E-learning is the most popular trend in the XXI century education. With the power of the Internet, both students and teachers can access tons of free information to help them improve their knowledge and skills.
For a translator, having a regular access to information is very important, as this profession requires having knowledge of many different spheres. But what is more important for translators is that they always need to train their skills. And as any language is something dynamic, translators need to regularly update their knowledge to be able to do their job properly.
But while attending regular classes and enrolling in the university is not an option for the most translators, there’s always an option of taking an online class. Online translation courses are offered by almost all best universities in the world, and translators can definitely benefit from that.
But what advantages do online translation courses bring along? Let’s take a look.
1.Flexibility
It’s well-known that translators don’t have time to commit to regular classes. Attending them would require sticking to a particular schedule, to which translators just cannot commit. But online translation courses offer great flexibility in terms of time.
For example, Coursera offers a “Translation in Practice” course from Nanjing University, which is aimed at English-Chinese translators. The course offers guidance on how to understand the idea, the style, and tone of the author and how to translate the source text appropriately. The course is designed for the beginners and lasts only ten weeks. For that time, translators are only required to spend 3-5 hours a week doing the assignments.
Opting for an online translation course is a great way out for those, who have an unstable working schedule. Besides, you can do all the assignments from home or at any other convenient place.
2. Low Costs
Although some of the online translation courses are free, most of them require certain payments. These payments are necessary, as the professors need to provide the students with the material, and the price for a course certificate is also included.
Moreover, most platforms offer regular discounts to make sure that students get the most affordable process. Udemy, for example, has a variety of translation courses, and you can take most of them for the price of only $11. Some platforms also offer purchasing certificates separately, so you don’t spend more than you plan.
Taking a translation course online can be an advantage for the beginners and aspiring translators, who are on a budget and cannot afford to pay much for a course. It’s a great option both to save the money and advance your knowledge.
3. Personalized Approach
E-learning is all about personalization and individual approach to every student. Unfortunately, the classroom environment doesn’t always allow the teachers to be equally attentive to all the students. But online courses offer a rather different approach.
Experts claim that using a personalized approach while teaching triggers motivation and improves cognitive abilities. Many translation companies encourage their employees to take online translation courses, as they’ve found that the employees become more motivated to take challenging tasks.
Top best translation companies pay for online translation courses so that their employees could get a great opportunity to improve their skills. They are convinced that personalized approach used in online translation courses benefits their employees and makes them more motivated towards their goals.
4.Improving Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is a must-have quality of every translator. And there’s no better way of improving your self-discipline than taking an online course. E-learning requires a lot of individual planning, meaning that you’ll have to schedule your learning by yourself.
Freelance translators will especially benefit from online translation courses. As they have to rely on themselves completely, they need to have good self-motivation and self-discipline skills.
Besides translation courses, there are also classes in planning and scheduling specifically for those who are interested in improving these skills in particular. As self-discipline and self-motivation are crucial to every translator, it is also important to take every opportunity to improve yourself.
5.Improving Your Tech Skills
For any translator, it is crucial to know how to use specific tech tools and computer programs. They are often required to know computer-assisted translation programs (CAT tools), and studying them on your own can take a lot of your time. Many e-learning platforms offer courses teaching the users how to use CAT tools when translating.
Online translation courses teach students how to use the following CAT tools:
- SDL Trados;
- MemoQ;
- Smartcat;
- OmegaT;
- Virtaal and others.
These courses often last only 3 to 4 weeks, which is less in time than you would spend learning these tools on your own. You’ll also get the instruction from a qualified professor, who will help you with any issues that may occur.
Concluding Advice
Different e-learning platforms offer different online translation courses. Some of them are free, and some only offer free trials. You should always opt for a course, which is created by a college or university professor, who you can access at any time. Professors usually teach the same courses to their university students, so if you choose a paid course, you’ll know for sure what you’re paying for.
Taking a translation course online can be very beneficial. It’s flexible, you get an opportunity to schedule it yourself. You’ll also learn about innovations in translation firsthand and will get a chance to practice new methods and approaches with a knowledgeable person.
Online translation courses are also a good opportunity to communicate with the fellow translators and discuss particular aspects of the lectures with them. It’s a great chance to share your knowledge and learn from others as well. Not to mention that taking an online translation course is a great addition to your CV. Translators should always strive for knowledge, and there’s no better place to get it than an online translation course!
Kristin Savage has graduated from Columbia University where she was majoring in Germanic Languages. Besides English as her mother tongue she also speaks German and Dutch fluently. Currently Kristin is studying Spanish and planning to obtain her PhD in Applied Linguistics since she is interested in how to use her to some extent practical knowledge of language processes in everyday life.
Elearning Supporter 
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