How to Achieve Success in Life as a Translator or Interpreter
Medy Beroy, a Filipino medical and legal interpreter working in the United States, was recently featured in a nationally circulated newspaper in the Philippines. For the most part, her story is being considered a success story. Although her first job in the US appeared to be a demotion, from an office head back in the Philippines to being a caregiver in the United States, she managed to succeed by eventually becoming an interpreter.
The number of foreign-born residents in the United States has increased significantly over the years leading to a boom in the interpreting business. Beroy works as an independent interpreter who accepts clients not only from within the United States but also from other parts of the world through teleconferencing. She has performed interpreting jobs for a variety of purposes, from the collection of unemployment benefits and insurance claims to doing everyday tasks like troubleshooting a problematic telephone connection.
But how successful has Beroy become? Has she significantly become wealthier? Is she happy with the job?
Income and Outlook for Interpreters and Translators
According to 2012 US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, translators and interpreters earn an average of $45,430 per year or $21.84 per hour. These figures are higher than the median annual wage for all workers in the United States at $34,750 (in 2012). Of course, in 2015 the numbers are expected to have already risen considering how the translation and interpreting industry has rapidly grown over the years. The US BLS projects a 46% increase in opportunities for translators from 2012 to 2022. This number is significantly greater than the 11% average growth for all careers.
On the other hand, CareerBuilder, a site that compiles data from numerous government sources, released a June 2015 report on job growth in the United States, which shows a good outlook for those who are and who want to be involved in the translation and interpreting industry. CareerBuilder similarly reports the translation and interpreting industry is the fastest growing industry in the United States. It is expected to add around 12,400 jobs from 2014 to 2019. In 2014, CareerBuilder counted 34,431 jobs. The projection is that there will be around 46,832 jobs by 2019 or a 36% increase within a five-year period. This growth is higher than the 29% estimated for specialty hospitals, 26% for residential modelers, 26% for home health care services, 23% for electronic shopping, and 21% for marketing consulting services.
Of course, the comparison here is just based on the growth rates. Other industries still hire more workers. Home health care services, for example, recorded 1,344,672 jobs in 2014 and is expected to have 1,677,455 by 2019.
Still, it can’t be denied that those who want to become translators or interpreters have so much to expect in the years ahead. There is also lesser competition. The internationalization of businesses, the growing tourism industry, and increased immigration into the United States will fuel higher demands for translators and interpreters.
Wide Income Range and Greater Possibilities for Those Who Work Hard
In an interview with Yahoo! — ABC News Network site “Fusion,” American Translators Association spokesperson Jiri Stejskal said that most translators work as freelancers. Although the average pay is not really that high, Stejskal said that it’s not really difficult to get six-digit salaries. The difference is in whom the translator or interpreter is serving. There’s a big difference in simply doing medical translations for a healthcare facility that serves non-English speakers and doing interpreting jobs for diplomats or high-ranking government officials. If you work hard to improve your competencies and gain new skills to do more specialized translation work, you can find greater success.
It’s important to emphasize that great success only comes to those who can prove that they have the skills worth a high price. It’s not enough being fluent in the languages; it’s also important to be culturally adept and to have specialized knowledge to handle tasks such as medical and legal translation. Experience and track record also matter for those who want to work as interpreters or translators for government officials. The US BLS does not list work experience requirements for translators and interpreters although a short-term on-the-job training may be needed to attain adequate competency. If you want to start a career in translation, it’s not difficult to start with it. You just need to make sure that you will eventually improve your skills and be mindful of the different nuances of different people and cultures.
Success Stories
As mentioned earlier, Medy Beroy’s story can be considered as one of the inspiring success stories in the field of translation and interpreting. In her case, though, success is not something that is only defined by financial wealth. She managed to shift a stable career as a translator from being a caregiver and successfully supported her daughter’s college education. For her, however, what’s more important is the fulfillment she gets, as she is able to help those who need a voice in speaking to people who speak a different language.
If you are looking for a financial form of success, of course the translation and interpreting industry has also produced some. University of South Florida graduate Sean Hopwood, for instance, now owns a global translation company that facilitates communication among people of different tongues. His company, Day Translations Inc., is an international business that now employs thousands of part-time interpreters. He did not suddenly become someone big in the world of translation. He also had to start small and learn the ropes of language translation before he could build a successful business around it.
Translation and interpreting can lead to good earnings especially when you pursue a business out of these services. The need for translators and interpreters is expected to continue growing. The rise of automatic translation services like Google Translate and Bing Translator is unlikely to become a threat to human translators in the near future. Moreover, translation and interpreting jobs offer highly enriching opportunities to be exposed to different people and cultures. The job creates countless opportunities for personal fulfillment. This alone is something already worth looking forward to. Not everyone can be successful but those who work hard and appreciate the role they play in society will surely feel how it is to be successful and fulfilled.