I hope you don't get any false hope or wrong idea that there is easy
money or plenty of demand out there for Bengali Interpreters.
Yes, there is some demand but it certainly is not easy money.
I say this because recently some of the readers of this blog have
contacted me asking for Bengali Interpreting jobs.I do not own any
agency, I was just giving some tips to fellow or would be interpreters.
And it is also true that some agencies asked me to refer female
interpreters.And I am always happy to help fellow Bengali Interpreters
if it is within my capacity to do so.
I have referred those of you who contacted me,and I hope you are happy.
One of you actually sent me a message thanking me.That's good.That
gives me real satisfaction that I have been able to help someone.
(WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHERS ? Even if you decided that you were not going
to pursue it any further, it would have been nice to let me know.)
Like any other business if you want to come into this profession
looking to earn a lot of money very quickly; you are obviously
mistaken.Can I repeat the age old mantra that 'There really is no such thing
as a Free Lunch'? You really have to be very patient.
And you have to put in a lot of effort and time into it.
You need to get some qualification in this field before you can even start.
Otherwise it won't be right.Does that make sense ? I hope it does.
Otherwise everybody would be (well, almost everybody)interpreters.
Even after you get some qualification, you need a lot of practice and
you need to gain experience.You will make some mistakes.But the important
thing is you need to reflect upon those mistakes and take action to improve
your skills.
You also need to refersh your skills and techniques by attending regular
training sessions.( some of the good agencies arrange these trainings)
I started this blog so that we interpreters could help each other.Like
I have given some tips , others could have given their own tips.that way we
all would have benefited.Mind you, I do not say that no one has helped me.
Few people have indeed helped me(though not through this blog) and I am grateful to
them.
Friday 10 October 2008
Saturday 16 February 2008
More Tips For Bengali Interpreters
I know some Bengali Interpreters are very busy and some rarely get
work.The reason could be the difference in how you market yourself.
There are plenty of work available if you know where to look.
Lot of interpreting work is available in the healthcare and social
services.
Then there are solicitors' firms,courts,Prison services etc.
And never forget the opportunity to do translation and transcription
work as well.
Female interpreters have another advantage here.Sometimes clients
ask specifically for Female Interpreters.( you can understand if it is
a lady and she has some medical condition and she does not feel comfortable
to be with a male interpreter.Lot of elderly Bengali ladies are 'old fashioned'
and I don't mean it in any wrong way.I respect that and that is also part
of our culture)
Couple of interpreting agencies have approached me to find female bengali interpreters in the recent past.So if you are a female bengali interpreter
and do not mind some extra work, you can contact me.I will put you in touch
with the relevant agencies.
But the main thing is you have to be good and competent.You should always
maintain your high professional standard and abide by the codes of conduct.
Always remember your role as an interpreter and don't do anything which goes
against your specific role.
My contact no. is 07832371577 and email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
work.The reason could be the difference in how you market yourself.
There are plenty of work available if you know where to look.
Lot of interpreting work is available in the healthcare and social
services.
Then there are solicitors' firms,courts,Prison services etc.
And never forget the opportunity to do translation and transcription
work as well.
Female interpreters have another advantage here.Sometimes clients
ask specifically for Female Interpreters.( you can understand if it is
a lady and she has some medical condition and she does not feel comfortable
to be with a male interpreter.Lot of elderly Bengali ladies are 'old fashioned'
and I don't mean it in any wrong way.I respect that and that is also part
of our culture)
Couple of interpreting agencies have approached me to find female bengali interpreters in the recent past.So if you are a female bengali interpreter
and do not mind some extra work, you can contact me.I will put you in touch
with the relevant agencies.
But the main thing is you have to be good and competent.You should always
maintain your high professional standard and abide by the codes of conduct.
Always remember your role as an interpreter and don't do anything which goes
against your specific role.
My contact no. is 07832371577 and email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
Monday 11 February 2008
Tools For Bengali Translation
Today let me tell you a bit about different tools which may be
helpful if you are a Bengali interpreter/translator.A lot of
times interpreters are asked to translate documents/letters etc.
In the last year I have been approached quite a few times and I
have done them quite happily.
Some of you are probably familiar with 'Bijoy'software.
But I know about another one. Its called 'AVRO Phonetics'.
As the name suggests it follows phonetics so you do not have to
spend time learning the 'Keyboard'.I found it useful. May be you
can let me know your own experience or opinion.
By the way it's free.And I am not getting any commission etc. for
recommending it.It's purely because I found it useful and thought
it might be useful to you too.
In future I will talk about a tool which helps doing Transcription work.
I hope you guys are exploring all different aspects of your interpreting skills and not just limiting yourselves to Interpreting only.
Personally I am always willing to explore and experiment and find out.
That's why on top of doing interpreting work,I have also done translation
and transcription.And have enjoyed doing so.
may be again you can tell your own stories. Your preferences ;what you like
what you don't like etc.
Before I finish let me give you my contact details for any body who is
interested to get in touch for whatever reason.
My mobile is 07832371577 and email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
helpful if you are a Bengali interpreter/translator.A lot of
times interpreters are asked to translate documents/letters etc.
In the last year I have been approached quite a few times and I
have done them quite happily.
Some of you are probably familiar with 'Bijoy'software.
But I know about another one. Its called 'AVRO Phonetics'.
As the name suggests it follows phonetics so you do not have to
spend time learning the 'Keyboard'.I found it useful. May be you
can let me know your own experience or opinion.
By the way it's free.And I am not getting any commission etc. for
recommending it.It's purely because I found it useful and thought
it might be useful to you too.
In future I will talk about a tool which helps doing Transcription work.
I hope you guys are exploring all different aspects of your interpreting skills and not just limiting yourselves to Interpreting only.
Personally I am always willing to explore and experiment and find out.
That's why on top of doing interpreting work,I have also done translation
and transcription.And have enjoyed doing so.
may be again you can tell your own stories. Your preferences ;what you like
what you don't like etc.
Before I finish let me give you my contact details for any body who is
interested to get in touch for whatever reason.
My mobile is 07832371577 and email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
Friday 11 January 2008
Advice and Tips for Interpreters
The idea just came to my mind that rather than just talking
about myself why not use this blog to help other interpreters
as well?Interpreting can be a 'lonely' profession.I mean you
will be working with other people but hardly see anybody of
your own profession.
So this is an attempt to get the interpreters together and
give each other support and tips.And you don't have to be
Bengali to come on to the forum.You can be any nationality _
be it Polish, Arab, French, German,Gujrati,Punjabi whatever.
If any of you(interpreters) reading this have any question
you can email me the question and I will try and answer it.
Similarly if any of you want to give any advice or tips to
other interpreters, you can either do the same or add a comment
at the end of the post.
My email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
about myself why not use this blog to help other interpreters
as well?Interpreting can be a 'lonely' profession.I mean you
will be working with other people but hardly see anybody of
your own profession.
So this is an attempt to get the interpreters together and
give each other support and tips.And you don't have to be
Bengali to come on to the forum.You can be any nationality _
be it Polish, Arab, French, German,Gujrati,Punjabi whatever.
If any of you(interpreters) reading this have any question
you can email me the question and I will try and answer it.
Similarly if any of you want to give any advice or tips to
other interpreters, you can either do the same or add a comment
at the end of the post.
My email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
Wednesday 2 January 2008
Finding a Bengali/Sylheti Interpreter
This post is mainly for the benefit of agencies looking for
Bengali/Sylheti interpreter/s.I know that some of you guys
get the job at a very short notice and it can be difficult
to find somebody to do the job at such a short notice.
You also want to make sure that the person you are asking to
do the job is properly qualified and experienced and competent.
Because in interpreting field, the code of conduct is very
important. A person can be qualified but if they do not follow
the ethics ( its very easy to fall into some traps and do something
an interpreter should never do)then thay are really doing a disservice.
Also I have not seen many Bengali / Sylheti interpreters writing about
their experiences on the net.I believe that by doing this I am really
providing a service to you in the sense that you are getting to know me
before you contact me.(My photo is there as well).Also if you are using
search engine to look for interpreters, it should save you time.
Because rather than going through other databases, you should find
my profile directly. Though I am listed on www.translatorscafe.com
and www.proz.com amongst many others.
OK, to contact me either phone 07832371577 or 02089063979 or
email me at mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
Bengali/Sylheti interpreter/s.I know that some of you guys
get the job at a very short notice and it can be difficult
to find somebody to do the job at such a short notice.
You also want to make sure that the person you are asking to
do the job is properly qualified and experienced and competent.
Because in interpreting field, the code of conduct is very
important. A person can be qualified but if they do not follow
the ethics ( its very easy to fall into some traps and do something
an interpreter should never do)then thay are really doing a disservice.
Also I have not seen many Bengali / Sylheti interpreters writing about
their experiences on the net.I believe that by doing this I am really
providing a service to you in the sense that you are getting to know me
before you contact me.(My photo is there as well).Also if you are using
search engine to look for interpreters, it should save you time.
Because rather than going through other databases, you should find
my profile directly. Though I am listed on www.translatorscafe.com
and www.proz.com amongst many others.
OK, to contact me either phone 07832371577 or 02089063979 or
email me at mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
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