If you are fluent in more than one language, you might qualify to join an elite workforce: Interpreters and Translators. They are needed anywhere cultures intersect. In courtrooms, schools, and health care offices… interpreters need to keep up with fast-talking speakers and signers who don’t realize how difficult it is to translate in real-time. Accuracy is vital, and interpreters must follow strict ethical guidelines to protect clients’ privacy. The opportunities can be quite varied, with jobs that take you to top-level business meetings one day, and school conferences the next. Translators spend more of their time in the office or working from home on assignments such as translating websites, operating manuals, and other written materials. They may need a special keyboard for different alphabets. For both interpreters and translators, the need for precision is paramount, as they are the link between those who wish to convey information… and those who need to understand it. A sensitivity to how cultural differences affect communication is essential to avoid embarrassing, or even dangerous, errors. Employers in these fields often look for a candidate with a bachelor’s degree in a foreign language or American Sign Language. These professionals build bridges to bring groups together that would otherwise remain separated.
What they do:
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
On the job, you would:
Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
Arts and Humanities
English language
foreign language
Business
customer service
administrative services
Education and Training
teaching and course design
Safety and Government
public safety and security
Basic Skills
talking to others
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Ideas and Logic
order or arrange things
notice when problems happen
Attention
pay attention to something without being distracted
do two or more things at the same time
People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Attention to Detail
Dependability
Independence
Cooperation
Self Control
You might use software like this on the job:
Web platform development software
Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML
Hypertext markup language HTML
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Foreign language software
AceTools.biz Ace Translator
Stormdance CatsCradle
bachelor's degree or master's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Produced by 
License
