I teach an internship in translation/interpreting ... well, "teach" is the wrong word. All the students have internships, and we meet once a week to discuss their experiences. This is the perfect textbook-they already know how to translate; what they need to know is how to do so as a career. They won't learn that from introductory translation books (which are very good at what they do); no introductory textbook is going to tell you to join the American Translators Association and buy a CAT program!
If you're looking for a book to teach you to translate, this isn't it. This book is geared towards people who have already started working in the field: it deals with where and how to get work, what fields need translators, where to find T&I classes, useful dictionaries, professional organizations, and so on. If you've been working as a translator for awhile, you'll probably know everything in the first half of the book (though it will still be useful for the appendices). The people who will benefit most from this book are those who have started translating professionally or are seriously considering doing so and want something to show what the experience of being a translator is actually about.
Unfortunately this book isn't as "updated" as it could be. The latest edition still lists essential computer equipment as "Windows 3.0+ with 500MB of memory and a 3" disk drive." But putting that aside, it's a good book. Especially for $17.
