Our guest today is Milena Ferrante, a professional freelance Italian linguist and translator. Beginning her career as a teacher and then translating at a small agency, her career in translation really took off when she started writing a fanzine for a rock band. That eventually led to her helping translate a book about The Rolling Stones.
Milena also has a major in Russian, but now almost exclusively translates Italian to English and vice versa. Milena joins us to discuss the challenges of translating Italian to English, along with tips and tricks for localizing for an Italian-speaking audience. She also explains the importance of building your knowledge base and gaining experience as a new translator.
Jump into the Episode
[01:19] About Milena and her career in translation.
[05:47] What other industries or translation types does Milena specialize in?
[06:30] How the finance field became one of her favorites to translate.
[07:30] Why you need to be less rigid in your language as a translator.
[08:35] What industries are seeing more demand for Italian translation at the moment?
[10:45] About the Italian language.
[12:44] The challenges translators face when translating between English and Italian.
[15:34] What are some of the biggest cultural differences?
[18:18] What are some things to consider to make Italian translations inclusive?
[23:20] What suggestions does Milena have for new translators?
[25:00] The importance of gathering experience as a new translator.
[28:25] Thoughts on machine translation and its effect on the translation industry.
[30:40] Milena’s final thoughts on the translation and localization industry.
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