Translation and interpreting is a fascinating, varied and rewarding career, and the opportunities are as many and varied as the sectors in which we work.
The profession is open to people from a wide range of backgrounds, from recent language graduates to those with commercial or industrial experience looking for a career change.
Here are some job types for translators and interpreters to explore.
Video Game Tester
Video game testers work with game designers to ensure accuracy in the translation of game text and dialogue for international editions. They proofread written text and play games at length to look out for matters of cultural sensitivity, as well as technical bugs. They may have to write reports or summaries and log errors and bugs in a database for the developers to address.
Social Media Analyst
Social media is at the heart of contemporary marketing practice. Tweets, memes, and adverts can be instantly viewed around the world, making social media a valuable source of revenue and marketing avenue for today’s companies. The social media analyst must capture the essence of a text and translate it in a way that both retains the freshness of the original and captures the imagination of the target audience in their native tongue. This requires cultural awareness, marketing savvy, SEO skills, and creative flair.
Tour Guide
One of the most picturesque ways to put language skills to use is by working as a Tour Guide. This position is a great fit for outgoing people who speak two or more languages, and in particular for those who have in-depth knowledge of cultural landmarks and points of interest.
Cultural Advisor
A bilingual consulting career pairs linguistic and cultural understanding with business acumen. Cultural Advisors perform a wide range of tasks, including corporate training sessions, business negotiations, the development of international marketing strategies, and plenty of translation and interpretation. Their goal is to build and strengthen the relationship between an institution and its international clients, partners, or employees. Linguistic and cultural knowledge are must-haves for this position, but managerial skills, subject matter expertise, and sociability are key as well.
Do you know of any other market positions for translators and interpreters? Let us know about it.