翻译和口译职业需要做好准备的10件事

　　1. Read extensively, especially in your non-native language(s).

　　广泛阅读，尤其是非母语类阅读。

　　Read high quality newspapers (e.g. the New York Times, Wall Street Journal) EVERY DAY for at least a year.

　　每天阅读优质报纸(例如：《纽约时报》、《华尔街日报》)，并且至少坚持一年。

　　Read high quality news magazines (e.g. the Economist), cover to cover.

　　一页一页地阅读优质新闻杂志，例如《经济学人》。

　　Read your favorite topics in your non-native language(s).

　　阅读非母语类的你最感兴趣的话题。

　　Read other well-written material that will help broaden your general knowledge.

　　阅读其他能够拓展你知识面的优秀资料。

　　2. Watch the TV news and listen to radio news and podcasts on current events in all working languages.

　　收看收听所有工作语言的最新时事电视新闻、广播新闻和播客。

　　Don't just listen to news stories; analyze them.

　　别只听新闻内容，还要有所分析。

　　Keep abreast of current events and issues.

　　随时了解最新时事和问题。

　　Record news programs and interviews so you can listen to them later.

　　录下新闻节目和访谈，以便日后细听。

　　3. Strengthen your general knowledge of economics, history, the law, international politics, and scientific concepts and principles (in that order).

　　强化你在经济、历史、法律、国际政治以及科学概念和原理方面的知识(按此顺序)。

　　Take college-level courses, review high school texts, etc.

　　学习大学级别的课程，复习高中课文等。

　　Strengthen your knowledge in a specialized field (preferably in a technical field, such as computers).

　　加强你在某一专业领域的知识(尤其是科技领域，比如计算机)。

　　4. Live in a country where your non-native language is spoken.

　　在非母语的国家生活。

　　A stay of at least six months to a year is recommended.

　　推荐至少呆上半年至一年时间。

　　Live with and/or frequently interact with native speakers of your non-native language.

　　与母语为你的非母语的人生活，或者经常跟他们进行交流。

　　Take content-related courses (e.g. macroeconomics, political science) in your non-native language (not just pure language courses).

　　参加非母语类相关内容的课程(例如：宏观经济学、政治学)，而不是纯语言类的课程。

　　Work in a setting that requires high level use of your non-native language.

　　在严格要求使用非母语的环境中工作。

　　5. Fine-tune your writing and research skills.

　　训练你的写作和研究技能。

　　Take challenging composition courses (not just creative writing courses, but classes in journalism, technical writing, etc.) so you can “speak” journalese, UNese, legalese, etc.

　　参加有挑战性的写作课(不是那种纯粹的创新写作课程，而是关于新闻写作、科技类写作的课程)，这样你才能了解新闻文体、联合国文体、法律文体等等。

　　Copy (by hand) sections of textbooks and periodicals in your non-native language(s).

　　用非母语手写抄下课本的节选和期刊的文摘。

　　Make a note of unfamiliar or troublesome grammatical points and work towards mastering them.

　　列出不熟悉或难搞定的语法点，然后努力攻克它们。

　　Practice proofreading.

　　练习纠错能力。

　　6. Improve your public speaking skills.

　　提高你的公开演讲能力。

　　Take rigorous speech courses.

　　参加严格的演讲课程。

　　Practice writing and making presentations in front of other people in both your native and foreign language(s). (Have native speakers of your non-native language edit your speeches.)

　　用母语和外语在他人面前练习写作和演讲。请将你正在学习语言的作为母语的人纠正你的演讲。

　　7. Hone your analytical skills.

　　磨练你的分析能力。

　　Practice listening to speeches and orally summarizing the main points.

　　练习收听演讲并口头概括要点。

　　Practice writing summaries of news articles.

　　练习提炼新闻文章的要点。

　　Practice deciphering difficult texts (e.g. philosophy, law, etc.).

　　练习分析艰涩文章(例如：哲学、法律等等)。

　　Practice explaining complicated concepts understandably.

　　练习明确阐述复杂概念。

　　Identify resources for background research (e.g. library, Internet, etc.).

　　找出基础研究的资料来源。(例如：图书馆、网络等等)。

　　8. Become computer savvy.

　　做电脑达人。

　　Familiarize yourself with navigation and file management under current Windows operating systems (most of the software tools used in the localization industry today are not compatible with the Apple operating system).

　　熟悉最新Windows操作系统中的导航功能和文件管理。目前，大部分本地化产业所使用的软件工具都无法与苹果操作系统相媲美。

　　Develop an understanding of the features Windows offers for multilingual processing, such as language-specific keyboard layouts, regional settings for units of measurement.

　　了解Windows多语言处理的功能特征，例如特定语言的键盘布局、测量单位的区域设置。

　　Learn to use advanced functions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications in both your native and non-native languages.

　　学会用母语和非母语使用Word、Excel以及其他办公软件的高级功能。

　　Become an expert in search engines and online research by using these tools on a daily basis.

　　通过每天使用上述工具成为搜索和网络调查方面的能手。

　　9. Learn how to take care of yourself.

　　学会照顾好自己。

　　Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and get sufficient sleep. These are all habits required of a good translator/interpreter.

　　理性饮食、规律运动并保证睡眠充足。以上都是成为优秀笔译员/口译员的必备习惯。

　　10. Be prepared for lifelong learning.

　　做好终生学习的准备。

　　Be patient. Bringing your language skills and analytical skills up to the level required of a professional translator or interpreter is not a task that can be accomplished in a few short years. Only with a lot of sustained hard work can anyone truly succeed in these challenging and exciting fields.

　　要耐心。专业笔译员或口译员的语言技能和分析能力并非一两年就能达到的。只有付出持之以恒的辛勤努力，你才能在这些既充满挑战又令人兴奋的领域里获得成功。