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Translator

A translator helps people understand each other when they speak different languages. They translate contracts, manuals, books, websites and films, while interpreters work at negotiations and conferences. If you love foreign languages, read a lot and enjoy finding exactly the right word, this career could suit you.

Translator

Good translation is not swapping words from a dictionary. A translator has to understand the meaning, tone and culture on both sides and know the subject: a legal text is translated differently from a poem or a video game. Many translators choose a niche such as medicine, law, IT or engineering. In Kazakhstan it helps to be fluent in Kazakh and Russian and to add English or another foreign language.

What the job involves

  • Translates documents, contracts, articles and manuals
  • Interprets at negotiations, meetings and conferences
  • Adapts websites, apps, games and videos for another language
  • Edits and proofreads other people's translations
  • Builds glossaries of terms for clients

Skills you need

  • Language skills

    A fluent foreign language and a well-written native language matter equally.

  • Attention to detail

    A wrong number or term can change the meaning of a contract or manual.

  • Broad knowledge

    The more you know about the world, the better you understand a text.

  • Quick thinking

    Interpreters translate on the spot without reaching for a dictionary.

  • Self-organisation

    Many translators work remotely and plan their own deadlines.

Who it suits

Personality types

Strong intelligences

  • Linguistic
  • Interpersonal
  • Intrapersonal

UNT subjects to take

State grants 2026

Main competition, full-time study. Quotas and separate state orders can have lower scores. Check your chances

Where to study

To become a translator you need a 4-year bachelor's degree in Translation Studies. The UNT profile pair is a foreign language and world history. Translators are trained, for example, at Ablai Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and Maqsut Narikbayev University. Students practise written and oral translation with texts of different genres.

You can start preparing at school: read books and watch videos in a foreign language, translate articles and songs for yourself and take part in language olympiads. Try UNT practice tests in your foreign language early so you get used to the format. After university, translators often take courses in a specific field, such as legal translation or game localisation.

Outlook

In Kazakhstan, translators work at translation agencies, international companies, government agencies, publishers, IT companies and as freelancers. Simple texts are now often translated by software, so people who can check and improve machine translation, know a complex field well or interpret live are valued. A second foreign language, such as Chinese, Turkish or Korean, can also be an advantage.

Frequently asked questions

Which UNT subjects do I need to become a translator?

For the Translation Studies programme (group B036) the profile pair is a foreign language and world history. You also take the compulsory subjects, including the history of Kazakhstan.

Will artificial intelligence replace translators?

Machine translation already helps with simple texts, but it makes mistakes with meaning, tone and terminology. Contracts, medical documents, negotiations and literature are still translated and checked by people. So it pays to learn to work with these tools rather than fear them.

What is the difference between interpreting and translation?

Translators work with written text and can check themselves with dictionaries. Interpreters convert speech on the spot, sometimes at the same time as the speaker, which takes quick thinking and steady nerves. Try both to see which suits you.

Is this career right for you?

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