Localiser to translator
A localiser already meets 65% of what the translator role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.8/ 100
1 How much of what a translator is expected to do is already part of a localiser’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 translator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A translator role treats 19 of its required skills as things a localiser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- comprehend the material to be translated
- consult information sources
- develop a translation strategy
- follow translation quality standards
- grammar
What stands in the way is 5 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 33 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A translator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a localiser background worth leading with.
- already held translate tags communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held comprehend the material to be translated communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held revise translation works communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt text culturally communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop terminology databases information skills
- already held use translation memory software working with computers
All 33 carried skills, including the 19 the translator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 7 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 follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities required
- still to learn translate different types of texts required
- optional, not held make abstracts optional
- optional, not held work with authors optional
- optional, not held create subtitles optional
- optional, not held make surtitles optional
- optional, not held perform sworn translations optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held translate spoken language optional
- optional, not held type texts from audio sources optional
- optional, not held use consulting techniques optional
- optional, not held write research proposals optional
- optional, not held write scientific publications optional
- still to learn information confidentiality required
- still to learn office software required
- still to learn maintain updated professional knowledge required
- optional, not held keep up with language evolution optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
- optional, not held decode handwritten texts optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held court interpreting optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a translator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities practise this
- 02 information confidentiality study this
- 03 translate different types of texts 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 33 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held comprehend the material to be translated skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held develop a translation strategy skill
- already held follow translation quality standards skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held master language rules skill
- already held observe confidentiality skill
- already held preserve original text skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held provide written content skill
- already held review translation works skill
- already held revise translation works skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held translate tags skill
- already held translate texts skill
- already held update language skills skill
- already held use dictionaries skill
- already held adapt text culturally skill
- already held analyse text before translation skill
- already held develop terminology databases skill
- already held improve translated texts skill
- already held linguistics knowledge
- already held literature knowledge
- already held postediting knowledge
- already held semantics knowledge
- already held transcreation knowledge
- already held translate language concepts skill
- already held types of literature genres knowledge
- already held unseen translation knowledge
- already held use computer-aided translation skill
- already held use translation memory software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held keep up with language evolution optional
- optional, not held make abstracts optional
- optional, not held work with authors optional
- optional, not held create subtitles optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held make surtitles optional
- optional, not held perform sworn translations optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
- optional, not held court interpreting optional
- optional, not held decode handwritten texts optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held translate spoken language optional
- optional, not held type texts from audio sources optional
- optional, not held use consulting techniques optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
- optional, not held write research proposals optional
- optional, not held write scientific publications optional
17 held skills the translator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt developed game to the market skill
- not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
- not needed by the target role anthropology knowledge
- not needed by the target role attend gaming tests skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with local residents skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role contextualise artistic work skill
- not needed by the target role develop the product catalogue skill
- not needed by the target role employ assessment techniques to anticipate translation efforts skill
- not needed by the target role employ translation techniques skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate translation technologies skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with advertising agencies skill
- not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
- not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
- not needed by the target role study cultures skill
- not needed by the target role terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role use localisation tools skill
5 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 information confidentiality required
- still to learn office software required
- optional, not held court interpreting optional
- optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a localiser become a translator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A localiser already covers 65% of what a translator is expected to do: 33 skills carry over, 19 of which the translator role treats as required.
What skills does a localiser need to become a translator?
5 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities.
How hard is the move from localiser to translator?
Its learning distance is 44.8 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.