America is a multicultural country with hundreds of nationalities. The interpreter profession is in high demand in the United States. Knowledge of a foreign language is required to draw up documents, as well as to speak with a lawyer or a doctor. You can also use interpreters for preparing resumes, passing driver’s licenses, and writing contracts.
There are many immigrants coming to the United States from India, China, Mexico, Cuba, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, and Vietnam. In addition, residents of El Salvador, Colombia, and Jamaica are becoming citizens of the United States. Not all arriving immigrants speak fluent English. Therefore, there is a constant shortage of translators in the official languages of these countries (Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Filipino, Vietnamese).
Requirements for applicants
You can work as an interpreter both offline and online. U.S. citizenship or green card is required for employment. You can also come to America with an H-1B work visa. A citizen with a college degree can work as an interpreter in the United States. Apart from the diploma, the applicant shall be required to have a certificate of international standing or a certificate of indefinite duration. These are the following documents:.
- PET (Preliminary English Test).
- FCE (First Certificate in English).
- IELTS (International English Language Testing System).
- TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), etc.
Candidates for the position of interpreter must send a resume and take a corporate examination (testing can be carried out remotely). In exceptional cases, company management may hire a citizen without a certificate and relevant higher education. We are talking about people who are fluent in two or more foreign languages.
A professional translator must be familiar with specialized software, which allows partially automate the work with the text and calculate the cost of orders. A translator must be able to quickly research the Internet. A poor grasp of computer technology can lead to a failure of the project.
Specialist to do the written and oral translations. The biggest pay for simultaneous interpreters. Such specialists are in demand at international conferences, forums, presentations, and summits. Consecutive translations are often carried out using cellular and Internet telephony. Most specialists work on a freelance basis.
Salary
Most translators in the U.S. are not employees. They work under a contract system and perform assigned tasks for a limited time. Working hours are paid by the minute. As of 2021, the average salary for an interpreter was $5,000 per month. Salary largely depends on the skill level, experience and professionalism of the worker. Simultaneous interpreters and narrow specialists can earn $8,000 to $9,000 a month.
The highest hourly rates are set by companies located in San Mateo, Richmond, Stamford, Bellevue and Brooklyn. Salaries for professionals working remotely are $2,500 to $8,000.
Where to look for a job?
You can use aggregators and job sites to find a job. In the resume a specialist should specify the thematic specialization and the level of proficiency in certain languages. Interesting orders can be found on international freelance and remote work exchanges. In addition, the job seeker may apply directly to companies involved in translation. The job seeker should pay attention to the websites of the following organizations:
- TransPerfect (transperfect.com).
- Lionbridge (lionbridge.com).
- LanguageLine Solutions (languageline.com).
- Welocalize (welocalize.com).
- SDI Media (sdimediagroup.com).
- CyraCom International (cyracominternational.com).
- United Language Group (unitedlanguagegroup.com).
- Stratus Video (stratusvideo.com).
- Mornide Translations (morningtrans.com).
Popular job sites among translators are Flexjobs.com, CareerBuilder.com and Indeed.com. In addition, there are special web resources for remote specialists Remote.co and WeWorkRemotely.com. Large volumes of orders are published on the online exchanges Upwork.com, Freelancer.com and Guru.com.
To find work quickly, you need to use all of the above methods. Over time, you will build a client base that will provide a steady stream of orders. Translators in the U.S. often work for several companies at the same time. A combination of remote jobs and orders from job exchanges are allowed.
Numerous computer programs for word processing are not yet able to squeeze qualified specialists out of the market. A translator is a promising profession with a steady career path. If you are serious about languages, you should try your luck and move to the United States. You can expect high salaries and the opportunity to constantly communicate with citizens of foreign countries.