In the language industry the trust between the client and a language professional is of the greatest importance. It is because the client most likely does not know the language and so needs to totally rely on the translator or interpreter. In the case of translators, it is easier because their job can be double-checked. But for interpreters it is absolutely necessary for clients to be sure that they hire a professional. What can really help an interpreter to prove the high level of their professional skills is certification because it is the acknowledgment from the experts in the field. But when choosing to become certified, there are some important factors for an interpreter to consider.
The very first thing to do is to decide on the language pair you want to work with to be certified. It may happen that if you translate between Japanese and French, there will be no institution in the US that can provide the certification for this language pair (and there probably will be no need to search for the options abroad). It can also be the case that the certification programs available will not include any kind of formal training but rather focus on the theory of interpretation. While nothing is possible without a strong theoretical base, the lack of practice will anyway make it a waste of time, and so, such options are not much worth attention. Thus, the main thing at this point is to determine whether your pair can be certified in the US and whether the program will include practical exercises. Most likely, one will be able to find such for a language pair of English with one of the most popular languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, or Russian. Alternatively, it is also possible to get certified in English and Sign language.
After deciding on the language pair, the next step is to choose one’s specialization in interpreting. There are many options here and so the best way to come up with a decision is to determine the field you are interested in the most and the one in which you have the most field knowledge. If you are interested in or are pretty familiar with healthcare, biology, and the like, a good choice would be to become a medical interpreter. Those who are knowledgeable or enthusiastic about trade and finances would most likely benefit from working in the business field. Legal interpreting is the right option for professionals who would like to work in courts or generally in the judicial system. In this sector it is possible to be certified either at the state or the federal level. For each of the mentioned fields, it is possible to find a suitable certification program.
However, getting a certificate in a narrow field would be beneficial not for every interpreter. If you would like to assist with communication in private meetings, conferences, educational environments, while traveling or pursue an interpreting career at the United Nations, the most suitable option for you is being a general interpreter. In this case, you need to take a general certification program that will cover all the basic topics without a special focus on some fields. What is also good about it is that if you decide to switch to some narrow field it will take you less time and effort.
This program is available for those who already have an Associate degree or higher. Unfortunately, they do not have an online program. The classes are held two times a week during the daytime. At a minimum it includes 53 credits. The entire certification program lasts for about 1,5-2 years.
It is apparent that most of the certification programs offered are concerned with the medical field. This is because it has recently observed a surge in development and became extremely popular. If none of the medical interpretation programs listed are suitable for you, it is also possible to find some more at Training Notices from the International Medical Interpreters Association. If your language pair is not likely certified in the US, one of the best and the most comprehensible resources to find certification programs abroad is BeTranslated.com’s List of Translation and Interpretation Schools.
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