Lawyer linguist to localiser
A lawyer linguist already meets 34% of what the localiser role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
70/ 100
1 How much of what a localiser is expected to do is already part of a lawyer linguist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the localiser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A localiser role treats 8 of its required skills as things a lawyer linguist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- grammar
- improve translated texts
- proofread text
- review translation works
- revise translation works
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A localiser role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a lawyer linguist background worth leading with.
- already held revise translation works communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held review translation works communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held improve translated texts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held translate texts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow translation quality standards management skills
- already held read pre-drafted texts communication, collaboration and creativity
All 15 carried skills, including the 8 the localiser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn use localisation tools required
- still to learn comprehend the material to be translated required
- still to learn translate tags required
- still to learn adapt text culturally required
- still to learn master language rules required
- still to learn preserve original text required
- still to learn provide written content required
- still to learn update language skills required
- optional, not held employ translation techniques optional
- optional, not held attend gaming tests optional
- optional, not held develop the product catalogue optional
- optional, not held evaluate translation technologies optional
- optional, not held analyse text before translation optional
- optional, not held communicate with local residents optional
- optional, not held liaise with advertising agencies optional
- still to learn develop a translation strategy required
- still to learn consult information sources required
- optional, not held employ assessment techniques to anticipate translation efforts optional
- optional, not held adapt developed game to the market optional
- optional, not held contextualise artistic work optional
- optional, not held develop terminology databases optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held perform product testing optional
- optional, not held study cultures optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
- still to learn spelling required
- optional, not held unseen translation optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held semantics optional
- optional, not held types of literature genres optional
- still to learn postediting required
- optional, not held anthropology optional
- optional, not held transcreation optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held use translation memory software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a localiser role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 use localisation tools practise this
- 02 comprehend the material to be translated practise this
- 03 develop a translation strategy practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held improve translated texts skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held review translation works skill
- already held revise translation works skill
- already held translate language concepts skill
- already held translate texts skill
- already held follow translation quality standards skill
- already held linguistics knowledge
- already held observe confidentiality skill
- already held read pre-drafted texts skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held terminology knowledge
- already held use computer-aided translation skill
23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held employ assessment techniques to anticipate translation efforts optional
- optional, not held employ translation techniques optional
- optional, not held adapt developed game to the market optional
- optional, not held anthropology optional
- optional, not held attend gaming tests optional
- optional, not held contextualise artistic work optional
- optional, not held develop terminology databases optional
- optional, not held develop the product catalogue optional
- optional, not held evaluate translation technologies optional
- optional, not held transcreation optional
- optional, not held unseen translation optional
- optional, not held analyse cultural trends optional
- optional, not held analyse text before translation optional
- optional, not held communicate with local residents optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held liaise with advertising agencies optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held perform product testing optional
- optional, not held semantics optional
- optional, not held study cultures optional
- optional, not held types of literature genres optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
- optional, not held use translation memory software optional
17 held skills the localiser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role EU law knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role analyse legal evidence skill
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate in linguistic process steps skill
- not needed by the target role court interpreting knowledge
- not needed by the target role court procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure consistency of translation works in multiple target languages skill
- not needed by the target role ensure quality of legislation skill
- not needed by the target role interpret law skill
- not needed by the target role legal research knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with government officials skill
- not needed by the target role study court hearings skill
- not needed by the target role technical terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn postediting required
- still to learn spelling required
- optional, not held anthropology optional
- optional, not held transcreation optional
- optional, not held unseen translation optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held literature optional
- optional, not held semantics optional
- optional, not held types of literature genres optional
Common questions about this move
Can a lawyer linguist become a localiser?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A lawyer linguist already covers 34% of what a localiser is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 8 of which the localiser role treats as required.
What skills does a lawyer linguist need to become a localiser?
12 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is use localisation tools.
How hard is the move from lawyer linguist to localiser?
Its learning distance is 70 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.