Salary: £26,000 per year LANGUAGES REQUIRED IN GUILDFORD, SURREY Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese Cantonese, Chinese Mandarin, Dutch, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Kurdish (Sorani), Nepalese, Panjabi / Punjabi, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino, Tamil, Tigrynia and Urdu. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF JOB ROLE Interpreters convert spoken or sign language statements from one language to another. They work in situations where people who do not speak the same language need to understand one another. If you can speak one or more foreign languages and would like an important role where you can work in areas like politics, business or public service, this job could be for you. In this job you would need good listening skills and a clear speaking voice. You would also need to be able to concentrate and think quickly. Interpreting involves listening to, understanding and memorising content in the original 'source' language, then reproducing statements, questions and speeches in a different 'target' language. This is often done in only one direction, normally into the interpreter's native language, but may be on a two-way basis. Interpreters work in the following settings: • business functions such as meetings, conferences, exhibitions and product launches; • criminal justice proceedings, known as public service interpreting (PSI), including police and probation service interviews, court • hearings, solicitor interviews, arbitration hearings and immigration tribunals; • community-based events and assignments within the education, health and social services sectors. If you want to work in the community, although you may not need a degree, qualifications in public service interpreting or community interpreting may help you. WORK ACTIVITIES In public service interpreting you would: • interpret for people using legal, health and local government services • check their understanding after each sentence In addition to face-to-face services, a fast-growing way of interpreting is to use telephone, video or internet-based technologies. These allow people in different locations to be connected at a lower cost than traditional methods. RESPONSIBILITIES The following work activities are likely in any interpreting setting: • assimilating speakers' words quickly, including jargon and acronyms; • building up specialist vocabulary banks; • writing notes to aid memory; • using microphones and headsets; • preparing paperwork - considering agendas before meetings, or lectures and speeches when received in advance; • using the internet to conduct research; • organising workload and liaising with internal departments, agencies and employers; • working to a professional code of ethics covering confidentiality and impartiality. SKILLS, INTERESTS AND QUALITIES To be an interpreter you should have fluency in one or more foreign languages an excellent command of your native language and a clear speaking voice an understanding of the way other languages are used by native speakers, for example informal speech and slang excellent concentration and the ability to think quickly knowledge of the field in which you are interpreting, for example politics, economics, or trade confidence for interpreting in public integrity and a sense of responsibility. Pre-entry experience is not essential but, if you want to work as a professional interpreter, you will need to show evidence of the following: • an excellent command of English and the other language(s) into which you may interpret; • knowledge of at least one additional language for freelance interpreting and two or ideally more for a staff position in • conference interpreting; • a good memory and the ability to learn fast; • the skills to interact well with people and work as part of a team; • the ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality; • flexibility to deal calmly with unexpected and difficult situations; • reliability, dedication and commitment; • knowledge of current affairs, politics and different cultures and customs. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS As well as being fluent in at least one other language - to include informal speech, slang and regional variations - you would need knowledge of the culture of the country where the language is spoken. Entry is also possible if you have a non-language degree and have gained the necessary language skills elsewhere. Knowledge of areas such as business, law or science can be useful when an understanding of specialist vocabulary is required. There are also opportunities if you do not have a degree, but have industry experience and language skills developed by years of being surrounded by and working with native speakers. For some liaison or public service interpreting, you may be able to complete Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) qualifications. If you have a very high level of fluency in English and another language or languages, for example from a bilingual upbringing or living abroad, you may find these awards useful: Certificate in Bilingual Skills (CBS) Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) Alternatively, you could start by completing qualifications in community interpreting which are offered by some colleges. This could lead to voluntary or paid work with councils or other organisations offering interpreting services in the local community. WORKING HOURS Working hours for freelancers are flexible. Business, routine medical and court-related assignments tend to take place during office hours but evening and weekend work is not uncommon, especially for police interviews and emergency medical care. In liaison work you may be called out at short notice for emergency medical or police interviews. Many interpreters work on a freelance basis. Places of work vary greatly. Conference interpreting usually involves a great deal of travelling. In public service interpreting you would work in local government offices, hospitals, immigration centres, law courts, police stations and prisons. SALARY Starting salaries range from £18,000 to £21,000 a year. Salaries for experienced interpreters can be up to £30,000. Freelance interpreters’ daily rates can be £26,000 per year depending on skills, experience and qualifications. Depending on the location of the interpreting assignment, additional payment is made towards travelling expenses such as Public Transport Costs or Mileage where you use your own vehicle to travel to and from Interpreting assignments.