Interpreter (Tolk)
Information on this skill...
An interpreter is a communications officer who is responsible for the oral translation of spoken texts. An interpreter should not be seen as a translator, because a translator translates written texts. The profession of interpreter has two forms, namely the consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. Interpreters are often used when it is important to translate directly. For example, an interpreter can be used by the judiciary or the police if necessary. But the European Parliament also often uses interpreters in their daily work. If an interpreter works for the judiciary, it is important that the interpreter is sworn in as a court interpreter. An interpreter can also be used to translate for deaf or hard of hearing people, but we speak of a sign language interpreter. The work of an interpreter is important, because no misunderstandings should arise due to the incorrect translation. Especially interpreters who work for the judiciary have to work very carefully, because translation errors can have unpleasant consequences. As an interpreter, you are therefore an important intermediary for institutions and people and you are not allowed to make mistakes while interpreting. An interpreter usually translates into their own mother tongue, but this does not always have to be the case. There are also interpreters who speak multiple languages and can translate. An interpreter is therefore responsible for the oral translation of spoken messages and will not translate individual words. This is an important difference with the work of translators. An interpreter translates spoken messages directly and accurately, so that people with different mother tongues can understand each other. The work of an interpreter therefore requires the right interpreter, because the smooth and correct translation of spoken messages takes a lot of concentration. In most cases, ordinary translators do not have to translate directly, because it often concerns text on paper or, for example, audio messages.
An interpreter is therefore a communication officer who interprets for various agencies. As an interpreter, there are various activities that require specific knowledge. For example, working as a sign language interpreter cannot be compared to usual interpreting work, because a sign language interpreter must have specific knowledge. There is also an important difference between performing spoken texts live and not interpreting them live. An interpreter who interprets live conversations must listen very carefully and be able to translate the conversation live. Because interpreting spoken texts live is difficult, an interpreter must have a lot of experience and knowledge. In general, interpreters often work for government agencies, because the government regularly has to deal with the translation of spoken messages. Consider, for example, acting as a discussion interpreter between two ministers from different countries.
WHO USES INTERPRETERS
In general, it is public authorities and industry that use interpreters. Think, for example, of police officers who have to deal with foreign motorists during a traffic control. Because a police officer cannot be expected to speak all languages, police officers can call an interpreter who will translate the conversation. Which interpreter the police officers call depends on the relevant language that the driver speaks. Other examples are prosecutors, lawyers, civil servants and diplomats. Within the business community, chief executive officers can use interpreters, if they are international companies. Ambassadors also regularly use interpreters.
SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING
Simultaneous translation is the simultaneous translation of texts while the speaker is speaking. The recipient of the translated text by the interpreter usually has headphones on. Simultaneous translation is often done in the European Parliament and, for example, important television broadcasts. Simultaneous translation requires a lot of concentration from the interpreter because the work can be called very intensive. Most interpreters who interpret simultaneously are replaced by another interpreter after a maximum of half an hour to avoid mistakes.
CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING
Consecutive interpreting is the translation of a conversation between two or more people. In this form of translation, a speaker will speak a few sentences after which the interpreter will pronounce these sentences translated. This form of translation is usually widely used during court hearings and in business conversations.
WHAT DOES AN INTERPRETER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME AN INTERPRETER
There are some possibilities in the Netherlands to follow a full-time training as an interpreter, such as at the translation academy in Maastricht or the university of applied sciences for interpreters and translation in Utrecht. In addition, shortened part-time courses are offered in many ways. During most programmes, at least two foreign languages are taught in addition to Dutch. Because you as an interpreter will often be deployed on specific tasks, education will also focus on these tasks, such as law, economics and technology. During the training there is also a lot of attention for working with computers and specific translation programs. In order to be recognized as an interpreter, it is important that you are registered with the office of sworn interpreters and translators (bureau btv), so that you can be widely deployed as an interpreter. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an independent interpreter.
COMPANIES WHERE AN INTERPRETER CAN WORK
As a graduated interpreter, you can work at various companies, institutions or governments, such as interpreting agencies, banks, insurance companies or large companies that work internationally. But there is also sufficient demand for translators and interpreters from the government. Think of embassies and other government institutions. As an interpreter, it is also perfectly possible to work as an independent entrepreneur. Among the translators and interpreters there are relatively many entrepreneurs.
COMPETENCES INTERPRETER
The most important competence as an interpreter is of course that you have a good command of the languages learned and you are able to work independently. Interpreting should therefore not be a problem for you. Being able to work accurately is very important as an interpreter, because no errors may occur in translated texts. In addition, as an interpreter you must have a strong communication skills, because you will have to deal with different types of people during your work. If you work as an entrepreneur, networking can also be regarded as an important competence. Generally important words are independence, planning, knowledge, listening, motivation, professionalism, accuracy, and stress resistance.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS AN INTERPRETER
The labour market perspective of an interpreter is generally fairly good. However, in most cases it is important that you are sworn in as an interpreter, because otherwise you are not allowed to work for official bodies. The career opportunities as an interpreter should be seen in obtaining a managerial position within the organization or starting your own interpreting agency, which of course can also be seen as growing.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY INTERPRETER
There are no specific employment conditions for this profession, because you can usually work at different types of companies or institutions. As an independent entrepreneur, you naturally determine your own terms of employment. An interpreter in paid employment will usually earn a salary between 2500 and 3500 euros gross per month, depending on age, education and responsibilities. An interpreter working as an independent entrepreneur can usually earn more, but will then have to get enough assignments, which can be difficult due to the competition.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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