Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to Interprepedia. My name is Rosa. I'm an interpreter and in this video I am going to share with you how to become an interpreter in 10 steps. Before we start, I would like to point out a few things. Although I have named this video how to become an interpreter for algorithmic purposes, in reality this is more of a roadmap of how the majority of practicing interpreters I know, including myself, have become interpreters. Evidently, there is more than one way to achieve this and in a perfect world we would all have the will and the opportunity to attend a prestigious university to get a bachelor's degree in translation and interpretation, followed by a master's degree in conference interpreting with extensive internships here and there, to eventually become interpreters for the United Nations and live happily ever after. But we are not in a perfect world and interpreters are needed in many situations from medical appointments, insurance claims, and even in war times as we are witnessing right now. They're not just needed to interpret conferences or presidential speeches. So anyway, I'm going on a tangent here. The last thing I want to point out is the importance of interpreters. And the fact that I am only speaking from personal experience based on where I work and the type of clients I have. So obviously, if you are tuning in from a different part of the world, this may not apply to you, as different countries have different regulations to practice translation and interpretation. With that being said, let's get started. Obviously, the core skill needed to work as an interpreter is being highly professional, being able to work as an interpreter is being highly professional, being highly proficient in at least two languages. Now, if you speak two languages already and you're wondering if your proficiency is enough to actually work as an interpreter, you can take a language proficiency test. In my case, for example, I have a degree from a higher education institution in a country where Spanish is the official language. So for most intents and purposes, that alone can serve as proof of my proficiency. However, I had to take the TOEFL exam to prove my proficiency in English. I would not say this is mandatory, but I highly suggest you consider it because some certification programs and potential employers or clients require this, and it can help boost your resume. Much like dancing at your cousin's wedding doesn't make you a professional dancer, being bilingual alone doesn't make us interpreters. I learned that. The hard way, when I just started and I had to take my first interpreting test, and in spite of knowing pretty much all the vocabulary, I didn't pass the actual interpreting exercises. So take some classes. And I say that in plural because there is not one single course that will teach you absolutely everything that you need to know to work as an interpreter. But you can start small and take a combination of two or three courses. But you can start small and take a combination of two or three courses. But you can start small and take a combination of two or three courses. It's important in terms of short courses and workshops or webinars to learn about ethics and protocol. How interpreters are expected to work in the field where you want to work and vocabulary related to that field. It's important to start creating a new resume as soon as possible, even if you have little or no experience working as an interpreter. Preparing your resume will force you to assess your skills. Preparing your resume will force you to assess your skills. And if you are transitioning from a different career field, you can dig deep into your background to see what skills and experience can be transferred to create your new resume. Once your new resume is done, it will be easy peasy to create your LinkedIn profile. I can tell you that I have found most of my clients through LinkedIn and since I already made a video with some tips about how to make the best of LinkedIn if you are an interpreter or translator, I would like to invite you to check it out. Another very important step is to take time to learn about the language services industry. I suggest you do some research to learn about professional associations for interpreters, credentials or certifications in the field that you're interested in working, language services providers because those are the companies that hire or subcontract interpreters and also learn about fellow interpreters. Many interpreters have podcasts, YouTube channels, websites and social media pages or groups where you can learn a lot about the industry. Another step I suggest is joining a professional association because this offers a lot of advantages to all interpreters but to new interpreters, it shows that you are committed and engaged in this new career. It gives you unique opportunities to connect with other professionals in the industry. Plus, most associations offer regular educational opportunities at no cost or at least at a reduced cost for their members, which is another perk of joining one. Once you know who's who and what's what, it's time to start networking. Post about your new career on social media so colleagues and recruiters can start noticing you. Reach out to others and ask for advice, ask questions and participate in events, both online and in person to start building your network. If you are just starting out, obviously that means you have little experience and one great way to overcome that is through volunteering. No matter the industry you're in, doing volunteer work feels good and looks good on your resume. Volunteering offers a lot of advantages because it gives you the opportunity to meet new people, people who can later become potential clients. It helps you develop and refine your skills and it helps you gain some experience in the field. At this point, you should be ready to start applying for jobs. One thing you should know is that in this industry, many opportunities are not actual jobs or traditional employment. In my experience, I would say the majority of listings are for contract work, where you are considered a supplier of services to another company. But either way, the application process is somewhat similar. You can find out about open positions on mainstream job search websites, but I suggest you visit the language services providers website directly because many have special links where you can upload your resume and create a profile, even if there's no active listing for an open position, because you might be surprised by an offer when you least expect it. I hope this helps bring some clarity as you embark on this new career field. And please remember that patience and perseverance are key in this process. It took me weeks and weeks of research, emails, filling out forms over and over, and tweaking my resume before I landed my first opportunity. If you are interested in this type of content, I would like to invite you to visit my new website where I have started a new blog, and I'll be posting articles very frequently. I actually posted an article about this in the blog days before I posted this video here. So if you want to stay in the know, make sure to check it out and subscribe to the email list to get notices when new articles are uploaded. And that was it for today. Thank you so much for watching. Adios. Bye.