Interpreting Training & 3 Keys To Find Professional Success

Interpreter training is essentially learning a skill, that encompasses many additional skills. In the same way that gymnastics is a skill, made up of many other skills. Take Simone Biles for example. She is an expert at gymnastics, because she mastered balance, flexibility, jumping, contorting, strength etc. Simone Biles is a world renowned, skilled gymnast because she has mastered all the other skills that gymnastics requires. And yet, despite her being the greatest of all time, she continues to learn. Why does she do that? Because she understands that being the best means you are always learning and improving.

With professional interpreting, you have to understand 2 languages enough that you can hear something said, find the words in another language, and repeat the translation as quickly as possible. To be successful, it requires skills like recall, listening, pronunciation and so much more. The best interpreters are always expanding their vocabulary and finding ways to improve proficiency. We aren't saying you have to be an expert interpreter like Simone Biles is an expert gymnast. But if you want to work as a professional interpreter...

3 Keys to find professional success after interpreting training:

1. Be honest about your language proficiency

Just knowing 2 languages, does not mean you are a qualified language interpreter. All students should be bilingual, but that alone doesn't make you a qualified interpreter. As far as proficiency goes, there is a difference between those who are bilingual and those who are fluent and those who are native speakers. Being honest about your proficiency level at the start will highlight where you need to improve, because professional interpreters must understand at the highest level, have a rich vocabulary, understand syntax and grammar in both languages.

2. Always be working on fluency

It takes years to develop true language fluency that interpreting requires. Language professionals must know how to balance perfect, word-for-word phrasing and when to adjust ideas by finding new words from scratch, and put them into natural sounding structures in a new language. All of this requires quick understanding in both languages, with a university-level of professional language to rely upon. Having a subject matter frame of reference, like specializing your work as medical language interpreters, or legal interpreting is a simple yet effective way to become an expert at your craft.

3. Maintain cultural knowledge

Skilled interpreters know how to adjust language for cultural differences. Some cultures are more blunt than others, whereas others are more formal. For instance, English training should involve elements of metaphors and idioms, as those are common enough yet could be confusing to ESL learners (those who learn English as a Second Language). Professional interpreters must use their discretion in order to find balance between the speaker's intention & politeness, and the cultural norms of the recipient. So as to avoid projecting an intonation that wasn't there with the speakers original comments.

Our online translator classes are taught by expert instructors ✅ who have real-world experience in their interpreting specialty. They have worked hard to make fully remote online courses that are unique and engaging ✅ using a hands-on approach that is unparalleled by the competition. If you or someone you know is interested in our online Medical Interpreter Training Programs with live instruction✅, our fully remote yet real time classes ✅ are offered in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Korean, Somali, Urdu, Ukrainian languages online and onsite.