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In focus: Translation and interpreting

Name: Inna Kassatkina 

Title: President

Organization: Global Language Solutions (GLS)

Number of Years in the Industry: 15

 

Heather Huhman: Please describe a “day in the life” in the translation and interpreting industry for an entry-level practitioner.

 

Inna Kassatkina: As an example of one type of entry-level practitioners in a language services company, let’s look at the position of Junior Project Manager (PM). Junior PMs at GLS are expected to multitask with great proficiency because our company works with multiple clients on multiple projects simultaneously. It’s not a career where you finish one client project from start to finish, file it away, and move on to the next. Each project is labor intensive and comprised of many different steps – and often in several languages. Plus, project managers have extensive client interaction, serving as the liaison between the client and company, as well as the various language vendors. Any issues that are potential problems have to be analyzed at the start of a project. PMs also select the translators, editor, and proofreaders according to each project’s turnaround time, volume and languages. 

 

HH: What skills/knowledge are expected of entry-level professionals in the translation and interpreting industry? Also, is an advanced degree recommended, or is a Bachelor’s degree acceptable, and why?

 

IK: A Bachelor’s degree is required, but most of our PMs have an advanced degree. GLS has hired several graduates from The Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and Georgetown's School of Languages and Linguistics. Computer skills are a must, as well as knowledge of translation memory (TM) software, such as SDL Trados. TM software should not be confused with Machine Translation. There is no machine translation software on the market today that can be used to produce publication quality foreign language documents and Web sites. 

 

As for translators, it’s not enough to be bilingual. Our translators have a degree in linguistics or translation, TM software experience and computer skills. Plus, our expert linguists translate into their native language only and all of them have extensive experience in the subject matter of the material they translate. 

 

HH: What can an entry-level job candidate do, say, prove, etc. during an interview to impress you enough to move to the next stage of the hiring process?

 

IK: Project management involves a significant amount of organizational skills, planning and client interaction. It is important for job applicants to show through experience and education that they are detail- and goal-oriented. Specifically, we look for someone who can provide examples as to how they have been able to manage stressful projects under both tight and longer deadlines. We also give all of our interviewees a proofreading test. This helps us fairly evaluate their proofing skills and reflects, in my opinion, their attention to detail.  

 

All of the translators we contract are carefully screened and must take a proficiency test. Further, we require references and any relevant credentials, such as industry experience, degrees and affiliations with the major language associations, such as the American Translators Association. 

 

HH: While this varies depending on location and organization size, what might an entry-level practitioner in the translation and interpreting industry expect in terms of salary range?

 

IK: A junior project manager will earn anywhere from $36,000 to $45,000 per year, depending on the size of the organization and the location of the company. 

 

Translators are typically contracted on a freelance basis. Therefore, what you earn depends on how much work you are able to secure for yourself and how much you’re willing to work.

 

HH: What advice do you have for students or recent graduates looking to “break into” the translation and interpreting industry? 

 

IK: One might assume that working in the language services industry requires proficiency in a foreign language when, actually, that is not the case for project management positions. In fact, project managers can come from many specialties and backgrounds. For example, we have hired project managers from the advertising industry and conference or event management companies.  While we have major translation projects requiring multiple language pairs, we also provide interpreting services for large conventions and conferences. Therefore, a person with event organization experience would be useful managing conference interpreters, equipment vendors, etc. – the same way you would manage an event without any language components.

 

A portfolio showcasing event and project organizational skills are very important. If you were the homecoming parade organizer at your college, turn that into a detailed project plan with timelines, check lists, and a case study about meeting goals, budgets, and vendor relations. Real world experience is crucial, even as a junior level applicant. 

 

HH: Do you have any personal anecdotes, without mentioning people’s names, of the best and worst entry-level practitioners you’ve come in contact with over the years?

 

IK: We hired a young lady from a French marketing focus group company who had no linguistic experience. Within a year, she went from Junior PM to PM to Senior PM and became one of the most efficient PMs the company ever had. Even when she decided to relocate back to France with her husband, we could not let her go, and she is now working for us as a manager of our Paris office. 

 

On the flip side, we interviewed someone from a consumer products company whose previous job involved many linguistic elements and coordination of her company’s translation projects – a big plus for us. She was a shining star among other candidates we interviewed for the same position at that time. She was hired and, unfortunately, it became obvious that she was not good at multitasking and juggling multiple projects. As a result, to get her projects completed, she worked many extra hours on projects that should have taken her about half of that time. She then started missing deadlines, which is not acceptable in our industry. She did not survive with GLS past five months, unfortunately.

 

HH: Please describe the current job market for entry-level professionals in the translation and interpreting industry.

 

IK: The language services industry is one that is suffering less than many other industries in the current economic environment. In fact, most companies are seeing an increase in contracts and opportunities based on a variety of reasons. 

 

Specifically in California, new government regulations require translation services for limited-English proficient (LEP) populations. Senate Bill 853 will require health plans to translate forms, materials, and more into one or more languages, and California Assembly Bill 512 will help LEP clients better understand the mortgage loan documents they are asked to sign when applying for a home loan. 

 

From a global perspective, businesses are looking to capture new customers outside of the United States. And many U.S. companies engage in business partnerships with vendors in other countries in order to reduce the cost to produce their commodities. 

 

In the military and government, the FBI has acknowledged it needs more experienced translators of all languages but especially Middle Eastern. CIA officials say they need native speakers of Arabic, Chinese, and other key languages who are familiar with foreign cultures to blend in overseas and to instruct agency officers. To bridge the gap, the government contracts private translators to handle information through secure electronic connections.

 

Translators are needed in a growing amount of language pairs as the global economy expands. Language services companies are often in search of project managers and sales people to help cultivate and manage the new business.