International Interpreters and Translators Week on September, 2024: i would like to be a medical interpreter?

International Interpreters and Translators Week 2024. As A Translator Interpreter‎ Search for As A Translator Interpreter Look Up Quick Results Now!

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I live in the US so the information I have is for the US, but many hospitals here use telephonic interpreting companies- And as far as I know you can work from anywhere.

Here is the earnings information I have found (again this is a US gov website):

Wage and salary interpreters and translators had median hourly wages of $38,850 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,940 and $52,240. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,170, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $69,190. Individuals classified as language specialists in the Federal Government earned an average of $79,865 annually in March 2009.

(EARNINGS)

For information on National certification visit

on their FAQ page you can listen to a podcast entitled " What Every Interpreter Needs to Know to Get Certified"

This is an excerpt from their FAQ page:

Q. Is one organization in charge of National Certification?

A. Yes, a new neutral certifying body, a 501c3 non-profit entity, called the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters will govern national certification decisions. Stakeholders are applying to serve on this board through an independent and objective selection process that is fair, transparent, inclusive, and governed by the standards of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA). The IMIA and LLU will be solely founding board members, and will not have any majority stake or participate in the selection process. This is the latest development in a field that has progressed towards a unified objective that is ready to reorganize at the national level by forming a new truly independent organization to oversee the process.

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I work for MITIO- The Medical Interpreting and Translating Institute Online

The Medical Interpreting and Translating Institute Online (MiTio) is an online certificate/diploma program that is designed to provide the workforce skills necessary to become a professional caliber medical interpreter.

A career in translation or interpreting offers a bright future.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports, "Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to increase faster than the average for all occupations over the 2004-2014 period, reflecting strong growth in the industries employing interpreters and translators." Read more about translation and interpreting careers in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly. -

MiTio provides open enrollment, i.e. students can Enroll and start the program at any time during the year. The program is self paced and designed to be completed within 6 weeks.

Each certificate is equivalent to 40 hours. Students wishing to obtain a diploma from MiTio must complete 4 certificte courses or 160 hours.

Complete an Interpreting/Translating Certificate in ONE Month!

The Mission of the Medical Interpreting and Translating Institute Online (MiTio) is to deliver quality online education to bilingual individuals seeking a certificate/diploma in Medical Interpreting and Translating.

Medical Interpreting and Translating Institute Online (MiTio) proposes to educate an international population to meet the interpreting needs of the medical community. Bilingual students unable to attend traditional universities due to work schedules or family commitments will have access to completing their diploma and enable them to transfer their skills into a useful and emerging profession. The Institute is committed to providing interactive Internet programs of

What kind of degree and how many years of college do I need to become an interpreter/translator of a language?

I would say you need masters degree in the language, and you need to study abroad in a country where they speak that language for at least a semester and ideally a week.

As an undergrad, you may also want to take classes in international relations. A double major of your language and international relations might be the best thing.

Altogether, this would take about six years.

What languages are in high demand for a Translator Linguist in the USA?

Firstly, be aware that a "translator" and a "linguist" are two different things. A linguist studies language itself, not individual languages. A linguist would be concerned with the development of language, the relationship between languages, and how languages actually work-- not with learning a particular language. However, if you do choose to pursue a degree in a foreign language, odds are you will need to take a few courses on linguistics, which could include the history and development of your language, or advanced topics in its structure.

Now, you have two options. You can work domestically as a court interpreter, in a hospital, for the police or FBI-- or, you can work for an international corporation, the state department, the UN, an NGO, a private defense contractor (I've heard translators for corporations such as CACI make six figures) or some other organization that would be operating overseas. The latter option would be more likely to award the "big bucks."

Domestically, Spanish is by far your best bet. However, the job market is absolutely saturated with perfectly capable Spanish speakers, so there would be fierce competition for any job in which you might be interested. My cousin's girlfriend is a translator for the FBI (she is a native speaker of Spanish, and knows French as a second language), and even she isn't making an incredible amount of money.

If you were planning to go to work for a company, organization, or governmental agency that operates abroad, your options are very different. On the state department's website, there is a list of "critical languages." These are languages in which the government desperately needs competent speakers to support diplomatic efforts in key regions of the world. The state department actually has a program called the "Critical Languages Scholarship" through which they sponsor successful applicants to spend 6-8 weeks abroad to do intensive study of one of the "critical languages." The 13 languages listed on the program's website are indicative of those that are in demand:

In regards to the degree, a BA should be fine if you pursue one of the "critical" languages, however, a master's degree or PhD would only make you all the more competitive. Be aware that many US universities do not have degree programs in the critical languages (Arabic, Chinese, and Russian are common, and some universities do have programs in Korean, Japanese, Turkish, Persian, and Hindi-Urdu specifically) so they need to be accessed as minors, or concentrations within another degree. For example, Hindi is often accessed through a BA in Asian Studies.