It is GCSE time again, that moment where students (and their parents) start thinking about possible careers, university courses, and summer work placements, but knowing where to start can be difficult.
So, if you’re thinking about becoming an interpreter, or considering a career in languages, this blog considers what’s involved in being an interpreter, what skills you’ll need, and will help you decide if becoming an interpreter is really for you.
What Does Being an Interpreter Involve?
Being an interpreter involves much more than simply being good at languages and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to hold a degree in languages.
Often the experience of living and working long-term in a country will give you enough language knowledge to work as an interpreter, especially if you have training in another sector which is highly technical.
Interpreters are needed all over the world and in every industry – some work in government, others work on a freelance basis, and some work for global corporations.
With such varied industries to work within, there is no such thing as an average day for an interpreter.
One interpreter might work for government immigration and spend their days helping refugees understand their rights, while another might work for a global corporation and spend their days interpreting at international board meetings or overseas video calls.
However, if you’re considering becoming an interpreter (no matter what industry or sector) it certainly helps if you enjoy working closely with lots of different people, are confident speaking in front others, and are able to work under pressure.
Interpreting and Language Skills/Qualifications
As we have already mentioned, it isn’t mandatory for interpreters to have specific language qualifications or accreditation.
However, there are courses that can give you a career boost depending on the type of interpreting you decide to do.
For instance, if you want to work within the public sector in the UK, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI), or an MA in public service interpreting is usually a good idea.
If you prefer working in the business sector, then a bi-lingual upbringing, a course in consecutive interpreting for conferences, and some experience in a relative industry, will probably be enough to get you started.
Having a degree is a good idea and often opens more doors but interpreting can still be hard work, even when you have an exceptional grasp of the languages you are working with.
This is because language is intricately linked to culture so there are often subtle differences from region to region, even when they appear to speak the same language.
For instance, when interpreting in Arabic, there are many dialects so speakers from one region will not necessarily use the same terms, or the same word may have a different meaning.
It is important to have an in-depth understanding of the country (or countries) linked to the languages you choose which will usually mean living and working there for an extended period of time to enable you to truly immerse yourself in the culture and gain valuable insights into the people, and the societal and administrative systems within the country.
Interpreting and Other Skills
Interpreters work all over the world and in virtually every type of industry, but the best ones all share certain characteristics (outside of their superb language skills) which make them really good at their job.
These include:
• Excellent communication skills
• A clear, confident speaking voice
• Good listening abilities
• Patience
• Additional industry knowledge (particularly helpful when a high degree of accuracy is required as in the fields of law, or medicine)
• The ability to think and process information quickly
• A talent for understanding people, body language, tone of voice and idiosyncrasies
Being an interpreter often means working closely with people from all walks of life so being unbiased and open-minded is essential.
If you are thinking of a career in interpreting but have little experience within the industry and aren’t sure how you work with other people, it is worth considering taking a volunteering role, or an internship, to give you some useful insights and see if it is the job for you.
More information about interpreting in the UK can be found by clicking on the links below:
The National Register of Public Service Interpreters
The Institute of Translation and Interpreting
Chartered Institute of Linguists
You can also check out our Interpreting page (which has more information about the different types of interpreting) or, for more in-depth information, you can browse our blogs on interpreting.
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