translatortolexicographer
A translator already meets 52% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
52%
47.2/ 100
1 Share of the lexicographer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the translator profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.
Why this move works
A lexicographer role treats 7 of its required skills as things a translator already does. These are the ones it depends on most.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- consult information sources
- follow work schedule
- grammar
- linguistics
- scientific research methodology
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A lexicographer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a translator background worth leading with.
- already held identify new words information skills
- already held develop technical glossaries information skills
- already held use dictionaries information skills
- already held translate language concepts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held linguistics arts and humanities
- already held spelling arts and humanities
All 12 carried skills, including the 7 the lexicographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you would need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.
- required, not held create definitions required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- required, not held practical lexicography required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- required, not held copyright legislation required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- required, not held search databases required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a lexicographer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create definitions skill · occupation specific
- 02 copyright legislation knowledge · cross sector
- 03 practical lexicography knowledge · cross sector
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held linguistics knowledge
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held develop technical glossaries skill
- already held identify new words skill
- already held translate language concepts skill
- already held use dictionaries skill
- already held use word processing software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held search engines optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
48 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt text culturally skill
- not needed by the target role analyse text before translation skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role comprehend the material to be translated skill
- not needed by the target role conduct scholarly research skill
- not needed by the target role court interpreting knowledge
- not needed by the target role create subtitles skill
- not needed by the target role decode handwritten texts skill
- not needed by the target role develop a translation strategy skill
- not needed by the target role develop terminology databases skill
- not needed by the target role follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities skill
- not needed by the target role follow translation quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role improve translated texts skill
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep up with language evolution skill
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain updated professional knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role make abstracts skill
- not needed by the target role make surtitles skill
- not needed by the target role master language rules skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role perform sworn translations skill
- not needed by the target role postediting knowledge
- not needed by the target role preserve original text skill
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role provide written content skill
- not needed by the target role review translation works skill
- not needed by the target role revise translation works skill
- not needed by the target role semantics knowledge
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role technical terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role transcreation knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate different types of texts skill
- not needed by the target role translate spoken language skill
- not needed by the target role translate tags skill
- not needed by the target role translate texts skill
- not needed by the target role type texts from audio sources skill
- not needed by the target role types of literature genres knowledge
8 further entries not listed here
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- required, not held copyright legislation required
- required, not held practical lexicography required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
Other moves recorded from translator
- localiser 78% covered · adjacent
- translation agency manager 68% covered · moderate
- lawyer linguist 56% covered · moderate
- sign language interpreter 54% covered · moderate
- interpreter 49% covered · substantial
- proofreader 46% covered · moderate
- foreign language correspondence clerk 43% covered · moderate
- scopist 39% covered · substantial
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.