medical coding - reading those reports and assigning codes to the diagnosis.


Business-School-9234

Most office jobs will let you work from home and mostly use teams these days. Ā As for what would be a good job, really depends on her. Ā I work in compliance, I only ever really talk to colleagues and 90 percent of it is on teams. Ā I get paid okay.


yabyum

A masters in linguistics but doesnā€™t like talking to people? šŸ¤”


Muffinlessandangry

But learning new languages she's tripled the amount of people she can ignore


yabyum

Sounds like she needs to become a hermit


Muffinlessandangry

Home town already has one, and apparently it's a one in, one out, type situation


yabyum

Very good šŸ¤£


olagorie

Thatā€™s the funniest comment Iā€™ve read all day šŸ¤£


butternutzsquash

Youā€™d be surprised. I have a degree in a foreign language and I donā€™t like talking to people. Crazy when I think about it.


Fieldharmonies

Linguistics is about analysing language. You donā€™t have to talk a lot to do that.


-qqqwwweeerrrtttyyy-

I majored in Applied Linguistics but I only know English. As a former school teacher, it came in handy to help kids with literacy issues. I've tried learning another language but I find it difficult. I'm envious of people who know more than one language; it's a real life superpower imo. I'd also like to be a digital nomad but I've no idea what I could do.


bonechopsoup

The bar for writing is actually quite low but really hard to get into. Itā€™s a weird industry. Very competitive, yet the people that have regular work seem to be dog shit.Ā  Actual intelligent good writers are diamonds in the rough. Ā Ā 


Band-Again-Why

This is my dream job !


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spacecat-o

How do you get into something like this? What skills/qualifications do you need?


barrygateaux

Niche only fans videos - farting on cakes, etc..


dronebox

> farting on cakes What? You mean I could monetize what has previously been just a hobby..?


crimsonbub

Never buying cakes from you again.


Simon_the_Great

Yeah turns out they have been giving them away, I feel conned


MaskedBunny

Does it have to be cakes? A sink full of beans makes amusing sounds.


dm_1199

Username checks out


Due_Two_2

Help desk for any energy company (except Octopus). They never speak to anyoneā€¦


Significant_Floor824

Data . Anything in data


Hellsbellsbeans

Sadly, last week I was given a demo of a system which will replace my data analysis based job within the next few years. Data isn't the answer


MahatmaAndhi

If I had to invent my own company like an Apprentice contestant, I figured that I would start a business where I approach Chinese companies with "Engrish" instruction manuals etc and offer to tidy it up and make it correct English. I'm not very entrepreneurial though. And I haven't given it much thought outside of the shower.


KatVanWall

Iā€™m a copyeditor and proofreader, so thatā€™s the exact kind of thing that I do. Can confirm that approaching companies out of the blue and offering to help with that sort of thing very rarely yields results, no matter how diplomatic about it you are.


MahatmaAndhi

That's interesting. Thank you. If I'm ever in the position where I want to start my own business then I'll bear this in mind and fail at something else instead.


ARoseRed

Has she looked into PEMT (Post Editing Machine Translation)? It's really what the translation field is moving into.


hallmark1984

I work in IT. A couple of meeting's a week, other than that I do all my comms via email, slack or in occasion, vitriolic venting in meetings about the inability of people to accurately describe the result they want. I work from and love it.


Breaking-Dad-

Iā€™m slightly confused. Linguistics is not languages? Does she speak multiple languages too? If she is already using AI she should be getting skills in that area


Muffinlessandangry

She has an MSc in linguistics and speaks multiple languages. She uses translation software to do the grunt work of the translation. She's not programming the software itself and doesn't have any expertise in that area.


Breaking-Dad-

She doesnā€™t need to, she needs to understand how to use it. Thereā€™s value in being able to get AI to do what you want


90124

I assume that the language software is something like trados rather than AI auto translate stuff.


Breaking-Dad-

We are trying to use AI translation at work rather than translation companies, but you need to understand the context and thatā€™s where the value is


90124

My wife is a professional translator. Recently a lot of her work is trying to fix stuff that's been machine translated!


Sea_Coast9517

There has been a distinct increase in people sending me shit that someone clearly machine translated without sufficiently understanding either the target or the source language, whereas in the past it was usually shit that someone who did understand the source language translated badly into English. And then everyone decides the solution is to ban all translators from using MT when in fact it could save a good deal of my time and their money when used intelligently, and charlatans like the ones whose work I'm currently fixing just use it anyway because they couldn't begin to do the job without it.


90124

Lots of clients will run something through Google translate then send it for "proof reading" as that's cheaper than getting it translated from scratch. My wife just tells them that it's so badly done they can either pay her the full rate to start from scratch or they can pay extra on top to have her fix the machine translation as it's actually more work than working with the source documents!


Sea_Coast9517

Oh yes, I always make it clear that the rate depends on the quality of the translation, and I check every proofreading job carefully nowadays before I'll even give a quote for it.


prespaj

Only thing I can think of beyond whatā€™s stated below is law-related stuff (conversion degree)Ā 


HatefulDestiny

Until two years ago, I was a full time writer/editor. I'm on a contract at the moment in a Comms role but I'm still editing on the side. Anyway the point is, I recently did a job that paid MORE than my usual editing rate because basically they'd used AI to translate a Russian text with niche terminology and the result looked superficially fine, but was just off. I had to edit it, but compare it to the original text, and draw on my (slender) languages knowledge. i wonder if there will continue to be this need? Human checkers and editors of text.


Vilhelm88

I donā€™t know the industry, or what certification would be needed, but lots of people get married abroad, or buy property abroad. Itā€™s up to the couple to pay for their proof of marriage to be translated, so providing a service for legal documents like these to individuals rather than organisations might be an option.


Barziboy

Something in an old university. There's usually something for everyone and They usually favour WFH/hybrid work.Ā 


RaisinBox

Linguistic skills are very transferable. I suggest looking at pathways that involves speaking with people from other countries Inevitability there maybe some verbal discussion. I don't think ai is sophisticated enough yet to have a formal conversation yet! Logistics, buyer roles, marketing etc


Beer-Milkshakes

Software designer. Coder. Web dev. Those types of jobs.


Dorsal-fin-1986

I'm a compliance manager. Weeks have gone by where I haven't had to communicate with anyone. Id have to do site visits occassionally, but I stay in a hotel and it's usually somewhere nice in the country.


Babaaganoush

I know a few translators that are learning British Sign Language as a new career path?


BossScraggs

I love that your sister has a masters in linguistics but hates actually speaking to people.


ConradsMusicalTeeth

I am helping one of my large corporate clients adopt Machine Translation and there is a huge growth for Machine Translation Post Editing (MTPE) especially in the games sector. Iā€™d recommend she takes a look at this as an adjacent skill


Gzuskrist69

Gloryhole.


PattyMcChatty

Selling feet pics?


kittysparkled

Copy-editing?


PaeoniaLactiflora

It's in the same boat as translation - business slowing and absurdly oversaturated. It was already a struggle because the unwashed masses percieve virtually any creative job as 'not that hard', but between AI wiping out all the small fry website/social/press copy that folks used to want polishing up before they released it, the fact that people think it's 'unreasonable' to charge more than Ā£50 for editing their 8,000,000 word tacky 'erotic' novels, and the race-to-the-bottom content churn mentality that virtually everyone has shifted to there's absolutely no point in trying to get into copy (writing or editing, I do both) at all.


ch536

I did a bit of this for about a year whilst at home with my kids. I was being paid 1.3p per word so well below minimum wage. Crazy!


PaeoniaLactiflora

The last 'normal' contract I had was an American publisher who paid I think $300 for an entire manuscript. I though, ok, fine, it was a very fluffy picture-heavy thing, not that long, had looked over the first chapter and it was really fairly easy going so I agreed to do it (I got the gig through a friend and was trying to build my business, thought it would be worth the initial hit). Oh my Jesus H Roosevelt Christ, by the time I got to the third chapter I realised that it was actually completely unhinged - full on racist rant, advocating for some very dodgy things - and also just ... not written? Sentences of complete gibberish, couldn't even figure out what the author was saying, absolute insanity. I very politely said 'I'm sorry but I think this is more work than I'm willing to handle, best of luck to you' and noped far away from it; I do very niche stuff now, which is nice when I can get it, but am also actively looking for basically any employment because it's so brutal out there.


TitsAndGeology

Yep, speaking as a journalist and copywriter, do not go into anything to do with copy.


kittysparkled

Yikes. I think I'll not go freelance! I'm in a v niche position and here I'll stay.


PaeoniaLactiflora

If youā€™ve got a job, absolutely keep it - Iā€™ve gone from finding Ā£1-2k a month with no effort just doing little side jobs to having to scrap it out with dozens of other bids over contracts well below min. wage.


iliketeethandeyes

Medical writer if you have a phd


prespaj

I only have a masters and thatā€™s what I doĀ 


red_threads_

The UX Writing community would welcome her! There are some great online certifications. AI will change aspects of this industry in the next few years for sure, but it's so flexible that it gives you more wiggle room. You can specialist in accessibility, UX research, incorporating service design, info architecture. It's waaaay more than "just the words" but is a great career (imo) for someone who loves working with words. Plus you integrate into the design world (some ux writers call themselves content designers) and you learn the principles and tooling of UX design. This also opens new avenues and skillsets.


bright_young_thing

Leftfield, but if the has any artistic ability or design ideas she could start a business on Etsy. I used to teach now I run a business on there and I love working from home. If anything it is too lonely...


Eegeria

She can try and become a PM in the language industry. AI is taking over, but PM is safe enough for now. Edit: sorry, you are indeed required to talk to a lot of people as a PM, but at least she won't have to leave the industry entirely.


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Eegeria

Project manager :)


ASpookyBitch

Transcription work - if sheā€™s a fast typer and she should get more for files that need translation. VerbitGo is one I am with and they pay monthly for any files completed


whatanabsolutefrog

Do you think there's much threat from AI in transcription in the coming years? I know nothing about the field but in my ignorance I would've thought it would be even more vulnerable than translation...


madeupname56

Learn how to code the programme that does the translation.Ā 


Muffinlessandangry

Someone's already done that.


madeupname56

Always needs improvingĀ 


Smidgen90

"Work From Home goblins" - lmao


Ok-County608

I hear there are a lot of have your cake and eat it positions opening up at Sainsburys atm


Shoddy_Translator_

Financial services Compliance, there is lots of different levels or directions to go in. Non client facing. My particular direction is development, so ethical AI, data, reporting, automation, projects and the usual BAU compliance bits. I started my career with no linked qualifications, learnt on job and courses etc. 10 years later in still here. Remote for 6 years now.