Written by The rapid advances in information technology and global media has caused an interesting situation. It’s causing more and more citizens of the world to actually have to communicate with each other. The only hitch to all this is most citizens speak only one language, their native tongue. If they need to speak with someone from another part of the world, they have to hire an interpreter and/or translator. As such, the profession is experiencing a renaissance like few have seen in ages.
As just about everyone can figure out, translators and interpreters are people who not only can speak in more than one language, but are actually fluent in at least two. Some organizations, such as the U.N., actually look for people who can read or speak in as many as six different languages. What languages they speak is part personal preference, part just plain commerce. After all, someone fluent in the more common languages – such as Mandarin, Spanish, French or English – are going to find more job opportunities than those who aren’t.
One thing most translators usually have in common is they actually grew up around more than one language. This could be due to them being immigrants from one country to another, having family who are from other lands or, like Army kids, they may have done more than the average amount of travel in their lifetimes.
Those interested in pursuing the field usually start in high school. Yes, they do take a second language as part of their regular curriculum. They also should become very computer proficient.
When going on to college, translators and interpreters continue their study of language. They usually go to online or on campus facilities with strong linguistic curriculum. To increase their marketability they also take a minor in something like business, science or medicine as professionals in these field are less common and therefore in greater demand.
Yet probably the most valuable asset of all is real-life experience. To recruiters the most valuable employees are candidates or prospects who were exchange students or spent some time in another country of the language they will be interpreting in. This experience gives the translator/interpreter more knowledge of the subtleties or nuances of a different language. In other words, they can grasp both denotation as well as connotation.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average wage of an interpreter or translator is slightly over $40,000 a year. Depending on the language spoken, it can go up to over $80,000. Key employers include multi-national corporations, media services, the federal government, universities and just about any other operation that has international interests.
The Bureau also notes the U.S. employs slightly over 51,000 as of 2009. It projects the number of positions will grow to 62,000 by 2020. Because of this, it ranks the professions as “exceedingly good”.
