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An Oral History of Translators and Interpreters Presented by McElroy Translation
Translators and interpreters tell stories. But the stories they translate and interpret day in and day out are not theirs.
Yet their tales are rich. Living around the world, speaking many tongues and talking to people from all walks of life, translators and interpreters are by nature fascinating folks.
That’s why McElroy has created Translator Tales, an oral history of translators and interpreters. Each participant is recorded answering a series of questions on careers, likes and dislikes, and most memorable jobs. For example, hear more about:
• A New Zealander who helped Russian immigrants integrate in Australia.
• The World Language Hall of Famer from Maryland who bought a Japanese dictionary at an antique store as a kid and never looked back.
• The German to English translator who learned his craft on the Czech border with the German Democratic Republic.
• The Jordanian translator who helped Iraqi refugees.
These tales are edited and provided below, with updates to follow each month. Many of the stories are being recorded at American Translator Association events, and they will appear on the ATA site as well.
Translator Tales will become a public record of stories, preserved forever in a database maintained by McElroy and available on the ATA and McElroy websites. We will continue to expand the database at ATA events around the country and at the annual conference in the fall. If you are a translator or interpreter with an interesting story, do not miss this opportunity to contribute your unique experience to this collective history!
According to freelance translators participating in Translator Tales:
Best part of job: setting one’s own schedule, working independently, working with languages
Worst part of job: explaining the job, dealing with deadlines, administrative tasks