| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Should I accept interpretation jobs or not? Thread poster: Sophie Vallery (X)
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anamia06
Local time: 00:19
Romanian to Ingiriisi
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| 'stage fright' | Oct 1, 2013 |
Hi, Sophie,
I think the problem is not about your skills, but your 'stage fright', a psychological impediment and once you break the ice, interpreting starts to come naturally or at least it should be. It's also a matter of confidence not of training and practice is the best solution. It will be a bit awkward at the beginning but I'm sure you will improve in the course of time. I think we all have experienced that.
Best of luck and break their leg!
anamia
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Sophie Vallery wrote:
Hi everyone!
I am facing a dilemma: I don't know how to sell myself concerning my interpreting skills. Let me explain: my training concerned mainly written translation (technical, literary, audiovisual, etc.). I did attend a few interpreting courses, but it was very basic. So, should I still accept clients who want me to interpret, or should I consider myself as too inexperienced to risk it?
For the time being, I wrote on my website that I don't see myself as an interpreter but that I am ready to talk about it with the clients if they have needs in this area. Not very appealing, right? 
Thank you in advance for your opinion on the subject!
Too risky to experiment with.
An interpreter needs to be fast on his feet with an excellent short-term memory and the ability to paraphrase some things and gloss over others, in addition to soaking in and squeezing out and entire rain of information anyway. Then there are accents, yours and theirs. And unfamiliar subjects and a lack of dictionaries and other assistance.
Interpreters kinda feel the same way about translation, by the way. (And anybody who treats translation like interpreting is gonna meet trouble sooner or later.) It's just that being one doesn't automatically make you the other. Gotta be careful or there's gonna be some humble pie to eat.
I distinctly recall... never mind, I won't tell you. But let's just say I know what I'm talking about. Even acing this stuff at university and being brilliant, in theory, about it, doesn't make you prepared to handle that stuff professionally on a normal commercial basis without some training.
... And years of translating may actually have hurt your ability to interpret due to favouring a different skillset. At least as long as we're talking about consecutive interpreting. Simultaneous interpreting is somewhat similar to rush translation jobs.
| | | | Sophie Vallery (X) 
France
Local time: 23:19
Ingiriisi to Faransiis
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TOPIC STARTER | I agree with that... | Oct 1, 2013 |
Lukasz,
Yes, even with my feeble knowledge of interpretation, I can clearly see that those two areas require very different skills...They involve completely different mental processes and as you said, you can't have any support while interpreting, which makes it very easy to make a mistake and damage your credibility.
I will take the advice of everyone and train for free first and only in a couple of years, if I feel confident enough, I will take the plunge ... See more Lukasz,
Yes, even with my feeble knowledge of interpretation, I can clearly see that those two areas require very different skills...They involve completely different mental processes and as you said, you can't have any support while interpreting, which makes it very easy to make a mistake and damage your credibility.
I will take the advice of everyone and train for free first and only in a couple of years, if I feel confident enough, I will take the plunge ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sophie Vallery (X)
France
Local time: 23:19
Ingiriisi to Faransiis
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | A matter of self confidence | Oct 1, 2013 |
Anamia06,
Thanks for your support, you are right, it is also a matter of self confidence ^^
It is right that the few times I had to interpret in real conditions, it was always a lot of fun, so I would like to explore this path in the future, but then I did it when I was only a trainee. Now I am on my own and if something goes wrong, I will have to take full repsonsability for it, so I think it is a bit premature and risky.
Anyway, I am in no hurry! If everything g... See more Anamia06,
Thanks for your support, you are right, it is also a matter of self confidence ^^
It is right that the few times I had to interpret in real conditions, it was always a lot of fun, so I would like to explore this path in the future, but then I did it when I was only a trainee. Now I am on my own and if something goes wrong, I will have to take full repsonsability for it, so I think it is a bit premature and risky.
Anyway, I am in no hurry! If everything goes as expected, I still have a looong career ahead of me ▲ Collapse
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| new in the forum | Oct 22, 2013 |
Hi Everybody... I am an Spanish Legal and medical interpreter . I am a new member in the website.
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Hi Javier! As one of the moderators of this forum, let me welcome you!
If you need help using this tool or any other area of the site, just let me or any moderator know.
This link might help you get started.
http://www.proz.com/?sp=siterules&mode=show&category=forum
Best wishes, and enjoy the site!
| | | | | | Tim Friese
United States
Local time: 16:19
Member (2013)
Carabi to Ingiriisi
+ ...
| You've already started | Oct 23, 2013 |
Sophie Vallery wrote:
Anamia06,
Thanks for your support, you are right, it is also a matter of self confidence ^^
It is right that the few times I had to interpret in real conditions, it was always a lot of fun, so I would like to explore this path in the future, but then I did it when I was only a trainee. Now I am on my own and if something goes wrong, I will have to take full repsonsability for it, so I think it is a bit premature and risky.
Anyway, I am in no hurry! If everything goes as expected, I still have a looong career ahead of me
I would say if your experience was that positive from your trainings then you're doing great. (I remember my first trainings were a sobering experience....) I agree with many of the comments above: remove any negative copy from your website; try volunteering; try with TV / youtube clips.
Someday you will have to do your first job - when you do, keep your nerves under control and you'll be great!
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Sarah Michel
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:19
Member (2011)
Indonesian to Ingiriisi
+ ...
| Phone interpreting - a good way in | Apr 10, 2014 |
If you are interested in interpreting work, try applying to language line - the pay's not wonderful, but they test their interpreters and if they accept you you are good enough - then you can practice interpreting and learn basic guidelines. They do provide some basic training and support.
Then when you are ready, you can apply for more interpreting jobs.
That was my way in.
| | | | | Knowledge & training | May 8, 2014 |
Before accept any interpretation job, you should prepare yourself. You have to eligible for that service. Take some knowledge & training so you get confidence so you can take a job easily.
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