LANGUAGES
LINGUIST
LINGUIST
A career in languages is as varied
as it is interesting. For example, as a linguist you'll help people bridge the
gap between countries and cultures. This field hold opportunities such as:
Interpreters: This is
what we call mixing business with pleasure. You'll accompany business executives
and government officials on their trips. Here, you'll not just be helping two
people communicate but you will also represent your firm/country. The job calls
for sensitivity to cultural differences. While interpreting you have to make
sure that you retain the meaning of the original sentence.
It's a tough job, as you'll be interpreting simultaneously during conferences,
meetings, speeches, etc. The interpreter in a sound proof room listens through
headphones to the source speech and almost spontaneously interprets it to the
target language into a microphone. This automatically gets transmitted to the
earphones of the listeners.
Translators: You'll
work with books, scripts and articles to translate them into the desired
language. The works might be literary in nature or a simple technical manual.
While, interpreters work with the spoken word, translator's work revolves
around the written language.
Teacher: This is a
broad classification. You could be teaching languages such as Hindi, English or
any regional language in schools, colleges or even hold private courses for
those who just wish to learn the basics. The same applies to foreign languages.
Linguistic: You will
be an expert in origin, evolution, development, and contemporary form of various
languages. You will research to find out the new developments in different
languages. You will advice companies in certain fields like software companies
developing speech recognition software. You will advice on the phonetics and
other features of speech.
Requirements
Linguists work for people in a
variety of settings. Hence adaptability; good interpersonal skills and being an
extrovert are essential qualities. A pleasant demeanour, patience and an
ability to withstand strain are some other qualities needed to make it big in
this line.
You have to be good in languages as
well as intonations, tone, etc. You must have the ability to manipulate a
certain language in a skilful way. You need to be well versed with what's
happening both in your backyard and around the world. This will help you in
your translations and also as an interpretator.
A good memory, concentration, rapid
responses, speed and accuracy are essential personal qualities here.
Translatory work requires meticulousness and accuracy of words. There should be
clarity in your writing.
To be a good linguist you need to
be good at picking up words and have a memory for new sounds and their
meanings. You will also have to go in-depth into the grammar of the language,
be familiar with its different versions, word connotations, sentence
construction and usage patterns.
For a job in this field you need to
have at least an MA in a language. In case of a teaching job in a school or
university a diploma in that language will do.
Job Opportunities
Well, the list is just endless.
* You could work as a translator
either in newspapers or publication houses
* MNCs: You could find work with multinationals who have set up their offices in
India. They will need a translator or an interpreter until they learn the local
language.
* Literature: Here, your expertise
will be put to use in translating literary works of art, so that more and more
people have access to good writing.
* International organisations: There are plenty of openings with The United
Nations, World Health Organisation and others. Here you'll act as official
translators to participants from different linguistic backgrounds that come to
attend the meeting.
* International functions: Beauty
pageants, discussion fora, group summits, etc also depend a lot on translators
to get their message across.
* Universities and schools: If you
care to share your skills you could work as a teacher. Most institutions the
world over, have begun to consider linguists as an important element of study.
Indian colleges offer French, German and Sanskrit as alternate languages for
study. This creates need for full time staff for the languages.
* Corporates: With more and more
companies sending their staff abroad either for training or for work purposes
the need for linguists in this field has really shot up. You could conduct
short-term language workshops for the staff to get them conversant with the
language of the place of deputation.
* Private Tutors: You could your
own master if you wish to. Holding language classes from the comforts of your
home could be both convinient as well as lucrative.
* Travel & Tourism Industry:
You'll be required to make brochures and books to be used a guide books to
places of tourist interest.
* Bilingual secretaries are in
demand with more and more firms.
* If employed with a radio station
you'll work with a small team of people, listen to broadcasts from overseas
stations, noting and translating important material and making transcriptions
for news service.
* Industries, government,
international organisations, organisations undertaking translation work and
research organisations also employ translators.
* You can work with both Indian and
Foreign Government offices as Interpreter.
* Interpreters and translators
generally work as freelancers as there is no organised recruitment structure
and most often the job is task specific.
Money & Other Benefits
Translators work independently and
command the price they think is suitable. Depending on the amount of work you
decide to take on, you can earn Rs 15,000-20,000 a month. If the workload is
exceptionally heavy, then the amount earned can even go up to Rs 40,000!
Teachers start off at Rs
4,000-6,000 a month and progress up to Rs 20,000 or so. Private classes mint a
lot of money. On an average you can charge a student around Rs 3,000-5,000 for
a month's course.
Even a beginner can charge Rs 1000
a day. With some experinence it can go up to Rs 2000-2,500 per day (that is
75,000 per month!), for interpretation.
In many a situation when a real
multi-lingual scenario comes up with many languages, an English interpreter may
also tag along with the team. The second interpreter will just have to
translate from English to the target language, which makes the job easier.
Translators also earn very well,
with Rs 2-3 per word. And for all these, what you need is a flair for
languages. For a tourist guide the normal rate is Rs 1,500 a day, for a
beginner.
Career Prospects
Many feel that the advent of
technology and language software spells doom for linguists. But the interpreter
provides the human touch that is so essential to communication.
Globalisation has seen a
multi-lingual scenario. Previously French, German and Spanish were considered
to be the main languages. Now Chinese, Russian, etc., have opened up the
markets.
Translation and interpretation are two fields where
you can make cheap money in this new scenario. With liberalisation many MNCs
have set up offices in India and they certainly need interpreters and
translators. The first step in building up a career in these fields is to build
contacts. Prove yourself and everything will fall into place. With the growth
of the tourism industry, the need for guides expert in different languages has
increased.
Languages
is one of the most powerful forces to bring people together. It is an
expression of internationalism. If you do have a flair for languages, you can
consider acquiring the linguistic skills required.
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As an integral part of the job eg. interpreter,
translator, foreign language teacher etc.
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As supplementary to others jobs where language skills
are considered an asset eg. travel and tourism, air lines, hotels, diplomatic
services, export, personal management in multinational companies, journalism,
mass communication, publishing etc. Further, the knowledge of a language like
French helps an individual to further career prospects in specialised fields
like Fashion Designing, Interior Decoration, French Cuisine etc. These days
knowledge of foreign languages specially French, German, Russian, etc. enables
students to get admission for studies in Universities in the respective
countries.
CONFERENCE INTERPRETING
This is
the only type of full-time work available for interpreters, but there are opportunities for freelance interpreters as
well and many freelancers do
conference interpreting as well
as other forms of interpreting and
translating work. International organisations like the United Nations, the EEC and other trading organisations all use skilled
interpreters at their conferences and meetings. Interpreters are expected
to have exceptional proficiency in at least one and sometimes two
foreign languages. They always
translate from their foreign language
(or passive language) into their
mother tongue (or active
language).There are two types
of interpreting carried out
at international conferences.
Simultaneous interpreting is a
post-war technique now most favored at conferences though the
most difficult to actually do. It
involves interpreters sitting in a sound-proof booth in view of the conference
area listening to the speakers through headphones. They must then
simultaneously translate what is being said for the benefit of their listeners via
a microphone.
Consecutive
interpreting is a technique where the speech is first
delivered in whole or in part by the
speaker. It is then translated by the
interpreters, each taking it in turns
to speak.
FREELANCE
INTERPRETING
The
majority of linguists are not in permanent work as conference interpreters
but they are able to carry out various types of free-lance work
on an 'adhoc' basis. They may carry
out conference interpreting on a
temporary basis, but a common form of
interpreting work is that of liasion
interpreter. Here the linguistic acts as a go-between for a
small group of people.
The work
of interpreters whether as employees or freelance takes them into a
variety of settings
and places. International
organisations may require their interpreters to fly all over the world to
translate at all the important international conferences or meetings attended
by their representatives. This involves spending a lot of time travelling
and staying in hotels. Freelance
interpreters in particular will face different work environments and
conditions as they go on from one job
to the next. One week they may be carrying out translation work at
home, the next week they may be hired to help interpret at a conference.
The ability
to acquire an in-depth knowledge and
perfect understanding of one or more foreign languages.
Fluency in speech
Quick analytical mind
The ability
to concentrate totally for long periods of time
Mental stamina and considerable self-confidence
Although
there are full-time jobs available for conference interpreters with
international organisations there are very few vacancies and posts available. Most assignments are
free-lance and employed by organisations and
companies for specific conferences
and meetings. Most new freelancers also have other jobs, at least initially
in order to earn a living from which
they can take time off to do the
occasional few days interpreting.
While
interpreting is concerned with the spoken word, translating is concerned with
the written word. Translators are
engaged by international
organisations dealing in politics, trade
or commerce as well as by major firms with international interests. Most work
as freelancers and are engaged on a
temporary basis. Translation work can be divided into two main categories technical, scientific, and commercial, or
literary each requiring very different methods and expertise.
Translation
of written material is very much a desk, typewriter / computer and library job.
This means working in an office at the
employer's establishment or at home. All translators need to carry
out their research in public or specialist libraries from time to time or may
need to visit specialists or other organisations
to gain further information. Those also engaged in carrying out interpreting work have a more varied work environment.
In-depth knowledge of at least one foreign language
Flair for writing
Persistence and attention to detail
Self-motivated and disciplined
Most
translators find work on a
free-lance basis, operating
through agencies and gaining experience and expertise by this
method.
The
main types of employer are as follows :
Industry and commerce
The UN and other organisations
Freelance work
Translators
are paid Rs. 400-600 per page for languages such as French, German and Spanish
and Rs. 500-700 per page for languages such as Japanese, Arabic and Russian.
However, the remuneration depends on how often you work and what type of work
you are doing.
Another
career avenue for linguists, is teaching in schools, colleges, universities or
in institutions which impart specialised training in foreign languages.
Professors get a salary of Rs. 4000 - Rs. 7000 per month. Private tuition's in
foreign languages or teaching English as a foreign languages can be a lucrative
career prospect where you may earn Rs. 100 per hour.
There is no well defined career path. Success in this
field of foreign languages depends on proficiency, initiative and enterprise.
“Language is a breeding ground for effective communication. It is the secret of
a good communicator’s success. It is the stepping stone which catapults
conversation and facilitates healthy interaction between two speakers. Any
language helps to pave the path towards the listener’s heart. A tourist who is
unable to communicate with a foreigner because of language problems wins his
heart and cooperation merely by speaking few broken words of the foreign
language. Even if the speaker fills the gaps in conversation with the body
movements and gestures, he touches the chords of the listener’s emotions and
wins his confidence, “ says Dr. Meeta Ghosh, a language professional in English
and French and who runs Ecole de Languages.