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Turn bilingualism into a career

In a country characterized by official bilingualism and a diverse multicultural population, the opportunities to work as a translator or interpreter abound.

SHARON ASCHAIEK

[ 2005-10-19 ]

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GEIFMAN
'It's like you're Forrest Gump'

"Government statutes are produced in English and French, and when someone speaks French at Queen's Park, there is an interpreter relaying the information for everyone else. There's lots of work to be had in these fields," says Ken Larose, president of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) and the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC).

Translators work with the written word and may work in a variety of roles: at a government agency translating official documents for internal or public viewing; at a large company, ensuring marketing materials are available in desired languages; or even as a freelancer, pursuing independent projects and/or fulfilling assignments obtained through employment agencies.

Translators may work in a diversity of sectors, such as education, health care, IT, accommodation, automotive, financing, law and marketing. Depending on their specific expertise, translators can choose to work in one or more of several dozen language combinations.

"Chinese, Russian, German and Spanish are prominent languages throughout Canada, so there are many opportunities beyond English-French translation and interpretation," Larose says. "Multilingual translators can get work such as translat- ing drivers' licences, post-secondary degrees, high school diplomas and medical degrees."

Interpreters, meanwhile, convey information verbally, and fall into three main categories.

Conference interpreters work largely for the government and businesses at events such as conventions, sales meetings, training sessions and press conferences.

Court interpreters enable those who speak many languages to access the Canadian justice system, and may work in private litigation (examinations and depositions), and/or public proceedings both judicial (criminal and civil trials) and administrative (immigration and refugee cases, workers' compensation hearings, parole boards).

Lastly, community interpreters work for school boards, hospitals, welfare departments and other government agencies.

For Yuri Geifman, a certified English-to-Russian/ Russian-to-English/Ukraine-to-English translator as well as a certified Russian/English court interpreter, one of the highlights of the work has been the ongoing variety of his projects. He has worked in industries as diverse as oil and gas, aerospace, nuclear technology, mining, family and commercial law and natural resources. He's applied his skills to court documents, legal contracts, shareholder agreements, and City of Toronto publications on flu shots and the Green Bin Program.

"It's like you're Forrest Gump -- you never know what's going to happen next. One day you're doing oil exploration, the next you're learning about stem cells, and the next you're flying into space," Geifman says.

Even the high stakes drama and emotional turmoil that can characterize court cases find their way into Geifman's work. He recalls one interpreting assignment where a woman giving a deposition for her divorce case let loose a tirade of colourful curses that Giefman had no choice but to translate, word for word.

"I couldn't smooth it out and cover it up -- I had to be blunt and exact in my interpretation. Not everyone can do that," he says. "It can be pretty dramatic, especially where money's involved -- it can get very Perry Mason."

What Geifman really thrives on, however, is the adrenaline rush that comes from performing before a courtroom audience at a very demanding pace.

"You have to think fast on your feet, and when you're able to do it well, it's an amazing rush," he says.

Currently, individuals considering entering these professions have two training options. The University of Ottawa offers three undergraduate honours degree programs in translation with specialties in French-English, bilingual professional writing and French-Spanish-English, respectively. These programs also include instruction in interpretation. Glendon College, the bilingual liberal arts school of York University, offers its own French-English translation degree program.

Upon graduating, translators and interpreters may achieve certification through the CTTIC by completing examinations specific to their profession.

Once in the field, they'll encounter wages that range from one extreme to another. Job Futures, the federal government's online career planning tool, pegs the average hourly wage at $20.15 -- above the average of $16.91 -- but concedes that the rate of wage growth is below average. Larose at the ATIO says that most earn about $42,000 annually, but those who are good, quick and pursue work in conference interpreting or land staff positions with major companies can earn $150,000 or $200,000 a year.

What's more certain is the abundance of interesting and challenging work opportunities in the field.

"After 9/11, rates for interpretation and translation into and out of Arabic tripled, so that is a hot area right now," he says. "As well, the latest statistics of The Translation Bureau (the federal government's translation service) say that we need 500 new translators per year, but the translation schools are graduating only 80 or 90 a year, so there definitely is demand for their skills."

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