Poll: Do you accept jobs that do not meet your area of expertise? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you accept jobs that do not meet your area of expertise?".
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My area of expertise is EU affairs, which covers a broad range of issues. A job not specifically within my "areas of expertise" per se may still be well within my "comfort zone." So, sometimes I will have a look at the document and then decide to accept... or not. That being said, if it is nuclear engineering (or the like) I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole!
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:48
Spanyol menyang Inggris
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I'm usually prepared to have a go at things that I think I can do. Otherwise, how are we meant to discover what our "area of expertise" is in the first place?
For example, nowadays I often translate and/or edit software strings. The first time I was offered this kind of work, I knew absolutely nothing about it, but had a bash at it anyway and ended up learning on the fly. And the same goes for other knowledge areas I was initially unfamiliar with, for example biology, medicine, animal husb... See more I'm usually prepared to have a go at things that I think I can do. Otherwise, how are we meant to discover what our "area of expertise" is in the first place?
For example, nowadays I often translate and/or edit software strings. The first time I was offered this kind of work, I knew absolutely nothing about it, but had a bash at it anyway and ended up learning on the fly. And the same goes for other knowledge areas I was initially unfamiliar with, for example biology, medicine, animal husbandry... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Liena V. 
Latvia
Local time: 00:48
Member (2014)
Prancis menyang Latvia
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As a rule – no, but there might be exceptions when I am not busy and can use it as a learning experience if there is a potential to expand my areas of expertise. There are still fields I'd never touch and every time I've done it for some reason, I have ended up regretting it. Once I even had to return a task after accepting it out of oversight – it seemed relatively easy at a glance but when I started translating I realised it was full of very specific legal terms and concepts with no equiva... See more As a rule – no, but there might be exceptions when I am not busy and can use it as a learning experience if there is a potential to expand my areas of expertise. There are still fields I'd never touch and every time I've done it for some reason, I have ended up regretting it. Once I even had to return a task after accepting it out of oversight – it seemed relatively easy at a glance but when I started translating I realised it was full of very specific legal terms and concepts with no equivalent in my language and I had no idea what to do with it. When it comes to my professional activity, nothing can be worse than that. ▲ Collapse
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Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 23:48
Member (2020)
Prancis menyang Walanda
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Without hesitation. It's the only way to keep on learning.
The system of "specializations" is far from flawless. Every translator is expected to have them, even beginners. Result: probably a majority of so-called "specialists" isn't specialized at all. And real specialists like engineers, doctors and lawyers turning to translation often lack the necessary linguistic skills to be a good translator.
My specialization is translation, so I don't care about what I'm asked to... See more Without hesitation. It's the only way to keep on learning.
The system of "specializations" is far from flawless. Every translator is expected to have them, even beginners. Result: probably a majority of so-called "specialists" isn't specialized at all. And real specialists like engineers, doctors and lawyers turning to translation often lack the necessary linguistic skills to be a good translator.
My specialization is translation, so I don't care about what I'm asked to translate. I always find a way to deliver quality.
[Bijgewerkt op 2025-06-09 09:56 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I am a generalist | Jun 9, 2025 |
I have some areas where I specialise, but I also specialise in writing readable texts for the non-expert reader. 
It is definitely an advantage for those to have a basic knowledge of the subject, and I have read a lot of professional literature in several fields during my time as a librarian and afterwards. I can read up on background and find the terminology without being any kind of expert on the subject.
... See more I have some areas where I specialise, but I also specialise in writing readable texts for the non-expert reader.
It is definitely an advantage for those to have a basic knowledge of the subject, and I have read a lot of professional literature in several fields during my time as a librarian and afterwards. I can read up on background and find the terminology without being any kind of expert on the subject.
I would not take on a translation without checking first that it was within my range, but I can and do take on a wide range of topics. Clients come back for more, so I study the area more systematically, and that is how new areas of expertise develop. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Costa Rica
Local time: 15:48
Member (Oct 2026)
Inggris menyang Spanyol
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I do not! Because I love my areas of expertise such as language learning, Christian, literature, and medicine fields. One day, I received an offer from a colleague to translate a text about spa and massages, and reflected that it would be a nightmare doing it. I would prefer to translate something that give me a reason to wake up every morning, even if I would be not well-compensated.
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