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| Courting Linguistics | When considering a fascinating and challenging career, translation might not be the first option that springs to mind. But according to translation agencies across the United Kingdom and the Metropolitan Police, translation and interpretation can be just as action-packed as the legal and medical professions. So should we look forward to a proliferation of television series coming out of the United States featuring “emergency translators”?
But jibes and jests aside, it’s becoming increasingly common for the police to liaise with translation agencies – and quite often there are late night or early morning emergency calls for translators when there has been an incident or even an accident on the motorway. Apparently the Metropolitan Police utilise the services of around 280 freelance interpreters, covering 75 languages, but local coverage and availability of a specific language is often an issue. It’s for this reason that telephone translations are the most valuable service offered to the police forces.
So it seems that Dutch translation, Arabic translation and Chinese translation isn’t just about confining yourself to a library! Court interpreters are also essential to the legal process to ensure that everyone involved in the judicial workings gets represented fairly. However, to be a court interpreter, it’s not enough just to be involved with a service offering English translation, Spanish translation or German translation. Court interpreting is a specialist discipline and requires considerable skill, substantial training and a diploma. Many interpreters regard this as one of the most intense forms of interpreting, as it involves whisper interpreting, legal jargon and simultaneous translation.
For all you budding linguists out there who are tossing up a career in translation or sinking your teeth into a legal career in the criminal courts – why not combine the two? Fancy taking your ability in languages and desire to talk on the telephone and mix the two to create a fulfilling career? Court room interpreting or telephone translation could be the answer!
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