<strong>How to pursue a career as a translator in India?</strong>
A translator, also known as interpreter, is a trained professional who converts information and texts from one language to another without changing the meaning of the content. Translation has been an off-beat career in India for many decades now. But in today’s times, due to globalisation and fraternization with diverse cultures, it has emerged as a popular career option for youngsters. It can be a great career option for youngsters who are fascinated by more than one language. Here's everything aspiring candidates may need to know if they want to be a full-time interpreter.
Eligibility criteria
To pursue a career as a translator, one must successfully pass their 10+2 curriculum under any stream with preferably 55 per cent or above. They should also possess basic knowledge of the desired languages they wish to take up as a translator. The goal is to know at least two languages fairly well.
Courses available
To become a translator, one must pursue undergraduate degree, diploma or certification courses in the desired language such as B.A., B.A. Honours in subjects such as English, French, Spanish, German, Bengali, Hindi or any other foreign or Indian languages. Nowadays, professional full-time translators also opt for language proficiency tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, TEF and so on.
Institutes to study
Some of the popular educational institutes in India to study the desired languages in order to become a translator are: Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, English and Foreign Language University in Hyderabad, Lucknow and Shillong, Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai and Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan in New Delhi.
Career options
After being trained in one or more languages, professional translators can opt for job roles such as health or medical translators, legal or judicial translators, literary translators, sign language translators and conference translators among others. Both government and private sectors hire translators. The industries that require translators the most are: multi-national software developing companies, newspapers and magazines, technical, scientific or literary based businesses, all kinds of educational institutes, hospitals, travel and tourism sector, hotel industry, airline industry, export agencies, exhibition agencies, media houses, radio stations, publishing houses, trade organisations, embassies and so on. Their main goal is to read and analyse an original text, retain its structure, style, ideas and facts and translate it in a way that at the end of the process, the translated text appears to be the real written or spoken content.