Most people believe being bilingual is enough.

Have you heard this before? “If you speak two languages, how hard can it be?”

Many translators and interpreters are not perceived as specialized or qualified professionals.

Translation and interpretation is a professional and specialized service, not a commodity.

Translation and interpretation is a professional and specialized service, not a commodity.Click To Tweet

Think of services such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, translators or interpreters, in an independent business or profession.  All these professions have one thing in common, mainly mental work, as opposed to engaging in physical work.[1]

Consider the information below and you might view translators and interpreters as professionals not just freelancers.

SO WHAT IS A PROFESSION?

The term [profession]… describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skills necessary to perform the role of that profession. In addition, most professionals are subject to strict codes of conduct enshrining rigorous ethical and moral obligations. Professional standards of practice and ethics for a particular field are typically agreed upon and maintained through widely recognized professional associations… and who are commonly engaged in creative and intellectually challenging work.[2][3]

Professional translators and interpreters are engaged in creative & intellectually challenging work.Click To Tweet

WHAT MAJOR MILESTONES CAN MARK AN OCCUPATION AS BEING IDENTIFIED AS A PROFESSION?[4]

1.An occupation becomes a full-time occupation

Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to grow 46 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth reflects increasing globalization and a more diverse U.S. population, which is expected to require more interpreters and translators… Computers have made the work of translators and localization specialists more efficient. However, these jobs cannot be entirely automated. Computers cannot yet produce work comparable to the work that human translators do in most cases.[5]

*The following contain lists of schools, colleges, universities and associations that offer translator and interpreter training programs. This is not a complete list. You are encouraged to call your college and associations to inquire if they offer translator or interpreter training programs. This list does not constitute an endorsement of these programs and associations, but is provided for information only.

Professional translators and interpreters are skilled language artisans.Click To Tweet

2.The establishment of a training school

• Southern California School of Interpretation http://www.interpreting.com/
• American Translators Association, List of Approved Translation and Interpretation Schools Worldwide http://atanet.org/certification/eligibility_approved.php
• Judicial Council of California, Interpreter Training Programs Spoken Languages and American Sign Language http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/interptrainingprogs.pdf

3.The establishment of a university school

Interpreters and translators generally need specialized training on how to do their work. Formal programs in interpreting and translating are available at colleges and universities nationwide, university training programs, conferences, and courses…Many people who work as interpreters or translators in more technical areas—such as software localization, engineering, or finance—have a master’s degree. Those working in the community as court or medical interpreters or translators are more likely to complete job-specific training programs.[6]

4.The establishment of a local association

• National Council on Interpreting in Health Care: http://www.ncihc.org/interpreter-associations

5.The establishment of a national association

• American Translators Association http://www.atanet.org
• National Association of the Deaf http://www.nad.org/
• Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf http://www.rid.org/
• International Association of Conference Interpreters http://www.aiic-usa.com/index.html
• The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters http://www.healthcareinterpretercertification.org/
• National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters http://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/
• List of translators and interpreters associations worldwide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_translators_and_interpreters_associations

Professional translators and interpreters mastery is much more than merely being able to speak a foreign language.Click To Tweet

6.The introduction of codes of professional ethics

• Professional Standards and Ethics for California Court Interpreters http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/CIP-Ethics-Manual.pdf
• International Association of Professional Translators and Interpreters https://www.iapti.org/code_of_ethics/
• National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd http://www.naati.com.au/PDF/Booklets/Ethics_Booklet.pdf
• American Translators Association https://www.atanet.org/governance/code_of_ethics_commentary.pdf
• Washington State Department of Social and Health Services http://www.dshs.wa.gov/ltc/ethics.shtml
• National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators http://www.najit.org/about/NAJITCodeofEthicsFINAL.pdf

7.The establishment of state licensing laws

There is currently no universal certification required of interpreters and translators beyond passing the required court interpreting exams offered by most states. However, workers can take a variety of tests that show proficiency. For example, many of the national associations offer certification.

The U.S. Department of State http://languageservices.state.gov/ has a three-test series for prospective interpreters—one test in simple consecutive interpreting (for escort work), another in simultaneous interpreting (for court work), and a third in conference-level interpreting (for international conferences)—as well as a test for prospective translators. These tests are not considered a credential, but their completion indicates that a person has significant skill in the occupation.

Federal courts provide judiciary certification for Spanish, Navajo, and Haitian Creole interpreters, and many states offer their own certification or licensing. The National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators http://www.najit.org/ also offers certification for court interpreting.[7]

Machines do words, professional translators and interpreters do language.Click To Tweet

Professional translators and interpreters are competent, creative and educated individuals.

Machines do words, translators and interpreters do language.

They are skilled language artisans, which is a mastery much more than merely being able to speak a foreign language.
Translators and interpreters are experts and prove it by their professional quality, work and behavior.

Similar to an artist, words are their paint and it takes their application to make language an understandable masterpiece.
What has been your experience?

What other schools or associations would be great to mention?

As always, thank you for reading and sharing my posts.  Feel free to connect or email me, Carmen Arismendy.  I’m a professional Spanish interpreter-translator and founder of eLingual.Net.  I started the eLingual Network because I could not find a fair, no middleman, no job bidding, ethical and transparent meeting place for translators, interpreters and clients online.  The website is in beta phase and by no means perfect but it’s a step in the right direction.

eLingual.Net’s mission is to spread happiness worldwide through happy translators, interpreters and clients.

For the professional translator and interpreter, this means no middleman, no job bidding, setting their own fees and the freedom to turn their services into a sustainable business.

For the clients, this means having access to ethical, quality and professional services, and the opportunity of helping support the services of professionals worldwide.

Join our happy growing community, let’s work together!

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References

1. Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Independent Contractor Defined. (2014, October 2) Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Independent-Contractor-Defined
2. Wikipedia, Professional. (2014, October 27). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional
3. Wikipedia, Profession. (2014, October 24). Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession
4. Perks, R.W.(1993): Accounting and Society. Chapman & Hall (London); ISBN 0-412-47330-5. p.2.
5. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Interpreters and Translators, Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm
6. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Interpreters and Translators, Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm
7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Interpreters and Translators, Retrieved November 18, 2014, from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm