We live in an age where every person who is a true expert no matter what the field or profession — and this is certainly true of translators — specializes.

As Chris notes, you will simply produce dramatically better translations through specialization.

The other not insignificant point is that given the complexities of, say, optics, spectroscopy, cosmology, and, oh, i don’t know, how about string theory? You either get a physics degree, specialize, and work with other physicist-translator reviewers, or spew out garbage.

Where translators get into trouble is when the equations and schematics are not enough to scare them off, and they figure a few online legal courses can turn them into a perfectly competent legal translator.

But a little knowledge can, as they say, be a dangerous thing.

Here are two thoughts on the importance of specialization I wrote clear back in 1997, in the earliest days of the Web, and I think that advice is as timely today as it was back then:

Master Your Subjects.
The first principle of commercial translation is to deliver a product of unparalleled quality. All long-term success in the translation market is built on this foundation. The increasing complexity of modern technology and international commerce, however, has forced translators, journalists and other writers to develop increasing levels of sophistication and expertise in technology, law, banking, international trade and other fields. Translators with a formal education in the various subject areas have a huge advantage in the commercial market. There is simply nothing in the translator arsenal to substitute for mastery of subject matter. By hook or by crook, master your subjects. This expertise will improve the translation, solidify understanding, protect the client and enhance your authority. This authority is—not coincidentally— critical to the success of our profession. Forget nail biting through interminable “specialization vs. generalization” debates. Choose one or at most two commercially viable specialty areas and learn everything about them. Remember that translators come in two varieties: “Specialists” and “hungry.”

Appreciate Your Limits.
If you ever come across a podiatrist who insists on surgically removing your spleen with a spoon, you will soon discover why specialty knowledge is important. If you ever advertise yourself as a translator who can “do any subject,” you will look like the hapless podiatrist. The process of choosing specialty fields necessarily means not choosing many others. All good translators recognize the limits of their knowledge and turn down (or refer to colleagues) assignments that may imperil the quality of their product. The act of referring work to colleagues goes beyond charity: It protects the initial translator’s reputation by deflecting work that could deflate a hard won reputation for quality. It also promotes the notion that what translators do is sufficiently complex and demanding to require specialization. This happens to be true.

Hello Christine, thank you for reading and taking the time to comment! Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that perhaps the most important thing is to do work you enjoy! That’s one of the advantages of specialisation that I really treasure, concentrating on work I like doing!

Hi Allison, thanks for your comment! Yes, I agree. Becoming a specialist customers trust means you can also offer other services such as revision and I think that adds to the image of you as a professional.

Hi Miranda, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. I absolutely agree about commanding higher prices, but I also believe specialising can help you work faster too and, although that’s not the whole story, it’s part of how you can make more money as a specialist. Obviously the ideal is to combine productivity with higher rates.

Re working faster, hmm, not so sure. In fact I doubt very much that specializing accelerates delivery times for me. It may even slow me down, since it’s made me more aware of nuance and detail that a generalist could well ignore and blast through (not knowing what she doesn’t know, etc.).

The real clincher I see is that specialization allows a skilled translator to produce higher quality work (sometimes much, much higher quality).

As for earning more, my impression is that past a certain point productivity is far less important than expertise, which lets specialists raise their price per unit (hour, word, day). I’ve seen with my own eyes specialist prices that are three to four times higher than generalist ones, with quality to match – confirmation that it really is worth it for translators and clients to raise the bar.