A career in languages can be a very interesting and exciting one. If you possess the skills required to enter this industry then there are no limits to where, when or who you could work with! For those people who are bi-lingual from birth, this could indeed be the perfect job, similarly for those who have committed to study an additional language, working in translation is an attractive prospect.
If you have studied language at university level then you are likely to have strong oral and written communication skills as well as having good presentation abilities. It is also likely that you have lived in or travelled to a foreign country before. If you do have some experience of a foreign country then it goes without saying that you have encountered different cultures, people and languages to those you would consider the norm. All of these things put together make for the skill-set necessary to make a great translator!
Translation is a career that is practically recession-proof. Linguistic help is needed within every sector to some degree and as economies and immigration continue to grow, language experts will become increasingly in demand.
A success career in translations
To successfully enter into, and maintain a career in, translation, you must first and fore most work with the utmost accuracy and attention to detail. A mistake could easily cost you your reputation and if you are working as a freelance translator then your reputation is everything! However, this attention to detail is also heavily applicable if you are working within a company as your continued employment could depend on it! Working freelance is the most common option for those in the translation industry and as such a worker you will enjoy a massive variety of tasks from a huge selection of clients.
That’s not to say that it’s impossible to have a contractual job as a translator, there are many language jobs within the civil service, for example. When it comes to work of this kind, you may sometimes find that your undergraduate degree is not enough and you also require experience of working in a certain sector yourself or an additional professional language qualification.
If you love languages but feel a career in translation isn’t for you, then you do have other options! Teaching is a great way to keep your passion alive whilst also sharing it with others. Whether this is in a school, a higher education facility or on a private basis is completely up to you. In all three of these instances you will normally find that having studied your language of choice at university level is more than enough to secure you employment.
Why do we get the best of translation services quite easily?