How to be a good interpreter
How to be a good interpreter
How to Become an Interpreter
Want a rewarding career? This might be right up your alley.
Interpreters, much like translators, are responsible for helping people overcome linguistic barriers and communicate effectively. They do that by using their advanced knowledge of both languages to transfer speech orally. However, to pursue this career path, you’ll need a lot more than just fluency in two languages. In fact, interpreting is one of the most demanding professions out there as it requires deep concentration levels as well as one’s ability to remain impartial and unbiased throughout the process.
Becoming an interpreter can be a very exciting career path. Read our guide below to find out more about what this profession entails and what you need to do to become one.
1. Research the Profession
To better understand this career path, you need to learn more about it. Sure, fluency in two languages is the main prerequisite for becoming an interpreter, but that’s not all it takes. In fact, in order to be a good interpreter, you not only need to be fluent in two languages at a near native level but you also have experienced both cultures as speech is loaded with sociocultural context and, unless you know both cultures, you won’t be able to interpret and retain meaning.
Job Description
In a nutshell, interpreters are responsible for converting speech from one language to another. This task comes with its fair share of challenges as language is a complicated thing, and trying to transfer it across languages and cultures often means losing some of the meaning conveyed by the source party. Interpreters are there to ensure that that loss is retained to a minimum and that the two parties trying to communicate can do so effectively.
As we’ve discussed earlier, language fluency is the bare minimum of the requirements. In order for an interpreter to become successful, they also need to be able to remain unbiased and to ensure that their priority is to transfer exactly what the source party intends to convey. Being able to understand the culture norms of each party is also necessary as it allows interpreters to reduce misunderstandings and convey speech exactly as it was intended in the source language.
Apart from all of these, interpreting is also a very demanding profession as in order to interpret, one needs to be fully concentrated. This is especially true in simultaneous interpreting when the interpreter basically needs to transfer what is being said in real time.
Simultaneous interpretation is one of the four paths you’ll need to choose from if you plan on pursuing this career. More analytically, the four types of interpretation are:
Skills Required
Interpreters require extremely high-levels of concentration and they also need to be excellent communicators. Being able to think on your feet and make decisions in a split second, meanwhile, is another necessary prerequisite for people in this profession.
Aspiring interpreters need to hone in their research skills, as conducting research in advance to each conference/meeting is essential. Speeches are usually very technical and include acronyms and jargon that the interpreter needs to know in advance in order to be able to effectively transfer what is being said.
Interpreters need to also be excellent listeners as meaning can only be conveyed through paying careful attention to what is being said. Furthermore, they need to be able to use logic and reason to make decisions and reach conclusions.
Salary
Interpretation as a field is very competitive and you are more likely to get a high paying job outside the UK.
Salaries vary depending on your experience, your language pair and, of course, the field you specialise in.
Medical interpreters, for example, tend to be very well paid as they need a high level of expertise to be able to interpret the high-level technical vocabulary that is usually used in medical conferences.
Most interpreters work on a freelance basis, charging hourly rates based on where they are located, their level of experience, the type of interpreting they do and the demand for their languages. On average, their rates range between £30 and £60 per hour. Bear in mind that most interpreters usually charge a minimum fee of a couple of hours’ work and expect their travel times and costs to also be taken care of by the client.
Staff interpreters for the European Commission start with a salary of €4,384 (£3,924) and after gaining some experience earn an average of €5,612 (£5,023).
The truth is that, unless you work in PSI interpretation, you are likely to be unable to have a stable income and, as such, many interpreters also do translation and copywriting work.
Working Hours
Interpretation is a career with very odd hours. Freelancers tend to be flexible, but as many conferences take place over weekends or in the evenings, interpreters are usually required to sacrifice a lot of their holiday time.
Interpreters who work for the police or hospitals may also be called in for emergencies.
2. Gain the Qualifications
Although not required, gaining an academic degree can significantly increase your employment opportunities and your earning potential, so I’d advise anyone interested in pursuing this career path to enrol to a university degree.
Bachelor’s Degrees
Essentially, there are two paths you can take.
One is to enrol to a course relevant to interpreting. Many universities offer degrees in translation and interpreting, for example, while a degree in languages can also benefit your career.
The other path you can pursue is to take up a degree in your field of specialisation. So, if court interpretation is something you’re interested in, for example, a Bachelor’s degree in law could help you become more specialised.
Master’s Degrees
Many young interpreters choose to pursue master’s degrees because they can offer vigorous training and can help hone in your skills. Most MA programmes are designed to equip students with the skills needed for a freelance career and you will also learn lots of interpreting practices (like how to keep an accessible vocabulary bank or take notes for SI) that will help you down the line.
Languages
According to official legislation by the UN and the European Commission, interpreters should only translate into their native language. That’s to ensure that tone of voice is transmitted effectively, as well as to avoid any errors. However, there’s a good chance that you’ll be required to translate into your second language as well, especially if your second language is rare.
3. Land Your First Job
The key to building a successful career as an interpreter is to gain experience. The more experienced and skilled you become, the easier it will be for you to get a job and increase your earning potential.
Getting started as a freelancer without any experience can be tricky, so look for internships or part-time jobs while at university. Starting out with an agency is always a good idea because it can help you gain the knowledge and experience needed to jumpstart your career.
It’s also important to start building your own network as this is, essentially, how you’ll find more jobs. Start talking with other interpreters and translators, and you’ll see that they won’t only have lots of inside information to share with you but will also think of you when they hear about jobs in your language pair.
The two most popular directories for jobs in interpreting are:
Interpreters can also work for the police and the NHS, as well as a number of private businesses that require language services, so it’s always a good idea to also use popular job boards for your job search. Indeed, Monster and Reed, for example, always have dedicated sections for interpreters.
The European Union is also a great employer for interpreters as there are positions in all of its institutions for interpreters. Look for jobs in the European Commission, for example, the Court of Justice and the Parliament.
4. Develop Your Career
There is a lot of room for development in this field as the more experienced you become, you can take on bigger challenges.
Gaining membership to a professional body is not required, but it can be extremely beneficial to one’s career, so you should consider pursuing a path towards membership with any of these professional bodies:
Becoming an interpreter could mean an opportunity to participate in important events around the world and be privy to high-level conversations.
Do you think you’d be successful as an interpreter? Let me know in the comments section below.
How to Become an Interpreter: A Comfortable 5-step Guide
Night after night, you keep having the same dream.
You hear voices whispering… then getting louder and louder. Frantic voices.
It’s dark. The voices around you sound confused. Agitated. Maybe even afraid.
At first, you can’t understand what they’re saying. Over time, the words become clearer and clearer. Finally, you open your mouth to speak, to explain.
Faces around you look hopeful and relaxed. As if by magic, everyone instantly grasps your meaning.
Confusion is chased away. Understanding dawns like a bright, new day.
You wake up a few hours later, the impressions from your strange dream still floating through your mind. You bridged the chasm of understanding for others—and you feel exhilarated.
What is this reverie that fills your thoughts with a sense of purpose and satisfaction? Do you need dream interpretation?
Or are you dreaming of being an interpreter?
If it’s the latter, you’re in luck. Because today we’re serving up a fundamental, 5-step guide to becoming an interpreter.
But before we crack open the guidebook, let’s set the record straight on the job title.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Translator vs. Interpreter: What’s the Difference?
“Translator” and “interpreter” are often used interchangeably, especially in movies and TV shows.
If you want to sit at a desk with dictionaries and other language books and carefully create a document that duplicates the meaning of the original—only in a different language—then being a translator might suit you.
If you’d rather be in the thick of the conversation, helping speakers of different languages understand each other in real time, you may wish to become an interpreter.
Future interpreters, read on!
How to Become an Interpreter: A Comfortable 5-step Guide
Step 1: Begin with the Basics
The first stop on your journey is self-assessment. It’ll help you decide if you have the “right stuff” to be a professional interpreter. Let’s break down the essentials here.
Language aptitude
It’s likely that, given enough time and creative learning methods, almost anyone can learn a second language, even if it’s harder for some people than others.
That said, there’s a difference between learning Italian well enough to order pizza in Rome and having the professional competency to interpret for il Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri (the Italian Prime Minister).
Some people seem to have more of a natural aptitude for learning languages, making a career in interpretation a more realistic choice.
Like musicians, interpreters also need good ears. Grasping grammar rules or savant-like vocabulary memorization won’t help you succeed as a professional interpreter if you can’t understand native speakers when they talk at conversational speed… or if you struggle to master a native accent.
If you sincerely love the idea of becoming an interpreter but doubt your skills, don’t get discouraged! While some people may have a natural knack for learning and understanding spoken languages, others may just need to work a bit harder and get in more relevant practice.
With FluentU, you can polish up your understanding of a language through modern, useful, realistic scenarios in videos that allow you to study written language, spoken language, cultural specifics and more all at the same time.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
Try FluentU for FREE!
Devotion to language learning
Unless you grew up bilingual, achieving professional-level fluency as an interpreter is not a task for the faint of heart.
To interpret professionally, you must learn your languages to a higher standard than a hobbyist. You have to keep yourself motivated to strive, because it could take months to master just the fundamentals.
And, even when you’re officially fluent, you still won’t be done.
Dedication to ongoing study
You probably don’t think about keeping up to date in your native language. Sure, you might hear an unknown expression and think, “Wow, that’s a new one!” And, if you’re a word nerd like me, you might look it up on Urban Dictionary to make sure you caught all of its nuances.
Learning any language isn’t “one and done” or “set it and forget it.” But if you’re not living and working in a country where your second language is used most of the time, you’ll need to make an even greater effort to keep up with it.
Your career as an interpreter depends on how current you keep your vocabulary and cultural references.
Cultural interpretations
Language is more than vocab and grammar; you need to understand the people who speak it.
In order to do so, you have to learn the language in its ever-evolving cultural context.
Magazines, newspapers and books are a great way to dive in, but print media isn’t as effective for honing your listening skills. Of course, audiobooks are an exception.
Movies, TV shows and videos—like the real-world content found on FluentU—are a dramatically convenient way to understand not just the language, but the people who speak it. With cutting-edge media from around the world, you can travel virtually to anywhere and learn to speak like the locals.
Professional selflessness
Successful interpreters can’t editorialize.
No matter how strong your opinions or feelings about a certain subject, you must resign yourself to only expressing what the speaker is saying.
The focus in interpretation must be on the speakers, not the interpreters.
You can learn a lot as an interpreter by being a “fly on the wall” through whom all the conversation flows. However, you need to keep your own thoughts silent, acting only as a voice for others.
Even if you strongly disagree with what’s being said, your job is to render it accurately, without commentary.
And it’s not just the words you say—you’ll need to put on your best poker face, so you don’t color the speakers’ meaning in any way.
It goes without saying that the conversations you interpret—no matter how juicy or fascinating—are confidential.
Step 2: Decide What Kind of Interpreter You Want to Be
Interpreters can work in a wide variety of fields, specializing in certain kinds of interpretation. You might be amazed at all the different career opportunities available for interpreters.
Health care interpreter
What could be scarier than needing medical attention and having to receive it from a doctor who speaks a language you don’t understand? This is the situation faced by many patients today, who are either traveling or are immigrants in a new country.
As an interpreter working in a hospital or medical practice, you could help speakers of other languages understand their diagnoses, prognoses and treatment options.
Health care interpreters are sometimes called medical interpreters. Those who work primarily in a hospital setting are known as hospital interpreters.
Working as a health care interpreter requires the background to understand specialized medical terminology. In addition, you’ll need to be up to date on all the latest privacy laws when interpreting for patients and medical professionals.
Training courses like this one specifically address these needs. Unless you already have a health care background, similar local or virtual resources would be a fundamental part of your professional education.
Court/legal interpreter
Like a medical interpreter, a court or legal interpreter must work with the utmost accuracy and discretion. The outcomes of courtroom events can have serious consequences in the lives of your clients.
A background in law—for example, paralegal training—can be an enormous asset to those who would like to interpret in a courtroom or for a law firm.
Business interpreter
A business interpreter might help business owners negotiate with each other, or help management to communicate with employees who speak a different language.
Some business interpreters provide “language line” services, facilitating phone-based customer support for speakers of other languages.
You might work for a language services agency like Language Scientific or ALTA Language Services. Companies such as these cater to the business needs of many industries.
Immigration services interpreter
Immigration services interpreters work with clients and government agencies, helping new immigrants to understand their rights and legal obligations throughout the immigration process.
You might work directly for a government agency, or represent a client for an immigration advocacy group.
Diplomatic interpreter
If you’ve ever seen the headphone-wearing linguists at the UN, sorting through the Tower of Babel to foster conversation among many nations, you’ve seen a diplomatic interpreter at work.
International meetings, such as those between heads of state, are another venue in which diplomatic interpreters are needed.
Diplomatic interpreters can also be conference interpreters, although not all multinational meetings are diplomatic in nature… some of them might be business-related or professional conferences.
Travel interpreter
Language apps and phrasebooks are great for travel, but sometimes globetrotters run into circumstances that exceed their limited linguistic repertoires.
Travel interpreters help visitors navigate linguistic and cultural barriers in a foreign land, allowing them to have more successful journeys abroad.
Simultaneous or consecutive?
Depending on your field, you might need to either interpret the speaker’s words almost immediately after hearing them (simultaneous interpretation) or you might be able to listen to the speaker for a few seconds or moments before starting to interpret (consecutive interpretation). The circumstances or setting often dictate which form of interpretation is chosen.
There are actually a few different types of consecutive interpretation; the “short” form is usually more memory-based for the interpreter, since interpretation is expected to start after the speaker completes a few sentences or paragraphs and then pauses for the interpretation.
In the “long” form of consecutive interpretation, the speaker may complete part or all of an entire speech before the interpretation must begin. Consecutive interpreters often take notes in this situation and may even work from provided source materials to help make their interpretation more accurate.
You can get training in either simultaneous or consecutive interpretation. Some institutions offer programs that prepare you to do both.
Step 3: Research Needed Certifications
Certifications aren’t always mandatory, but some can be quite beneficial to your career as an interpreter.
Types of certifications
Most certifications match the field of interpretation, testing both your general language ability and your specialized knowledge of the field.
For example, the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) administers certification for those prospective interpreters planning to work in a hospital or other medical setting. Both written and oral exams are available in the following languages:
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) furnishes a similar certification, using third-party testing to verify language proficiency.
Court interpreters working in the United States can qualify as certified federal interpreters, or work at the state level with certification from the National Center for State Courts.
Benefits of being certified
Many types of interpretation don’t require certification. However, having official certifications can improve your job prospects and help you increase your earnings.
Of course, obtaining and maintaining your certification—which usually needs to be renewed every few years—takes time and money. The costs of staying certified must be balanced against the advantages of certification.
Step 4: Tailor Your Education
Most people know that if you want to become a doctor, you need a medical degree.
Wannabe lawyers need to get through law school.
However, the training requirements for interpreters aren’t always clear-cut.
How much education do you need?
Will a certificate program be enough? Or will you also need a bachelor’s degree or graduate school education?
The answer to this will depend partly on the type of interpreter you wish to become.
For instance, at minimum, most health care interpreters need a high school diploma. Sometimes, certification—and even higher education—is required. The standards may vary from one medical institution to another.
In many cases, a bachelor’s degree is a necessary first step to becoming an interpreter.
Customize your curriculum
If you’re earning your bachelor’s degree with plans to be a professional interpreter, there are several ways to proceed.
A concentration or even a double major could ground you in both the language and the specific field of interpretation. If you want to be an interpreter for Austrian businesses, for example, you might double major in business and German.
If your parents emigrated from Vienna and you grew up speaking both German and English, you might forgo the German major and focus on business courses.
In either case, if your college or university offers a course in interpretation as a profession, it could give you valuable insights and training for your future career.
Consider a specialized school
Some institutions are dedicated to training interpreters and translators.
Through Middlebury College’s highly-esteemed Monterey Language and Culture program, you could earn your Master of Arts degree in Translation and Interpretation or Conference Interpretation.
If you’re serving in the American military, or you work for the Department of Defense or a related federal agency, you might consider training at a facility like the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
The American Translators Association—which, despite its name, also represents interpreters—offers an extensive list of language schools around the world.
Step 5: Practice with Real-world Language Resources
Above and beyond formal schooling and certification, aspiring interpreters will want to use supplementary language learning resources.
Lend your ears: Listening skills
We’ve all had those amusing and embarrassing moments of mishearing someone, even in our native language.
You might have native-level fluency in your second language and still mishear something every once in a while.
Of course, you’ll want to minimize the chances of this happening—especially in a professional context—by systematically improving your language listening skills, learning to avoid common listening mistakes that could undermine your confidence.
Cutting-edge content: Keeping current
Since languages are continuously growing and changing, you’ll need some way to stay just as current as native speakers who live and work with the language every day.
As we mentioned earlier, through the magic of the internet, you can directly access contemporary content in your target language, even if you live half a world away from where it’s most widely spoken.
A little more conversation: Speaking confidently
A language exchange partner who’s a native speaker can be an enormous help to an interpreter or an interpreter-in-training.
No matter what the topic, these conversations will help you:
Don’t fret if you can’t find a native speaker nearby. Go face-to-face virtually with a language exchange partner, using a video chat app like Skype.
Volunteer your time
Although your goal is to be paid for your interpretation services, don’t overlook the advantages of volunteer opportunities.
Sites like VolunteerMatch offer local (and even remote) opportunities for polishing your interpretation skills pro bono. Job sites such as Indeed have listings for budding interpreters who want to refine their craft through volunteering. Many of these opportunities are in the medical field, although there are some for future court or business interpreters.
Internships, both paid and unpaid, can also help you rack up experience as an interpreter.
The National Language Service Corps (NLSC) is an American organization devoted to serving civic language needs through U.S. government agencies. Membership in the NLSC is open to any U.S. citizen 18 or older who’s fluent in English and at least one other language. There are no fees to join; service through the organization is compensated with an hourly stipend.
NLSC members can network together through social media sites, where you could find a job opportunity or a mentor.
Mingle with the pros: Professional organizations
Speaking of mentorship, consider joining an association of professional interpreters. These groups are a fantastic way to keep up with the latest professional news, meet colleagues and learn from their experience.
You could find a kindred spirit with many years in the field who would be happy to mentor you and offer career advice.
In addition, these organizations often provide formal training for their members. Some will list members in a professional directory that can open up more employment opportunities.
You might join a group with a broader base—such as the aforementioned American Translators Association (ATA), which offers a discounted membership for students enrolled in a translation or interpretation program.
There are specialty organizations for certain types of translators, as well. For example, the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators (NAJIT) might be a good choice for a court interpreter. Up-and-coming conference interpreters might join the International Association of Conference Interpreters, which is commonly known as l’Association internationale des interprètes de conférence (AIIC).
Future medical interpreters might take advantage of a very affordable student membership in the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC). An NCIHC membership includes training webinars that members can access from anywhere.
Whichever path you take, use these resources to guide you on your quest. With careful planning and tenacity, you can make your dreams of interpretation come true.
Michelle Baumgartner is a language nerd who has formally studied seven languages and informally dabbled in at least three others. In addition to geeking out over slender vowels, interrogative particles and phonemes, Michelle is a freelance content marketer and education blogger. Keep up with her latest adventures in language and learning on Twitter.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Qualities of a Professional Interpreter
In Blog by Rafael Morel 16 July, 2014 Leave a Comment
The need for interpretation services continues to grow. This is especially the case these days, with more businesses taking advantage of the foreign market. When participating in conferences and similar large meetings, you’ll need simultaneous interpreters.
These professionals often work in soundproof booths to eliminate distractions. For smaller meetings that usually take place between two people speaking in person, you’ll need a consecutive interpreter.
These interpreters provide various services and have different skills. However, some proficiencies are the same for both of these experts. For example, both types must have extensive language proficiency and excellent interpreter skills.
They also need the ability to adapt to different situations to provide professional services at all times. When your company is searching for a language interpreter, qualifications are the first things to look at.
You want to choose an agency or individual that has the training and experience required to do the job. However, there’s more to this position than speaking two languages and interpreting what is being said correctly.
The interpreter you hire for your business must have certain interpersonal skills and qualities. These qualities will make them a good match for your company. He or she must also have the knowledge to perform the job well and accurately.
For example, an interpreter should know your industry and have high moral standards. There will be many times when your interpreter will work with sensitive information. The privacy must stay confidential to help maintain your good reputation.
In this article, we will show how to find a good interpreter and what are the essential interpretation and interpersonal skills.
Required Interpreter Skills
A professional interpreter will perform the job in such a way that the conversations will flow smoothly. As a result, it will seem like the interpreter is not even there, and that’s how it should be. However, it takes a trained professional with these qualities to make that happen.
Five qualities that are required include the following:
When you find interpreters with these five qualities, you know your meetings will go smoothly. If any problems do arise, you can count on these experts to handle them quickly and professionally.
These skills and qualities are a must-have for a professional interpreter. Fortunately, you can expect this type of high-quality assistance when using our services.
Language Proficiency
Interpreting requires having excellent language proficiency in the target language. This means an interpreter has to have an extensive vocabulary and skills to express opinions clearly.
Knowledge of terminology is another important part of being an interpreter. If your clients work in the legal or medical industry, look for an interpreter who has profound experience in the specific field.
Successful interpretation depends on the interpreter’s level of knowledge; thus, the inability to interpret might negatively affect your future cooperation.
It is easy to find a linguist who is skillful in more than one language; however, it is quite challenging to find an interpreter with a superior understanding of cultural intricacies, terminology, and even idioms.
Cultural Interpretation From One Language to Another
An interpreter shouldn’t be limited to only knowing the languages. Culture is a significant factor in interpreting clients’ communication. It is vital to understand that some words in English can be absent in Spanish, Arabic or Portuguese, etc. An interpreter needs to be prepared to adjust the meaning according to clients’ cultural backgrounds. For instance, baptism in Christianity could be explained as Aqiqah in Arabic. However, those are two events that are solely exclusive to speakers’ cultures. An interpreter will be required to translate highly culture-related concepts that can be unknown to another speaker.
The cross-cultural interpretation includes interpreting unique words, idioms, proverbs. That’s why an interpreter needs to be aware of the culture and integrate with it. For most of the time, a skilled interpreter will have a role of a mediator who can explain the reason for certain behavior or clarify the meaning of the client’s message.
A successful interpreter is one who has a cross-cultural understanding of the source and target languages.
Certification
An experienced interpreter should have a relevant university degree, go through rigorous training, and keep up with the development linked to the chosen industry.
Before cooperating with an interpreter, check for certain certification that proves the interpreter’s abilities to do a good job.
Proper training and education are vital for a linguist to be better at interpreting. Educated and professional interpreters are less likely to make mistakes and get stressed during business meetings or conferences.
Personal Appearance and Attitude
Personal appearance and attitude are qualities to look for when choosing an interpreter. An interpreter should have perfect language proficiency combined with social skills and a pleasant and friendly attitude, no matter what is going on at the time.
This job can be very stressful and exhausting, so having an easy-going personality is vital for this position. Social skills mean the interpreter also needs to be an attentive listener. And for the most part, interpreters should be in the background. But for those times when they are not, you don’t want them to be rude or snap at anyone. This will mean that they have poor social skills.
Interpreters should also be well-groomed and professionally dressed. They should never show up in casual clothing such as jeans and a t-shirt.
Normally, they should match your business attire, whether your dress code is business casual or a suit and tie. Even though they do not work directly for your company, they still represent your business. In other words, how they dress will reflect positively or negatively on you.
Dependability
Dependability is another personal quality to look for in an interpreter. It would reflect badly on your company if you have to delay the meeting because your interpreter showed up late. Imagine how embarrassing it would be for your company if this happened.
In addition to the embarrassment, it will damage your reputation if this happens too often. Not only that, other professionals in the industry won’t take you seriously.
When choosing a language interpreter for your business, keep in mind that how they look and act will reflect your company. If they perform badly in any area, not just in interpreting, it can worsen the company’s prestige.
For this reason, make sure you choose a reputable interpretation agency to do business with. This is so you don’t have to worry about getting someone with poor social skills or who has a problem making it to meetings on time.
It’s also a good idea to meet with the interpreter in person before you actually hire someone. This will allow you to see how the person presents himself and get an idea of his social skills in advance.
This will help you make the best choice for all of your language interpretation needs.
Professionalism Is Always Required
The interpreters you choose represent your company. The way they act and their personal appearance reflect on your business. That is why it’s very important that they always show professionalism.
This is one of the most important interpreter’s or translator’s skills. That is why our interpreters here at Lighthouseonline.com will always act appropriately. This is the case before, during, and after all meetings.
We understand how important maintaining a good reputation is for your business.
Because of that, our interpreters strive for excellence in every way. You can expect them to provide excellent social skills and maintain a friendly and pleasant attitude always. This is still true even if things are not going according to plan. They will also be well-groomed and dressed properly.
International marketing can take your company to new heights, and we would like to help you accomplish all of your goals. Give us a call to learn more about how we can help your company succeed in all of your foreign marketing endeavors.
With our team, you will find the qualities of professionalism you’ve been searching for. Also, remember that there are different types of interpreters. It’s best to keep that in mind when looking for an interpretation service.
Want to learn more about choosing the right translation services for your next event? Download your free eBook to find the services you need.
How to Become an Interpreter: A Comfortable 5-step Guide
Dreaming of being an interpreter?
Your aspirations don’t just have to live in your head!
Because today I’m serving up a fundamental, five-step guide to becoming an interpreter.
But before we crack open the guidebook and move forward in making your dreams a reality, let’s set the record straight on the job title.
Contents
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Translator vs. Interpreter: What’s the Difference?
“Translator” and “interpreter” are often used interchangeably, especially in movies and TV shows.
If you want to sit at a desk with dictionaries and other language books and carefully create a document that duplicates the meaning of the original—only in a different language—then being a translator might suit you.
If you’d rather be in the thick of the conversation, helping speakers of different languages understand each other in real time, you may wish to become an interpreter.
Future interpreters, read on!
How to Become an Interpreter: A Comfortable 5-step Guide
Step 1: Begin with the Basics
The first stop on your journey is self-assessment. It’ll help you decide if you have the “right stuff” to be a professional interpreter. Let’s break down the essentials here.
Language aptitude
It’s likely that, given enough time and creative learning methods, almost anyone can learn a second language, even if it’s harder for some people than others.
That said, there’s a difference between learning Italian well enough to order pizza in Rome and having the professional competency to interpret for il Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri (the Italian Prime Minister).
Some people seem to have more of a natural aptitude for learning languages, making a career in interpretation a more realistic choice.
Like musicians, interpreters also need good ears. Grasping grammar rules or savant-like vocabulary memorization won’t help you succeed as a professional interpreter if you can’t understand native speakers when they talk at conversational speed… or if you struggle to master a native accent.
If you sincerely love the idea of becoming an interpreter but doubt your skills, don’t get discouraged! While some people may have a natural knack for learning and understanding spoken languages, others may just need to work a bit harder and get in more relevant practice.
Devotion to language learning
Unless you grew up bilingual, achieving professional-level fluency as an interpreter is not a task for the faint of heart.
To interpret professionally, you must learn your languages to a higher standard than a hobbyist. You have to keep yourself motivated to strive, because it could take months to master just the fundamentals.
And, even when you’re officially fluent, you still won’t be done.
Dedication to ongoing study
You probably don’t think about keeping up to date in your native language. Sure, you might hear an unknown expression and think, “Wow, that’s a new one!” And, if you’re a word nerd like me, you might look it up on Urban Dictionary to make sure you caught all of its nuances.
Learning any language isn’t “one and done” or “set it and forget it.” But if you’re not living and working in a country where your second language is used most of the time, you’ll need to make an even greater effort to keep up with it.
Your career as an interpreter depends on how current you keep your vocabulary and cultural references.
Cultural interpretations
Language is more than vocab and grammar; you need to understand the people who speak it.
In order to do so, you have to learn the language in its ever-evolving cultural context.
Magazines, newspapers and books are a great way to dive in, but print media isn’t as effective for honing your listening skills. Of course, audiobooks are an exception.
Movies, TV shows and videos are a dramatically convenient way to understand not just the language, but the people who speak it. With cutting-edge media from around the world, you can travel virtually to anywhere and learn to speak like the locals.
Professional selflessness
Successful interpreters can’t editorialize.
No matter how strong your opinions or feelings about a certain subject, you must resign yourself to only expressing what the speaker is saying.
The focus in interpretation must be on the speakers, not the interpreters.
You can learn a lot as an interpreter by being a “fly on the wall” through whom all the conversation flows. However, you need to keep your own thoughts silent, acting only as a voice for others.
Even if you strongly disagree with what’s being said, your job is to render it accurately, without commentary.
And it’s not just the words you say—you’ll need to put on your best poker face, so you don’t color the speakers’ meaning in any way.
It goes without saying that the conversations you interpret—no matter how juicy or fascinating—are confidential.
Step 2: Decide What Kind of Interpreter You Want to Be
Interpreters can work in a wide variety of fields, specializing in certain kinds of interpretation. You might be amazed at all the different career opportunities available for interpreters.
Health care interpreter
What could be scarier than needing medical attention and having to receive it from a doctor who speaks a language you don’t understand? This is the situation faced by many patients today, who are either traveling or are immigrants in a new country.
As an interpreter working in a hospital or medical practice, you could help speakers of other languages understand their diagnoses, prognoses and treatment options.
Health care interpreters are sometimes called medical interpreters. Those who work primarily in a hospital setting are known as hospital interpreters.
Working as a health care interpreter requires the background to understand specialized medical terminology. In addition, you’ll need to be up to date on all the latest privacy laws when interpreting for patients and medical professionals.
Training courses like this one specifically address these needs. Unless you already have a health care background, similar local or virtual resources would be a fundamental part of your professional education.
Court/legal interpreter
Like a medical interpreter, a court or legal interpreter must work with the utmost accuracy and discretion. The outcomes of courtroom events can have serious consequences in the lives of your clients.
A background in law—for example, paralegal training—can be an enormous asset to those who would like to interpret in a courtroom or for a law firm.
Business interpreter
A business interpreter might help business owners negotiate with each other, or help management to communicate with employees who speak a different language.
Some business interpreters provide “language line” services, facilitating phone-based customer support for speakers of other languages.
You might work for a language services agency like Language Scientific or ALTA Language Services. Companies such as these cater to the business needs of many industries.
Immigration services interpreter
Immigration services interpreters work with clients and government agencies, helping new immigrants to understand their rights and legal obligations throughout the immigration process.
You might work directly for a government agency, or represent a client for an immigration advocacy group.
Diplomatic interpreter
If you’ve ever seen the headphone-wearing linguists at the UN, sorting through the Tower of Babel to foster conversation among many nations, you’ve seen a diplomatic interpreter at work.
International meetings, such as those between heads of state, are another venue in which diplomatic interpreters are needed.
Diplomatic interpreters can also be conference interpreters, although not all multinational meetings are diplomatic in nature… some of them might be business-related or professional conferences.
Travel interpreter
Language apps and phrasebooks are great for travel, but sometimes globetrotters run into circumstances that exceed their limited linguistic repertoires.
Travel interpreters help visitors navigate linguistic and cultural barriers in a foreign land, allowing them to have more successful journeys abroad.
Simultaneous or consecutive?
Depending on your field, you might need to either interpret the speaker’s words almost immediately after hearing them (simultaneous interpretation) or you might be able to listen to the speaker for a few seconds or moments before starting to interpret (consecutive interpretation). The circumstances or setting often dictate which form of interpretation is chosen.
There are actually a few different types of consecutive interpretation; the “short” form is usually more memory-based for the interpreter, since interpretation is expected to start after the speaker completes a few sentences or paragraphs and then pauses for the interpretation.
In the “long” form of consecutive interpretation, the speaker may complete part or all of an entire speech before the interpretation must begin. Consecutive interpreters often take notes in this situation and may even work from provided source materials to help make their interpretation more accurate.
You can get training in either simultaneous or consecutive interpretation. Some institutions offer programs that prepare you to do both.
Step 3: Research Needed Certifications
Certifications aren’t always mandatory, but some can be quite beneficial to your career as an interpreter.
Types of certifications
Most certifications match the field of interpretation, testing both your general language ability and your specialized knowledge of the field.
For example, the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) administers certification for those prospective interpreters planning to work in a hospital or other medical setting. Both written and oral exams are available in the following languages:
The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) furnishes a similar certification, using third-party testing to verify language proficiency.
Court interpreters working in the United States can qualify as certified federal interpreters, or work at the state level with certification from the National Center for State Courts.
Benefits of being certified
Many types of interpretation don’t require certification. However, having official certifications can improve your job prospects and help you increase your earnings.
Of course, obtaining and maintaining your certification—which usually needs to be renewed every few years—takes time and money. The costs of staying certified must be balanced against the advantages of certification.
Step 4: Tailor Your Education
Most people know that if you want to become a doctor, you need a medical degree.
Wannabe lawyers need to get through law school.
However, the training requirements for interpreters aren’t always clear-cut.
How much education do you need?
Will a certificate program be enough? Or will you also need a bachelor’s degree or graduate school education?
The answer to this will depend partly on the type of interpreter you wish to become.
For instance, at minimum, most health care interpreters need a high school diploma. Sometimes, certification—and even higher education—is required. The standards may vary from one medical institution to another.
In many cases, a bachelor’s degree is a necessary first step to becoming an interpreter.
Customize your curriculum
If you’re earning your bachelor’s degree with plans to be a professional interpreter, there are several ways to proceed.
A concentration or even a double major could ground you in both the language and the specific field of interpretation. If you want to be an interpreter for Austrian businesses, for example, you might double major in business and German.
If your parents emigrated from Vienna and you grew up speaking both German and English, you might forgo the German major and focus on business courses.
In either case, if your college or university offers a course in interpretation as a profession, it could give you valuable insights and training for your future career.
Consider a specialized school
Some institutions are dedicated to training interpreters and translators.
Through Middlebury College’s highly-esteemed Monterey Language and Culture program, you could earn your Master of Arts degree in Translation and Interpretation or Conference Interpretation.
If you’re serving in the American military, or you work for the Department of Defense or a related federal agency, you might consider training at a facility like the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.
The American Translators Association—which, despite its name, also represents interpreters—offers an extensive list of language schools around the world.
Step 5: Practice with Real-world Language Resources
Above and beyond formal schooling and certification, aspiring interpreters will want to use supplementary language learning resources.
Lend your ears: Listening skills
We’ve all had those amusing and embarrassing moments of mishearing someone, even in our native language.
You might have native-level fluency in your second language and still mishear something every once in a while.
Of course, you’ll want to minimize the chances of this happening—especially in a professional context—by systematically improving your language listening skills, learning to avoid common listening mistakes that could undermine your confidence.
To polish up your abilities, you can try out FluentU. This program provides language education through the use of authentic videos crafted by native speakers, meaning you get visual and audio contexts. Each clip comes with interactive captions so that you can ensure you’re discerning and understanding words correctly. You can further practice your listening skills with multimedia flashcards and personalized quizzes.
Cutting-edge content: Keeping current
Since languages are continuously growing and changing, you’ll need some way to stay just as current as native speakers who live and work with the language every day.
As we mentioned earlier, through the magic of the internet, you can directly access contemporary content in your target language, even if you live half a world away from where it’s most widely spoken.
A little more conversation: Speaking confidently
A language exchange partner who’s a native speaker can be an enormous help to an interpreter or an interpreter-in-training.
No matter what the topic, these conversations will help you:
Don’t fret if you can’t find a native speaker nearby. Go face-to-face virtually with a language exchange partner, using a video chat app like Skype.
Volunteer your time
Although your goal is to be paid for your interpretation services, don’t overlook the advantages of volunteer opportunities.
Sites like VolunteerMatch offer local (and even remote) opportunities for polishing your interpretation skills pro bono. Job sites such as Indeed have listings for budding interpreters who want to refine their craft through volunteering. Many of these opportunities are in the medical field, although there are some for future court or business interpreters.
Internships, both paid and unpaid, can also help you rack up experience as an interpreter.
The National Language Service Corps (NLSC) is an American organization devoted to serving civic language needs through U.S. government agencies. Membership in the NLSC is open to any U.S. citizen 18 or older who’s fluent in English and at least one other language. There are no fees to join; service through the organization is compensated with an hourly stipend.
NLSC members can network together through social media sites, where you could find a job opportunity or a mentor.
Mingle with the pros: Professional organizations
Speaking of mentorship, consider joining an association of professional interpreters. These groups are a fantastic way to keep up with the latest professional news, meet colleagues and learn from their experience.
You could find a kindred spirit with many years in the field who would be happy to mentor you and offer career advice.
In addition, these organizations often provide formal training for their members. Some will list members in a professional directory that can open up more employment opportunities.
You might join a group with a broader base—such as the aforementioned American Translators Association (ATA), which offers a discounted membership for students enrolled in a translation or interpretation program.
There are specialty organizations for certain types of translators, as well. For example, the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators (NAJIT) might be a good choice for a court interpreter. Up-and-coming conference interpreters might join the International Association of Conference Interpreters, which is commonly known as l’Association internationale des interprètes de conférence (AIIC).
Future medical interpreters might take advantage of a very affordable student membership in the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC). An NCIHC membership includes training webinars that members can access from anywhere.
Whichever path you take, use these resources to guide you on your quest. With careful planning and tenacity, you can make your dreams of interpretation come true.
Michelle Baumgartner is a language nerd who has formally studied seven languages and informally dabbled in at least three others. In addition to geeking out over slender vowels, interrogative particles and phonemes, Michelle is a freelance content marketer and education blogger. Keep up with her latest adventures in language and learning on Twitter.
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How to be a good interpreter
Good news! If you are fluent and have recognized certification in two or more languages, you have an excellent opportunity to be a good interpreter. So, you can search for an interpreter position online and apply to become a professional interpreter service provider.
Sometimes people use Interpreter and translator interchangeably, but these two job positions are quite different in practice. On the job, a translator converts written text from one language into a foreign language. On the other hand, an interpreter converts oral languages in real-time for the speakers of varying language face to face or remotely.
An Interpreter job may also cover translating sign language for audiences who are deaf. To be a good interpreter involves more than translating a language orally. It is a challenging job, but its rewards pay off.
Sounds interesting, right? This article focuses on How to be a good interpreter. Check out the following section to discover more on this topic with tips for career success.
7 Qualities Of A Good Interpreter
If you want to know more about how to be a good interpreter, then you are in the right place to explore. You may ask, why do I need to become a good interpreter? It’s a good question because your expertise as a good interpreter will open the door to endless opportunities for your personal and professional growth.
Whether you want to progress in your current position or looking for a better opportunity, being a good interpreter will always create new possibilities. However, it would be best if you grew your skills continue to make the most out of your opportunities. This blog post will discuss how to be a good interpreter and give you some success tips.
1. Understand the Cultural Aspect:
Start with familiarizing yourself with the origin and culture of your target languages for interpretation. It helps understand the cultural differences and special meaning with cultural references while interpreting. Understanding the cultural environment is the key to success in the interpreting profession.
Understand the Cultural Aspect
There are small intricacies and details in every culture that will make your life easier and improve your interpreting ability as a good interpreter. For example, due to cultural variations in grammatical and language subtleties, localization skills will significantly impact your interpreting success. If you can’t follow the updates on these subtleties, you will encounter roadblocks as an interpreter.
Moreover, it will also help you better understand the person and cultural traits of the interpreting clients. Finally, it will grow you as a professional to make the speaker’s words and meaning more vibrant.
2. Continue Building Your Vocabulary:
If you want to continue improving your interpreting abilities, then you should continue growing your vocabulary.
Likewise, if you think you understand a language entirely and don’t have space to develop further, it would be a great mistake. When you aren’t practicing vocabulary, you can work on linguistic subtleties to fine-tune your interpreting expertise.
Continue Building Your Vocabulary
However, to be efficient in both languages, study vocabulary for both consistently. It is more critical when translating official documents verbally, for example, in a legal proceeding or the courtroom interpretation.
3. Listen Attentively to Be a Better Interpreter:
As a good Interpreter, listening skills are more important than any other skills in this interpretation field. If you cannot listen carefully to every detail on the job, you will continuously face barriers and regularly deal with unhappy customers. Interpreters should be able to catch on every single word accurately in the context. It is not enough to know only the meaning of the words, but you must know the intent and the purpose.
Listen Attentively
You will quickly fall into the trap of becoming a lousy interpreter if you don’t listen well enough and follow the conversation. It would help if you practiced continuously to grow your abilities as a good interpreter professionally.
4. Take Notes and Research on Topic:
You should take notes and study the topic regarding your critical interpretation. For instance, if you are going to interpret at a conference on heart disease, it will help you obtain a copy of the conference paper or the agenda before the event.
Take Notes and Research on Topic
So, you will be able to research any words, medical terms, or concepts that are currently unfamiliar to you.
5. Develop Communication and Customer Service Skills:
In a professional interpreter service, you need to practice good communication and customer service skills. Moreover, your goal is to make the audience feel comfortable and friendly while assisting them in communicating.
Develop Communication and Customer Service Skills
Similarly, an interpreter should be able to handle various situation and be comfortable with variations. So, maybe you need to work in multiple environments, such as in a school, a courtroom, or a hospital.
6. Gain Relevant Experiences:
To be a good interpreter, you need to volunteer to gain more experience and keep your skills sharp. For example, hospitals, public sector services, churches, private organizations, and NGOs appreciate interpreting and translating volunteers’ help.
Gain Relevant Experiences
Nonetheless, you can obtain several years of experience by regularly volunteering as some jobs require that.
7. Get Professional Certifications:
Another critical step is to attain a certification that demonstrates your professional proficiency in the languages. To apply for an interpreter job, you should have some recognized certification in this industry. For example, you can have a certificate through the American Translators Association, the federal court, the state court, and the National Association of the Deaf.
Get Professional Certifications
You can also have certification from the globally recognized institution and cultural center like the Goethe-Institut for German, Alliance Française for French.
TOP 7 SUCCESS TIPS TO BE A GOOD INTERPRETER
Here we will discuss the Top 7 Success Tips to be a good interpreter. Check it out below:
Top 7 Success Tips To Be a Good Interpreter
1. Keep up to date yourself with the latest technology, translation software, recording devices, and other equipment for interpreting.
2. A successful interpreter should develop good research skills to understand the people speaking other languages’ local culture and lifestyle.
3. Always be on time and allow you extra time to arrive; prepare yourself in advance, especially when you need to set up the equipment.
4. Do not panic, even if you make a mistake. As soon as you realize your mistake, relax, try not to be panic, apologize, and correct yourself.
5. Develop excellent sensory, motor, and cognitive skills to quickly grasp and respond according to the interpretation service environment.
6. Cope with your stress and control yourself when dealing with rugged speakers
7. Show high levels of resilience and control with high-profile people or difficult to witness, such as murder trials, emergency medical situations, or even deaths.
Summary:
Although there are tremendous opportunities are waiting for a good interpreter. However, many of us don’t know how to be a good interpreter and be successful in this profession. It is clear that the Interpretation service is a challenging career. Moreover, developing your ability as a good interpreter takes a long time for certification, training, skills, experience, and practice. Finally, our top 7 success tips will smooth your journey to be a successful interpreter and achieve professional excellence.
For professional interpreters and expert translators, contact The Language Doctors team today. Our experienced interpreters and translators will be happy to help you. Just call 1 (202) 544-2942 or send us a message at [email protected]