如何做个好翻译:美国名校给你十条建议
美国蒙特雷国际研究生院(Monterey Institute of International Studies)是美国翻译及传译专业No.1的学校，以下十条便是蒙特雷校方给翻译专业新生的建议。有志于走上翻译道路的同学们，来看看如何成为一个优秀的译员吧。1. Read extensively, especially in your non-native language(s).
多读书，尤其要读外语作品。
Read high quality newspapers (e.g. the New York Times, Wall Street Journal) EVERY DAY for at least a year.
每天读高质量的报纸（如《纽约时报》《华尔街日报》等），坚持至少一年。
Read high quality news magazines (e.g. the Economist), cover to cover.
读高质量的杂志（如《经济学家》等），从封面到封底，每一页都要读。
Read your favorite topics in your non-native language(s).
阅读关于你感兴趣的主题的外语作品。
Read other well-written material that will help broaden your general knowledge.
阅读其他高质量的，有助于拓宽视野的材料。
2. Watch the TV news and listen to radio news and podcasts on current events in all workinglanguages.
多关注电视和广播里的各语种时事报导。
Don't just listen to news stories; analyze them.
不要只把新闻当故事听，要分析新闻。
Keep abreast of current events and issues.
与时俱进，跟上时事的步伐。
Record news programs and interviews so you can listen to them later.
把新闻节目和采访录下来，以便回顾。
3. Strengthen your general knowledge of economics, history, the law, international politics, and scientific concepts and principles (in that order).
加强你在经济、历史、法律、国际政治和科学方面的知识，了解一些基本的概念和原理。
Take college-level courses, review high school texts, etc.
可以通过学习大学课程或复习高中课本来达到这一点。
Strengthen your knowledge in a specialized field (preferably in a technical field, such as computers).
加强你在某个特定领域的知识（最好是某个技术领域，如计算机等）。
4. Live in a country where your non-native language is spoken.
在通用语言是你所学外语的国家住上一段时间。
A stay of at least six months to a year is recommended.
推荐至少住上半年到一年。
Live with and/or frequently interact with native speakers of your non-native language.
和以你所学外语为母语的人住在一起或保持互动。
Take content-related courses (e.g. macroeconomics, political science) in your non-native language (not just pure language courses).
参加一些外语教授的课程（如宏观经济学，政治科学等，而不是单纯的语言课程）。
Work in a setting that requires high level use of your non-native language.
在对你的外语水平要求较高的环境里工作。
5. Fine-tune your writing and research skills.
提升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程（不仅仅是创意写作课，而是新闻写作、科技文章写作之类的课程），如此你方能熟悉“新闻体”、“联合国体”、“法律体”等等写作风格。
Copy (by hand) sections of textbooks and periodicals in your non-native language(s).
抄写外语课本和期刊段落。
Make a note of unfamiliar or troublesome grammatical points and work towards mastering them.
把不常用或者易出错的语法点一一记下来，努力掌握它们。
Practice proofreading.
多做改错练习。
6. Improve your public speaking skills.
提升你的公共演讲技能。
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.)
多练习写讲稿和在其他人面前做演讲，既要用母语练也要用外语练。（最好让以你所学外语为母语的人来修改你的讲稿。）
7. Hone your analytical skills.
磨练你的分析技能。
Practice listening to speeches and orally summarizing the main points.
练习口头总结出听到的演讲的中心思想。
Practice writing summaries of news articles.
练习写新闻报道的摘要。
Practice deciphering difficult texts (e.g. philosophy, law, etc.).
练习阐释难懂的文章（如哲学文章、法律文章等）。
Practice explaining complicated concepts understandably.
练习把复杂的概念解释清楚。
Identify resources for background research (e.g. library, Internet, etc.).
为背景研究储备资源（包括图书馆、网络等等）。
8. Become computer savvy.
通晓电脑。
Familiarize yourself with navigation and file management under current Windows operating systems.
熟悉如何在Windows操作系统下导航和管理文件。
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系统多语种进程的特点，比如特定语言的键盘布局，地区性设置的方法等等。
Learn to use advanced functions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications in both your native and non-native languages.
熟悉Word，Excel和其他办公软件的母语版本以及外语版本。
Become an expert in search engines and online research by using these tools on a daily basis.
通过日常的频繁使用，熟悉搜索引擎和网络资源搜索。
9. Learn how to take care of yourself.
学会照顾自己。
Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and get sufficient sleep. These are all habits required of a good translator/interpreter.
合理饮食，经常锻炼，睡眠充足。这是成为优秀的译员所必需的习惯。
10. Be prepared for lifelong learning.
活到老，学到老。
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.
要有耐心。将自己的语言和分析能力提升到职业译员所需要的水平不是一朝一夕的事。只用通过长期不懈的努力，才能在这个充满挑战和刺激的领域取得成功。
