1. What it takes to become an English-Spanish translator or interpreter
BEYOND BILINGUALISM:
What it takes to become an English-Spanish translator or interpreter

2. By M. Eta Trabing – Berkana Language Center
September, 2008

3. Translator or interpreter?
Translators work with the written language, and usually only into their dominant language.
Interpreters work with the spoken language and must go in both directions, so have to speak both equally well.

4. Requirements for the Profession
To be a translator you must:
know the target language perfectly
be very detail-oriented
be prepared to do a lot of research
know some subject matter in depth, if not, study it first
be familiar with general business and computer terminology

5. Requirements ... To be a translator you must:
understand the source language very well
have access to appropriate technical dictionaries
be prepared to study grammar again
read copiously in both your languages
be a good proofreader or get someone else
study something new every day

6. Requirements ... To be a translator you must:
know who your audience will be
know the culture(s) of the countries/regions that use your languages
not fall into “translatorese” -- your translation must stand on its own
must make total sense in the target language

7. Requirements ... To be an interpreter you must:
know both the source and target languages equally well
you must use the tone, register and words of the original speaker
you must convey the speakers’ exact messages -- their meanings and nuances
a speaker could be very erudite or have little formal education

8. Requirements ... To be an interpreter you must:
have a great store of knowledge in your short- or long-term memory
like people!
study constantly
learn consecutive and simultaneous interpretation techniques
learn to sight-translate

9. Requirements ... To be an interpreter you must:
learn as many dialects and regional jargon as possible within your languages
learn “Spanglish” -- but as a separate language, NOT to replace English or Spanish
accept pressure and tension and still keep your cool
establish trust with those you work for

10. Requirements ...
Now that you know what to expect from translating and interpreting, think of which one you would be most comfortable with, which one you might enjoy more, which one your temperament and personality are best suited for. You must/should enjoy what you do, every day!

11. A few more things ... Self-study continues for the rest of your life!
Get a few specialties and every few years, add a couple of new subjects
Keep up with the modern use of your languages
Learn geography and history of your area

12. Certification For translators:
ATA certification – check language pairs
Check website:

13. Certification For interpreters:
Court certification -- both federal and state
Check National Center for State Courts website:
NO community or medical interpreter certification at this time

14. Necessary Investments
If you want to interpret or translate, you must:
have a computer, modem, Internet access, address, software in both your languages
know how to use them efficiently
have office space or space in a home office
have a telephone, fax/copier/printer
have business cards, résumé or brochure

15. Necessary Investments
buy office supplies
learn to use Terminology Management software (Trados, SDLX, Déjà vu, etc.)
learn to use PowerPoint and Excel, as well as Word
learn how to scan graphs and pictures

16. Necessary Investments
invest in specialized and general mono- and bi-lingual dictionaries
learn to find dictionaries on the Internet
learn to research subjects on the Internet or elsewhere
Have simultaneous interpreting equipment
become members of one or more professional organizations

17. Necessary Investments
stay up-to-date with what goes on in your profession, your community, your specialty, your world - new subjects, new technologies, new terminology, new everything and anything for EVER! At some point you will have to interpret or translate it!

18. Ethics and practices - ATA
As a Translator or Interpreter, a bridge for ideas from one language to another and one culture to another, I commit myself to the highest standards of performance, ethical behavior, and business practices.

19. Ethics and practices
A. I will endeavor to translate or interpret the original message faithfully, to satisfy the needs of the end user(s). I acknowledge that this level of excellence requires:
1. mastery of the target language equivalent to that of an educated native speaker,
2. up-to-date knowledge of the subject material and its terminology in both languages,
3. access to information resources and reference materials, and knowledge of the tools of my profession,
4. continuing efforts to improve, broaden, and deepen my skills and knowledge.

20. Ethics and practices
B. I will be truthful about my qualifications and will not accept any assignments for which I am not fully qualified.
C. I will safeguard the interests of my clients as my own and divulge no confidential information.
D. I will notify my clients of any unresolved difficulties. If we cannot resolve a dispute, we will seek arbitration.

21. Ethics and practices
E. I will use a client as a reference only if I am prepared to name a person to attest to the quality of my work.
F. I will respect and refrain from interfering with or supplanting any business relationship between my client and my client's client.
As amended by the ATA Board of Directors in March, 2002.

22. Ethics codes for judiciary/court interpreters
See:
the National Center for State Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts in Washington, DC (federal)
NAJIT – National Assoc. of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators
Local/state judiciary interpreter associations

23. Ethics codes for medical interpreters
See:
National Council on Interpreting in Health Care – NCIHC

24. Professionalism means ...
Being totally accountable for our work
Doing the absolute, best job each and every time
Making sense and asking the right questions and providing cultural comments, when appropriate

25. Some Rewards are...
We get to transmit vital and important information -- sometimes, inane things!
We act as cultural and language bridges
We help people
We learn new things all the time
We make friends all over the world
Our minds are constantly stimulated and forced to expand

26. Some Interpretation Specialties
Community
Court/Judiciary
Medical
Conference (small or large -- many subjects, international business)
Escort or seminar (State Dept.)
Diplomatic/Consular (State Dept.)

27. Some Translation specialties
Literary
Journalistic
Technical (many, many fields)
Legal
Scientific (many fields)
General business
Computers / localization

28. Other Specialties for Bilinguals
UN précis writers
Terminologists
Typesetters (foreign languages)
Desk-top publishing - DTP
Proof-readers
Editors (foreign language books)
Any and all jobs can be made bilingual for the benefit of the employer!

29. A student’s comment ...
Being bilingual, I had just always assumed that I had all the skills necessary to translate. However, as I began receiving feedback on my translations, I realized that I had never truly appreciated what it takes to produce an accurate translation.
Nicole Behrendt

30. Traps and pitfalls
Neophyte translators approach their task from a word-for-word perspective
Experienced translators concentrate first on the meaning, then on the words.
The expert has a variety of strategies to solve complex problems, which the inexperienced do not know yet.

31. Decimal separator Comma (6,7%) Period (6.7%)
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela
Period (6.7%)
Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States

32. Other number differences
Conversions to and from the metric system
Billion in English (1,000,000,000.00)
un mil millones o un millardo
Billón in Spanish ( )
one trillion or one million millions

33. Know your subject
… all of my rights and duties with respect to the minor will be extinguished and all aspects of the legal relationship between the minor child and the parent will be terminated.
Wheat, corn and pork bellies are traded on the commodities exchange.

34. Know your subject
Echo cancellation is a technique that allows isolation and filtering of unwanted signals caused by echoes from the main transmitted signal.
Blow-fly infestation of the breech can be effectively controlled for 6-8 weeks by tagging or crutching.

35. Know your subject
The echocardiogram showed left ventricular dilatation with normal left atrium, shortening fraction of 23% and ejection fraction of 30% with moderate mitral failure, normal pulmonary artery pressure and global diffused hypokinesis, with paradoxical septum.

36. Conozca su tema
En Paraguay, un 45% de la población es monolingüe en guaraní, y un 7% es mono-lingüe en español. El 48% restante es bilingüe en español y guaraní.
El empeoramiento de las condiciones eco-nómicas y monetarias provoca oscila-ciones cada vez más violentas de las coti-zaciones en los mercados monetarios y de capitales.

37. Conozca su tema
Una mujer alta y escuálida con un pañuelo enrollado en la cabeza le saca brillo a un pomo redondo de bronce de la puerta de hierro y madera del portal.
Los enterovirus se encuentran en todas las poblaciones porcinas del mundo; muchas de las cepas no son patógenas y existen 11 serogrupos enterovirales porcinos.

38. Conozca su tema
Al administrar ecoestrés-dobutamina hay mejoría de la contractilidad ventricular, sin claro incremento del sinergismo ventricular.
Durante su internación se efectúa cintigrama miocárdico de esfuerzo que no documenta evidencia de isquemia.

39. Other E-S traps and pitfalls
The many meanings of “su”
Dijo que sus primos eran profesores.
Sus finanzas andaban mal.
Prepositions
65 in English vs 20 in Spanish

40. Other E-S traps and pitfalls
Passive voice - reflexive form
English present participles vs. Spanish gerunds
Multiple uses of “for”

41. Other E-S traps and pitfalls
False cognates
Check exact meanings in monolingual dictionaries
Look up Hamel’s Comprehensive Bilingual Dictionary of Spanish False Cognates, ISBN

42. Other E-S traps and pitfalls
Actual vs. actual
Actually vs. actualmente
Consistent vs. consistente
Sensitive vs. sensitivo
Ignore vs. ignorar
Assume vs. asumir

43. Other E-S traps and pitfalls
Elaborate vs. elaborar
Figure vs. figura
Regular vs. regular
Relevant vs. relevante
Suppose vs. suponer
Editor vs. editor
Eventual vs. eventual
Etc.

44. Professional organizations
American Translators Association (ATA)
Local chapters or associate groups of ATA
The National Assoc. of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators – NAJIT
Local judiciary/court interpreter associations
National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (
Local medical interpreter associations

45. Subscribe to: GLOSAS Academia norteamericana de la lengua española
GPO Box 349, New York, NY 10116
$24/año (4 números)

46. Subscribe to: Intercambios
Quarterly newsletter of Spanish Language Division of the ATA
Publications of other ATA Divisions of interest to you (medical, interpreters, literary, scientific, etc.)