Does anyone have a career as a translator/interpreter?

Question

What's it like to translate/interpret? That's what I want for my career. What should I expect? Are there any jobs I can get where I can translate & someone can edit my translations?

Answer 1

My wife does. She works directly for a company, plus on the side she makes even more but it isn't every week like her regular job. In a "POOR STATE" - 48K + another 20K on the side. And when I mean "POOR STATE" the average two person household income is 35K. Many companies pay well for translators if they can read, write, and speak the language fluently. Also - UN hires and they pay well too.

Answer 2

Are you talking about translating print or spoken language? I have done some translating, although never for a job. I helped once with a police investigation and I did a lot when I traveled to Guatemala. It can be stressful and you have to be able to think fast. I think that if you need someone to edit your translations you might not quite have the language ability needed. If you're translating written work you will probably have an editor, but if you're doing it vocally you have to do it all on your own.

Answer 3

Steve is partially correct..the Maryland part, but all of that is dependent on the language and branch of service you decide to join. Some military linguist do a lot of traveling and some actually live in the country where their language is used. The fact that you were tops in high school really doesn't have too much bearing on your ability to learn the languages that you mention you are interested in. Whichever branch you choose, you will have to take the DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery) which is a test that determines your potential to learn other languages. Quite frankly, DLI is probably the most intense language program in the US. Whatever you think you may know from high school won't stand up against DLI. You can also take the DLPT (Defense Language Proficiency Test) to determine what your fluency level is in the languages that you have taken. Unfortunately, the languages you know, are not high on the list of the military's needs right now, but Korean and Arabic are.

Answer 4

I'm not a translator but I know that there are all kinds of opportunities for people who know more than one language well. You can translate in courtrooms for people who don't speak English. You can work translating books and articles into English. Depending on your languages, the FBI, CIA, and Military are practically willing to write you your own ticket if you join them. There is the United Nations and other international organizations. Businesses and corporations need translators who are American and are willing to work in foreign lands where they know the language. There are schools who teach people other languages who need teachers.
Organizations like the CIA and Military need people who can translate from the foreign language into English and, I assume, they have someone who will edit the translations.