In early 2009, the European Commission (EC) announced that they were urgently looking for interpreters with English as a native language, as they expect at least one third of their current English language interpreters to retire by 2015. So, although most people learning languages do so at school – and often because they have no choice – it seems that few of them have actually thought about the possibilities of working using a language. It’s been reported by CILT that employers value ability in a  foreign language generally but how about actually using your languages professionally?  Have a look at this clip showing what being an interpreter might actually involve.

When you are an interpreter you are professionally involved in “the transfer of one spoken or signed languages to another”. It’s a difficult profession but can offer great rewards – and not just financial. In an increasingly global business world there are always opportunities – and in the EU opportunities with community languages – as an equality issue. So, for example if you speak English and another language at home you might already have some opportunities for interpreting. There are opportunities not only in the traditional interpreting positions – in big conferences but also across the spectrum in – for example courts and doctors’ surgeries. There are job opportunities in translating one way (into your own language) or also both ways if you have sufficient fluency in 2 or more languages.

If this is something you are interested in then you should find a professional training course. There are 2 different professional associations – the Institute of Linguists and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, and they will not only be able to advise you on training centres but also on your level of fluency in the language – so it is always a good place to start.

Apart from fluency, you will also need to work well with other people whether ina  group of on a 1-1 basis. You might need to travel often, be confident in public speaking, have a good memory and able to stay calm under pressure!

But probably the best news is that the EU institutions employ large numbers of language professionals and there remains a shortage of qualified native English-speaking applicants. If you are interested in finding out a bit more and perhaps dipping a toe into learning a language or re-learning a language that you studied at school then why not give one of our foreign language courses at UIC a try. It’s an easy way to see if you have remembered anything from school or perhaps to find out if you have a talent for languages!

This entry was posted on Monday, June 7th, 2010 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Foreign Languages, UIC London. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.