How to Become an Interpreter Without a Degree

It is believed that communication is the key to success. Have you ever wondered that helping people communicate can be a job that you can do for a living? Yes, there exists a huge profession that makes communication easier. We call them interpreters.

What Do Interpreters Exactly Do?

An interpreter’s job is to translate spoken words into two directions. The interpreter acts as a bridge between people, conveying the message, tone, intentions, and emotions. They do it with their knowledge and expertise. They also practice excellent professionalism and diplomacy.

The work of an interpreter is not easy as they have to deal with different people as well as multiple languages altogether. A very frequently asked question about being an interpreter is, can an individual be an interpreter without having a degree? The answer is A BIG YES. Here we are offering you a few steps that would guide you in being an interpreter.

How to Become an Interpreter Without a Degree?

Step 1-  Initiate by Getting a Hold of the Basics

• Languages are the primary focus of this profession.
• You have to develop an aptitude in multiple languages.
• It would help if you had good ears and patience to listen carefully.
• Don’t just be fluent, get the hold of the vocabulary and grammatical rules as well.
• You should be able to understand and reciprocate to the native speakers of that language without much of a delay.

Step 2 –  Qualities You Need

• Your dedication and devotion towards your language fluency should be quite visible.
• You should become aware of the cultural interpretations and do your job with professional selflessness.
• Such qualities are going to add to your knowledge and increase your expertise.

Step 3 –  Know Your Kind

There are two ways of interpreting. You should think well before choosing either after gaining all the necessary knowledge about the role of the interpreter in specific field practices.

• Simultaneous interpreting – It involves interpreting in real-time. It demonstrates decisiveness as the interpreters have to make decisions on their feet at the very moment.
• Consecutive interpreting – It involved listening to the speaker, interpreting it to the other party, and do the same when the other party responds. The critical skill required here is to be able to remember what was said!

Step 4 – Choose Your Work Sector

• After choosing the way of interpreting, you have decided what kind of interpreter do you want to become. There is a wide range of options available in various fields.
• For example, you can be a health care interpreter, legal interpreter, immigration interpreter, travel interpreter, etc. A profession must be something you enjoy doing. So choose wisely.

Step 5 – Gain Some Work Experience

• To begin with, you may try and get some unpaid internships with expert supervision. Learn as much as you can.
• Get an idea as to how this profession really works. You can also make your profile on sites like Fiverr or Freelancer.com.
• When you are confident enough, look for some small scale projects and get pro with it.
• Gradually, keep increasing the projects. Once you are known for your work, you can start it all on your own.

In Short – Never Stop Gaining Knowledge

• Once the goal is achieved, you need to maintain your position in the working industry.
• For that, you need to keep gaining more and more knowledge and stay constantly updated with the currents of the language.
• The process of learning should be constant.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need a degree to be an interpreter; however, you can crack some certificate courses to add up to your expertise. If you want to be an interpreter, you need to master the skills. Here in this article, we have mentioned all the necessary steps. We hope we were of some help to you. Happy Learning. 🙂