How to Become a Professional Interpreter

If you are fluent in more than one language coming a professional interpreter is a great way to earn extra cash quickly. There is always a constant demand for qualified interpreters who are able to effortlessly and reliably act as a  facilitator for international exchange. Becoming an interpreter is an excellent way to secure a constant and reliable source of income for yourself but also have some great experiences.

One of the biggest hurdles to becoming interpreter is certification. Depending on where you live the qualifications and criteria vary. Getting certified will qualify you for the most critical interpretation jobs such as translating in court and within health settings. Being certified is also a great way you qualify yourself for important business settings where what you say matters. Professional interpreters are able to provide a range of interpreter services ranging from medical interpretation to legal and engineering interpretation.

Testing for certification normally revolves around several exams which are both written and oral. Your written exam will often test your technical expertise and your understanding of translation whereas your oral test will examine your live translation skills in a simulated environment. Your oral exam will test both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting between two languages. To pass these exams you need to show a high proficiency within your languages, as well as show your technical skills in translation.

Many of the certification boards produce materials that will help you to prepare for the test and many universities and colleges can provide you with support with some even offering dedicated courses. You don’t need to be perfect to pass a interpreter’s certification course, you only need to be excellent. It takes a high level of commitment to pass the certification but it’s highly worthwhile to do it. One of the best things you can do is to simply study technique and your language pair, if you are looking to specialise which is always recommended study the subject which you are specialising in. Online courses make it much easier now to learn about the fundamentals behind a subject, particularly for science and technology.

Choosing to become a professional interpreter will open huge opportunities for you and getting certified is the best way to entering the industry being a key requirement of many interpretation jobs. There is always a massive demand for qualified and certified interpreters meaning that it’s one of the best career options available. The key to becoming a professional interpreter is to gain certification which will allow you to provide excellent interpretation skills for those who need them.