Emily Salvo

JOB ANALYSIS
Job title: Translator

Beginning Salary: $44,190 per year

Skills required:
Business skills. Self-employed and freelance interpreters and translators need general
business skills to manage their finances and careers successfully. They must set prices for
their work, bill customers, keep records, and market their services in order to build their
client base.
Concentration. Interpreters and translators must have the ability to concentrate while
others are speaking or moving around them.
Cultural sensitivity. Interpreters and translators must be sensitive to cultural
differences and expectations among the people whom they are helping to communicate.
Successful interpreting and translating is a matter not only of knowing the words in
different languages but also of understanding peoples cultures.
Dexterity. Sign language interpreters must be able to make quick and coordinated hand,
finger, and arm movements when interpreting.
Interpersonal skills. Interpreters and translators, particularly those who are selfemployed, must be able to get along with those who hire or use their services in order to
retain clients and attract new business.
Listening skills. Interpreters must listen carefully when interpreting for audiences to
ensure that they hear and interpret correctly.
Reading skills. Translators must be able to read in all of the languages in which they are
working.
Speaking skills. Interpreters and translators must speak clearly in all of the languages in
which they are working.
Writing skills. Translators must be able to write clearly and effectively in all of the
languages in which they are working.
Education required: Bachelors degree
Experience required: The educational backgrounds of interpreters and translators vary
widely, but it is essential that they be fluent in English and at least one other language.

Positive Features:
Benefits:
If in a corporation you might get:
Medical. CyraCom pays 100% of the cost of Medical insurance for all full-time employees.
Coverage is also available for purchase for spouses and eligible dependents.

Dental & Vision. Employees are provided with dental and vision coverage. Coverage is also
available for purchase for spouses and eligible dependents.
Disability. To help protect employees income during times when they are unable work due
to a
disability, they pay for short-term and long-term disability insurance at 60 percent of
base salary.
Life Insurance and AD&D (Accidental Death and Dismemberment). They provide a base
amount of life insurance equal to one times base salary up to $50,000. Employees can also
purchase voluntary life insurance for themselves, spouse and/or children if they desire.
401(k) Plan. Their plan lets employees accumulate savings on a tax-deferred basis.
Through payroll deductions, employees can direct pretax earnings into the 401(k) Plan.
They will match 50% of employee contributions up to a maximum of 3%.
Bonus Plan. They provide a bonus opportunity for all employees payable if they achieve
targets set by the Board of Directors. A portion of the bonus is paid out on a quarterly
basis, with a true-up sum at the end of the year.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Their Employee Assistance Program offers
confidential counseling for personal, family, financial, health or work-related problems and
legal advice to employees.
Paid-Time Off. Non-exempt Employees earn time off each pay period.
Exempt employees are eligible for vacation based on their years of experience.

Promotion Opportunities:
After interpreters and translators have enough experience, they can move up to more
difficult assignments, seek certification, and obtain editorial responsibility. They can also
manage or start their own business.

Other Considerations* (Such as travel, expense accounts, bonuses, working hours, training
programs, etc.)
Work Environment. Interpreters work in schools, hospitals, courtrooms, and conference
centers. Some work for translation companies or individual organizations, and many
translators also work from home. Self-employed interpreters and translators frequently
have variable work schedules. Most interpreters and translators work full time during
regular business hours.
Work Schedules. Self-employed interpreters and translators often have variable work
schedules, which may include periods of limited work and periods of long, irregular hours.
Most interpreters and translators work full time during regular business hours.
Training Programs. Interpreters and translators generally need specialized training on
how to do their work. Formal programs in interpreting and translating are available at
colleges and universities nationwide and through nonuniversity training programs,

conferences, and courses.

Many people who work as interpreters or translators in more technical areassuch as
software localization, engineering, or financehave a masters degree. Those working in
the community as court or medical interpreters or translators are more likely to complete
job-specific training programs or certificates.
Bonus Plan. They provide a bonus opportunity for all employees payable if they achieve
targets set by the Board of Directors. A portion of the bonus is paid out on a quarterly
basis, with a true-up sum at the end of the year.
Experience. A good way for translators to learn firsthand about the occupation is to start
working in-house for a translation company. Doing informal or volunteer work is an
excellent way for people seeking interpreter or translator jobs to gain experience.
Travel. Interpreters work in settings such as schools, hospitals, courtrooms, and
conference centers. They must sometimes travel to conferences.
*Include the job outlook for your career
Negative Features:
Employee expenses:
-Stress
-Travel
-Mental fatigue
-Computer-assisted translation

Work requirements:
-Convert concepts in the source language to equivalent concepts in the target language
-Compile information and technical terms into glossaries and terminology databases to be
used in translations
-Speak, read, and write fluently in at least two languages, one of which is English
-Relay the style and tone of the original language
-Render spoken messages accurately, quickly, and clearly

Other Considerations* :
-Wages depend on the language, specialty, skill, experience, education, and certification of
the interpreter or translator, as well as on the type of employer. Wages of interpreters
and translators vary widely. Interpreters and translators who know languages that are in
high demand or that relatively few people can translate often earn higher wages. Those
who perform services requiring a high level of skill, such as conference interpreters, also
receive higher pay.
-Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to grow 29 percent from 2014
to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.