Will interpretation qualifications suffice for translation agencies? Thread poster: Megan Chandra
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Megan Chandra
United States
Local time: 01:36
Spanish to English
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Good morning, everyone!
I am new here and have recently decided to formally establish a career in linguistic labor after spending several years teaching Spanish. During the summer I began taking a 40-hour medical interpretation course, as I believed it would prove useful once I moved to a city early next year. I'm not yet qualified to do interpretation work, so for extra income I've dipped my toes into the field of translation and I absolutely adore it, more so than interpretation. So I wa... See more Good morning, everyone!
I am new here and have recently decided to formally establish a career in linguistic labor after spending several years teaching Spanish. During the summer I began taking a 40-hour medical interpretation course, as I believed it would prove useful once I moved to a city early next year. I'm not yet qualified to do interpretation work, so for extra income I've dipped my toes into the field of translation and I absolutely adore it, more so than interpretation. So I was wondering, should I take a medical translation course, or would most translation agencies consider a qualification in medical interpretation to be sufficient evidence of ability and familiarity with jargon?
Thank you sincerely for any advice you may have to offer, or any experience you should like to share.
Megan ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Depends on the agency | Sep 20, 2022 |
Hi Megan, I think this really depends on their hiring standards and now urgently they need somebody I think some agencies might exclude candidates who don't have certifications/credentials, but others just hire you based on your presentation or make you take a test. Also, interpreting has a lot in common with translating. Just give it a try!
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
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It is better than the "absolutely nothing" most people have.
Also, from what I've seen, medical interpreting in the US (*especially* Spanish-English / English-Spanish!) is absolutely dominated by slave wage sweatshops.
The one big difficulty you're likely to face is the vast number of native-ish Spanish/English bilinguals in the US. Btw, if that happens to describe you as well, then by all means start with that!
[Edited at 2022-09-20 14:15 GMT]
| | | | Megan Chandra
United States
Local time: 01:36
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Thank you for your perspective! | Sep 20, 2022 |
Annelies Hollewand wrote: Hi Megan, I think this really depends on their hiring standards and now urgently they need somebody I think some agencies might exclude candidates who don't have certifications/credentials, but others just hire you based on your presentation or make you take a test. Also, interpreting has a lot in common with translating. Just give it a try!
I appreciate your perspective– it certainly makes sense! I guess I will see how my job search goes from here and determine if I need to make any changes or improve my credentials. I've been applying to agencies for a little over a month now and nothing yet, but it seems as though that may be the most typical experience for beginners.
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Megan Chandra
United States
Local time: 01:36
Spanish to English
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TOPIC STARTER
Adieu wrote:
It is better than the "absolutely nothing" most people have.
Also, from what I've seen, medical interpreting in the US (*especially* Spanish-English / English-Spanish!) is absolutely dominated by slave wage sweatshops.
The one big difficulty you're likely to face is the vast number of native-ish Spanish/English bilinguals in the US. Btw, if that happens to describe you as well, then by all means start with that!
[Edited at 2022-09-20 14:15 GMT]
Sorry, I somehow missed your reply until just now!
You definitely have a good point– fortunately I'll be moving away from the U.S. in a few months, which should alleviate that problem somewhat. You're definitely right; it's a saturated language pair (though not so much in the state I live in). Hopefully the remuneration will be better in Australia, though I understand there will be less demand for Spanish medical interpretation.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 08:36
Member
English to Turkish
Megan Chandra wrote:
Hopefully the remuneration will be better in Australia.
I don't know about the 'remuneration' in Australia, but I expect the timezone will be a challenge.
One of the most important things in freelancing is the timely communication with clients. If you don't return their emails within an hour or so, you'll likely lose jobs (unless, of course, you're working with the so-called 'boutique agencies' that are bent on working only with you and no one else, and willing to wait for hours for you to reply to their emails, which I gather a significant number of people on these forums, who have at least a 20 year head start on you, are doing).
I've never worked with Asian agencies that are in the same timezone as Australia, maybe some of them are actually paying good rates for you to justify a move there.
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One of the clients I do work for is The Language Doctors. They are based in the US and translate medical documents of US military personnel (and their families) living on base on other countries. The hiring process was tedious but the work is very satisfying.
I doubt they can offer anything full-time, but it might be a good match for you.
And I agree with the poster above - a lot of medical translation is just thrown at the cheapest agency. I have gotten so much medical work,... See more One of the clients I do work for is The Language Doctors. They are based in the US and translate medical documents of US military personnel (and their families) living on base on other countries. The hiring process was tedious but the work is very satisfying.
I doubt they can offer anything full-time, but it might be a good match for you.
And I agree with the poster above - a lot of medical translation is just thrown at the cheapest agency. I have gotten so much medical work, both personal documents and research paper, from MARS/CCJK based in China. ▲ Collapse
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