AIBU to ask you a question about translation qualifications?

[PamplemousseRouge]

Hi everyone.

I'm really interested in going into translation as a career. I understand that it is a particularly difficult career to get into, as it's so competitive and people applying for translation jobs will be competing with many other applicants from different countries who all have very good qualifications and strong language skills.

I have a languages degree (French and Spanish), and would like to work towards a master's qualification in translation. I don't know if it's absolutely essential to have a translation qualification for a translation career, but I think it would definitely give me lots of experience and exposure different types of translation work, not to mention confidence when applying for for translation jobs in the future.

I've got a couple of questions.

First of all, do you think it would be best if I work towards a qualification in both French and Spanish? It would definitely be an advantage to have a qualification in both languages in terms of career prospects, but then again, it may be sensible just to really focus on one language instead of two. French is definitely my preferred language out of the two. This is partly because I've lived in France for some time but have never lived in Spai. It's also just because I love French (francophone) culture (books, music, films), and because I have kept up with my French much more than my Spanish, I feel nuch more comfortable with expressing myself in French and, as a result, much more likely to turn to French-language cultural resources rather than resources in Spanish.

My second question is to do with the different qualifications available. I've seen that the Institute of Chartered Linguists offer a translation qualification. I've also heard that this is particularly challenging, because it isn't a master's course that prepares candidates for a qualification. It's essentially an exam that is, understandably, quite difficult to pass, especially first time. Do you think it would be best for me to apply for a translation MA rather than the qualification offered by the Institute of Charterer Linguists?

My ideal career would be working in a large organisation or company (potentially an EU organisation - until Brexit!! - or an organisation in Europe), rather than freelance, to begin with. I feel that it would be more sensible for me to aim for a career with a company first and then go freelance through building up contacts rather than going freelance straightaway.

Does anyone have any advice please about how to choose an appropriate translation qualification and whether I should apply for a qualification in one or two languages?

Thank you very much everyone! :)

I think you should contact the relevant bodies directly, but it does seem that you might benefit from some professional careers advice.

My friend from uni (I also did French and Spanish) did Bath University's MA in Professional Translation and Language Skills and went on to work in France/Switzerland in a similar type of role that you'd like to do. She now works in UK Parliament. The opportunities in her career came from the MA via links and placements if that helps.

Thank you very much sooty and PNGirl for your posts :) if anyone has any further advice or suggestions, it would be great to hear from you too.

It's probably all changed now, but back in the 80s I took the intermediate and advanced Institute of Linguists qualifications, which gave one membership of the body (MIL) via subscription renewable annually, when I was doing my degree in Spanish. I wasn't considering going into translation as a career, maybe doing some freelance on the side as an income supplement, but at the time they were the recognized professional body and most employers or contractors of translation services would require one to have professional qualifications as well as academic ones. Maybe you could do both?