My first pay for working as an interpreter--I am extremely happy for it!!!
By williamjisir
@williamjisir (22819)
China
November 14, 2012 10:49pm CST
Yesterday evening (November 14th, 2012), one of my colleagues called me to help one of her husband's business friends to be his interpreter. At first I was not quite willing to because I did not have dinner yet and wanted to have a rest at home. But as she sincerely asked me to help this friend of theirs, I agreed.
Later in about half an hour, the man as well as his wife and baby daughter came to pick me up in his car.
They have been doing export business about curtain poles and they have an Arabian buyer, who came to our town a few hours ahead. Getting on their car, they took me to the hotel where the customer stayed to pick up the customer and together we went to a very nice restaurant to have dinner. Then we drove all the way to their factory for this customer to see those items he previously ordered.
It took us four hours for the activity. We left at seven thirty p.m and this businessman/boss sent me back to where I live at eleven thirty.
It was four hours of staying with them and I felt a little bit tired, but I was happy because making friends is a good thing.
Before I got off his car, this boss gave me some small fee for the interpretation. I was and still am happy for it. In fact, he gave me 300RMB. Though not much, it made me happy. This is the first time I have ever got paid for interpretation or translation. If there is another chance when I am available, I am sure that I do it for some extra money. Isn't it exciting!
Now after reading my long description, I have a question:
Have you ever worked for someone as an interpreter or a translator?
When you get paid after all that you have done, are you happy for it?
Thank you a lot for your time and response in advance.
November 15th, 2012.
3 people like this
14 responses
@stringer321 (5644)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
15 Nov 12
It was a nice thing from you to help them communicate.
A lot of people know only one language and they can't talk with other people for that.
Even I have a neighbor who speaks only Russian and no other language and I need to make a lot of effort to understand him.
Well, I'm not sure f you got paid enough for your time and work, but, the experience and the new friends are even better than the money.
Maybe, you can also translate texts from your home if you learn some more.
I still didn't work as an interpreter. I want to because it seems like an easy job and I know some languages like English and Hebrew. It takes a good skill and patience and I have patience.
2 people like this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
Hello my both friends. It is right to say that a lot of work needs to be done during the course of learning a foreign language, like the grammar, the words, different expressions and idioms and so on. When we have already laid a good foundation in the language, we are almost half way successful. Besides, we need to know something more about the related culture, items and so on. There are also some other occassions for me to interprete for my own boss, but I am not paid for my extra work. Anyway, it is ok and I will never ask for it since I am working for my own boss. Just a few days ago, some American colleagues came to our school for establishing education business relationship, my boss asked me to be their interpreter. I was happy that I did it wonderfully without having any nervous feeling. I made it. It is still fresh memory to me. Thanks again for your responses here. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@stringer321 (5644)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
15 Nov 12
It is good for a start. It makes him want to do it some more and I hope he will find it satisfying and earning. I wish I will find an opportunity to translate to people.
Maybe I will start with my neighbor.
1 person likes this
@riyauro (6421)
• India
15 Nov 12
Wow that is good one.. I have never translated anything for anyone and it is good to hear the success stories. It is good to know different languages and comes in very very handy and now you can earn also. I am happy for you. keep it up and yes grab another chance. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day ahead.. 
2 people like this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
Hello riyauro. I am really quite happy and when thinking of it, I am still very excited. I will grab another chance if I get one. Both the boss and the foreign customer asked me for my phone number. So if later they need me, they will probably call me again. Thanks so much for the first response. I wish you to have a chance also. Have a good day.
@stringer321 (5644)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
15 Nov 12
Knowing different languages is a wonderful thing, but, it also takes practice and verbal and grammar skills to interpret talks and texts from one language to another.
My grandmother knows 4 different language : Arabic, Hebrew, France and English. It doesn't help if she forgets the words of the parallel languages when she needs to translate to me. She has a lot of hard time to express what she hears and talk it out with a different language.
I think one thing is to understand one fact and translate it to a different language is the basic. It is hard to find the right words when we need them. So practice is required a lot.
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
16 Nov 12
Wow! I have strong admiration for you and anyone who can speak more than one language, I was never good at languages at school, and even now into my forties I am only fluent in my own mother tongue English. I tried hard to study French but never got fluent enough to be able to use it on my CV. I wish I had the talent to be an interpreter. Having more than one languages opens so many doors in this life.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
17 Nov 12
Hello wolfie. I think that it is enough to be fluent in English because it is considered to be an International language and almost everyone is learning English. To be frank with you, English is my favorite foreign language. I started to learn it when I was at junior middle school and I had English Education as my major at college. English is very useful in many fields. I admire you to have English as your native language. It is good enough already. Enjoy yourself, wolfie.
@tarachand (3895)
• India
16 Nov 12
I have interpreted often for people who either don't understand one of the dialects or some outsider who doesn't understand the lingo, but, always for free. I have never asked for, and neither have I been paid for such services rendered... But then, the process has never been for more than 30 minutes (just one extreme case), mostly it's been over in a matter of minutes....
Good that you got paid for your services.....
I'd like to cite one example where someone demanded payment from me... I was in Hong Kong a couple of years ago and I didn't know how to pay my fare at the metro - I had a HK$20 note and no change... Someone helped me get the change and in one of Chinese languages started demanding money for his help... the other commuters saw this and berated and drove him away....
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
17 Nov 12
I see your situation back in HK. That is not supposed to be charged for a few minutes' interpretation. If it is a long-time business purpose, it is different. Thanks for the response. Take care.
@myfb2009 (8296)
• Malaysia
20 Nov 12
William, you must be feeling wonderful to be able to earn some income by becoming an interpreter. It is a tough job since you must get the exact words to explain to the other party. I am happy to hear you managed seal the deal successfully for both sides. Whenever i am free, i always helping out as a typist for my relatives when i was still young. The pay is not really high but i am happy to gain that extra experience. Nowadays, i don't do that job anymore since i had enough of jobs at home to keep me busy.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
20 Nov 12
It is the only chance for me to have a paid interpretation. If it is translation or interpretation for the school, it is always free. Nobody gives me anything. hehe. So it is better to be an interpreter outside school, I guess. Have a good day.
@neil_tokitz (345)
• Philippines
15 Nov 12
Nope,never try that before. In interpreting, I think you must really have a knowledge on that specific language. And I'm not even sure with my english, maybe in the future I will improve and when that time comes I might try being an interpreter to earn some cash. :)
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
Hello neil_tokitz. I think that you can make it if you have got a chance and if you are willing to give it a try. I am thinking that I should seize upcoming chances to be an interpreter or translator if someone who need it calls me. It is a good feeling to make some extra earnings outside work in my spare time. Good luck to you.
@neil_tokitz (345)
• Philippines
15 Nov 12
I think you're right. We should all think positive. Maybe I will give it a try in the future. Thanks for your advice and good luck too to you. :)
1 person likes this
@laydee (12798)
• Philippines
15 Nov 12
Wow! I envy the experience and I wish I could do the same - but sadly my language is common and a lot of people know it, though I am learning another language now and I sure hope that I would be proficient enough to translate! ehhehee..
By the way, how much do these things really cost? I mean the "translating".
Thanks have a great mylot experience ahead!
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
It is around sixty dollars. Besides, the boss ordered a very expensive western food at a very expensive restaurant. My work for him is worth it. I wish you to have a chance like this for some extra money. Good luck, ladyee.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
16 Nov 12
Hello Cuite. It was a curtain pole business between them two. They have had this kind of business for about half a year. The buyer says that he will continue doing business with this boss for his products are good in quality. My interpretation for them is temporary. This is an extra earning for me and I am really and still happy for it. Take care, friend.
@natliegleb (5175)
• India
15 Nov 12
congrats for you,you must be really delighted and its not a easy job being interpretor and you certainly have did a very nice job doing that and finally able to achieve success,enjoy and throw a treat
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
Hello natliegleb. It is not an easy job to get that pay because the customer speaks very fast and I had to well concentrate myself on listening to him carefully for fear that I might misunderstand him. Too much attention! I am glad that I made it and got my first interpretation pay. Thanks again for your nice comment. Take care.
@Gretchen522 (715)
• China
15 Nov 12
I had this experience in 2009 when I got my first job, but just some daily sentences. :)
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
I am glad that you had the same experience, good for you. The foreign customer speaks too fast and fluently. It needs attentive listening to do the interpretation well. One thing I can not bear is that he speaks on and on leaving me not enough time to remember all the words. So I had to interrupt him sometimes for him not to speak too much. Anyway it is interesting though. Take care, Gretchen.
@habibti320 (925)
• United States
15 Nov 12
That is great that you were able to do some side work as an interpreter!
I am not yet fluent in a second language to provide this service, but I wish I could do it! It is such a good skill nowadays!
Have you thought of getting licensed to do interpreting as a contractor? I hear that you can make very good money doing this. You just take a language competency test as well as a code of ethics exam.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
15 Nov 12
I have not taken such a test for the license. In our country there are tests for getting a certificate in language translation and interpretation. It is very expensive to take such a test. Besides, it takes time to do a lot of preparation before taking a test like this. I thought of taking the test, but due to my busy work as well as my laziness, I have not really carried it out. Anyway I still have it in my mind that some day I will take the test for the licensed certificate. Thanks for the response, habibti.
@Mavic123456 (21893)
• Thailand
16 Nov 12
Very good. It pays really learning something and using it at the same time and most rewarding when you get paid for it. Whoaaaaaaaaaa...truly, it's exciting specially if you are not expecting that you are going to be paid for this. No i have no special talent in translating and interpreting. I am often misinterpret LOL (it's a joke) Of course, I am happy for getting paid in some thing i have done. It's a financial reward, specially if it is for a first time. I was happy and even took a picture of my first 100Bhat as payment for my English tutorial class.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
16 Nov 12
It is also exciting to get your first payment for English tutorial class. If there are more earning opportunities, it is better to seize it. Good luck.
@achumethar (83)
• Saudi Arabia
15 Nov 12
I have not worked on that post till now.
However its happy to hear that you've received your first payment!
Good luck with your job!
@klynlyn (154)
•
8 Jun 17
wow, thats great. I am happy for you. I hope I can earn as a translator too but filipino language isnt much in demand as Korean, Mandarin or French so I guess I have thin chance to earn as translator.
