Translator's exam

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Sooooo... I guess most of us are bilingual. I have never even thought of my other languages as a marketable asset until our co-sponsor kept stressing it over and over. I work in Canada in a higher education institution and every now and then I do translations for them (Italian, Spanish, etc.) at an "amigo price" (since I am not a certified translator); and it is an extra couple of hundred bucks that are helping our savings.

That said, I am convinced that one of the first things I will do when I land in WA is sit the translator's examination - I think most of us have this ability and should consider it as a possible source of income. Has anybody done this? If so, what were the steps for certification?????

Best always and peace, L.

[raymaga 25]

Sounds like a great idea. I wish I knew a second language because I would certainly consider it for extra cash, but my French is too poor to be of any use to anybody.

Good luck with this.

[GabachaYucateca 0]

There is no uniform certification process for translators in the US, but there are translation certificates.

The best and most accessible certificate program I've seen (and the one I will do once I get the $ and time) is an online program through NYU's continuing ed/certificate programs. It looks great, and pretty inexpensive.

It's pretty accepted that you only translate into your native language and not into your second (or third, or fourth) language. I will only do Spanish to English for the going rate, and only end up doing English to Spanish at work. But I'd never look for work as a freelancer from Eng-Span!

[Flames9_RN 358]

I would hunch, "most" are not bilingual!! I do belive most Canadians are not bilingual, even though there are 2 official languages. I have a hard enough time with English,lol But will soon be trying to learn Spanish!!

[elgringo 0]

I can easily translate Spanish to English, but like Gabacha said, going the other way isnt usually encouraged.

I would like a job where I can talk to Spanish speakers, but I would definitely NOT want to have to translate/interpret ####### all day. I love speaking Spanish, but I hate translating or interpreting it for other people.

I'm seriously thinking about applying for a job with USCIS, or maybe the Border Patrol.

[J&D 0]

There is plenty of work for translators in the localization industry and one of the main packages used by translators is SDL Trados therefore you could think about getting certified in products such as Trados WorkBench and Trados TagEditor. For an introduction to those products and more, register for the free SDL trados 2007 for Beginners webinar on 23 August 2007 at 11am EST. More info at:

http://www.sdl.com/company/seminars-list/s...ng.htm?id=19152

Following the webinar, if you would like to get certified in SDL Trados you then might want to check out the SDL TRADOS Certification Program at:

http://www.sdl.com/products-home/certified.htm

[GabachaYucateca 0]

Great tip, J&D. I've seen that TRADOS is a req for many freelance jobs, but it's quite an investment.

I hear ya, gringo...in my experience in my field (nonprofit) being bilingual gives you MORE work and it's not always compensated.

Plus interpretation and translation are two completely separate fields which need totally different skill sets but often people think they're interchangeable. There's the huge misconception that anyone who speaks two languages can do both, but it's soo not true. Where I teach I get a lot of "Oh, just interpret this workshop for two hours in a subject that you know nothing about." They just don't understand that the interpreter's job is difficult and exhausting.

[elgringo 0]

They just don't understand that the interpreter's job is difficult and exhausting.

I know what you mean. My parents visited us in Mexico last summer and after a day of interpreting literally everything that was being said I was just totally exhausted and had a splitting headache. It really is hard work interpreting. I dont think most unilingual (is that a word? ) people understand that.