25 Jul Working as an interpreter in Foreign Country

Working as an interpreter in Foreign Country

If you are the adventurous, unattached, and free spirited type, you will surely jump at the opportunity of working as an interpreter in a foreign country. However, this is not some fun packed Safari to watch lions and elephants and dance with tribal warriors in Africa. The job is real and it comes with responsibilities and challenges. The experience is mixed, varied, and will depend upon individual preferences. As a foreign Interpreter in Delhi, I have had my own experiences. In short, there is the fun part, and the funny part.

The Fun Part

You will use all, if not more, reasons given here to justify your decision to relocate to a foreign country and work as an interpreter. If you have never traveled to the assigned country, then consider it a blessing. This is because you will get to add a new entry in the list of countries you have visited. Trust me, most people never even get to the point of dreaming of such a list.
If you dislike the thought of sitting in an office desk for hours, you will definitely love the job. You will travel a lot and get to network diversely. Depending on whether you work as a freelancer or as an employee attached to any organization, the experience varies. You might be called to a courtroom to interpret a horrific account about some crime. Better yet, you might be asked to attend a diplomatic meeting to serve as an interpreter of a prominent person. I was once requested to interpret for a candidate during a job interview. Although it was one of my most boring assignments, the weight of the cheque afterwards felt cool all the same.
You are probably asking why I am taking long to tell you how much you should expect to earn as an interpreter in a foreign country. In the U.S, the average pay is around $20 per hour. However, this will vary from depending on the location. So you will really need to do some research on the same.

The Funny Part

I laugh every time I get to this part. At first it was a challenge for me. However, I turned it into a strength rather than stress. Languages have different expressions. This is why if you are learning a foreign language you will be warned against direct translations. It is even worse if you are working as an interpreter in another country. An innocent phrase in one language might be insulting when directly translated to another. Take an example of the following French-English translations:- “Boire comme un trou” is supposed to mean drink a lot. Direct translation is drink like a deep well. – ” Poser un lapin” means to stand a person up. It directs translates to “leave a rabbit.”- “Zut alors” is a curse translating to darn! Literal meaning is holy smoke.

Pros of travelling interpretation jobs

• You get to learn from other people by working and interacting with them. This adds more weight to your resume.
• You also get to go to so many new places. It is fun.
• Working as a travelling translator can help in reducing stress by getting away from distractions at home.
• This way goes get to meet with many professionals hence more work opportunities are opened.

Cons of travelling interpretation jobs.

• There is no balance between work and life for you are travelling almost all the time.
• It can be tiresome. One has no enough time to rest as you move from place to place.
• You don’t have time for family for you are away most of the times.
• Travelling alone can get lonely at times.

In a nutshell

As a foreign interpreter in Delhi, my experience has been wide even from most conservative yardsticks. You might be translating in a serious session and say something that will either lead to an outburst of laughter, or given an immediate leave. I will tell you how I got over this problem. Context is key to translating from one language to another. If you detect something off, better consult before opening your mouth.