- Read many sources of documents and many types of information

- Look up the dictionary properly

- Write shorthand

- Listen well

- Speak fluently

You want to become a (good) interpreter so you are trying to study and practice to become perfect? Are you struggling to know what essential skills an interpreter should have?

To become a good interpreter, of course you must be qualified to find a job as an interpreter. Most employers posting job advertisements for interpreters require candidates to have graduated in linguistics, majoring in translation and interpretation. Or if not, the candidate needs to be good at foreign languages, possess a bachelor's degree in foreign languages ​​with a corresponding certificate of translation - interpretation, priority is given to certificates of translation - interpretation in specialized fields such as mechanics, electronics, engineering, medical...

 

Interpreting work requires translators to have strong professional knowledge and skills, and to be confident in their ability to convert languages. Where do these things come from? - Through school, instructors with a long history of academic achievements and experience will be the best communicators. In addition, young interpreters who have just graduated from school can learn from their predecessors at practical translation sessions to improve their skills.

 

Besides, flexibility and sensitivity in the interpretation process, especially when encountering unexpected problems such as hearing local words, slang or guests speaking too fast or too softly... are also extremely necessary for an interpreter.

 

- Read many sources of documents and many types of information

Being sensitive and flexible in converting the source language into the target language while still ensuring the accuracy of information is a mandatory requirement in the work of an interpreter. To do this, you must have comprehensive knowledge in many fields, including those that regularly translate and other useful fields. Therefore, the fastest way to grasp and update information is READING. Read through newspapers, advertisements, prose, magazines, specialized publications... everything you can to accumulate knowledge for your work. Regular reading also helps you understand the historical context of the situation, update important information in each field, have a multi-dimensional view of the incident, and especially learn how to express and interpret fluently. Flow and polish to support your translation.

Look up the dictionary properly

Besides reading many sources regularly to accumulate knowledge, veteran interpreters recommend enriching your vocabulary by looking up dictionaries. This also helps you make sure in what context that word is used and how it is applied. However, not all dictionaries today produce correct results. Therefore, interpreters must know how to select and find standard reference sources. Looking up the dictionary also helps you have more synonyms for firefighting in urgent cases.

 

Taking notes is a required skill for Interpretors, but it is not unnecessary for Interpreters. As a consecutive interpreter, listening to a long speech, in addition to good memory, you must have shorthand skills to quickly record the speaker's important ideas that need to be translated fully and accurately. especially to the listener. In addition, you should also create your own writing method where you only need to underline ideas or write down words/phrases to express the meaning of an entire sentence/paragraph to save maximum interpretation time.

 

Listen well

The job requirements of an interpreter require high ability to listen and understand immediately. A good listening ear will help you not miss any information in the guest's conversation, not have to stop midway to ask the speaker what they said, how to translate this word properly... In particular, good listening skills greatly support predicting the meaning of the speaker's sentences, helping to visualize the context and content.

 

Speak fluently

An easy-to-listen and inspiring voice combined with the ability to speak fluently, with the right emphasis, demonstrates the professional style of a good interpreter. However, not everyone is born with this advantage. Therefore, if your voice is difficult to hear, hoarse or has a strong local character, practice it slowly and over time to find the most standard voice. Although it may not be too attractive, it is enough so that the listener does not feel uncomfortable. . In addition, a professional interpreter must know when to speak, how fast or slow to speak, at high or low volume... to convey the full meaning of the speaker's words without causing misunderstandings. sensitive situations. To avoid making mistakes when speaking, the only way is to observe and decode non-verbal language through body language or judge the speaker's emotions at each moment of expression.