Today instead of talking about Interpreting, I want to talk about Bengali
language.Based on the number of people who speak Bengali, it is the 4th
most spoken language in the world.( After Chinese,Spanish and English and in
that order !) Because apart from Bangladesh and West Bengal they also speak Benagli in the Indian states of Assam and Tripura.More than 200 million people in the world speak this language.Yes, that's right.More people speak Bengali than they do in Arabic, Japanese, Russian or German or French.Fascinating, isn't it ? This might come as a shock to you whether you are a Bengali or non Bengali. But it's true.
Also I think Bengali is the number one foreign language in the UK.( i.e. by the number of people who speak the language).Though more people of Indian or Pakistani origin may live in the UK, there would be different language speakers within those communities.(e.g. Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujrati etc).
Another interesting fact may be in the number of publications in a foreign language in the UK.Again I think Bengali would beat any other foreign language in this.There are nearly a dozen of weekly and monthly magazines and periodicals published in Bengali in the UK.I doubt whether there would be as many publications in either Urdu or Arabic or Chinese or Spanish or French in the UK.I have not done a proper research, but this is an educated guess.If I am wrong, I am willing to admit my mistake.
Same goes for India.i.e. number of publications of Books, newspapers, magazines etc. in Bengali outnumbers the publications in any other language of India.
Also you can see the domination of Bengalis in the Bolywood film industry.Again more people of Bengali origin have been successful as Actors/Actresses, Singers,music directors etc. than any other 'ethnic'group.
I am saying all these to massage my own ego or to boast about Bengalis. Just mentioning these as interesting observations.Because while the above observations might seem interesting or even 'impressive',we Bengalis have lots of failings too.
Another interesting thing happening here in the UK right before our own eyes is an evolutionary process.Let me expalin.Most people of Bangladeshi origin in the UK are from the greater Sylhet area of Bangladesh.So they speak the Sylheti dialect of Bangla. Now the second and third generation of these migrants are growing up without most of them learning the 'Standard' Bangla.i.e the official form of Bengali.So what happens is this: there are about 5 Bengali language TV channels in the UK broadcasting in Bengali but most of these second and third generation Bengalis do not fully understand the programmes ( News, soaps, discussions).Interesting isn't it? What should one do to rectify the situation ? Some have even expressed their opinion to say that as the first generation of migrants die out, the language would die with them.If that happens , that would be really sad wouldn't it ?
There were/ are Bengali schools to teach children the language, but I don't think enough parents or children are interested .I would love to know the reaction of my readers about this.There could be scope for some academic research in this field too.
Before finishing I would like to welcome the first follower of my blog. I would like to tell my readers about you.But I think its best to ask you first.Should I tell the others or do you want to stay anonymous for now?
The other thing I want to say is the feedback i get from other readers is that a lot of you want to get involved in interpreting on a temporary or short term basis like while studying for a degree or looking for a more permanent job. Basically looking for an income.
So if you are just looking for an opportunity to earn money rather than becoming a professional interpreter, some of the other opportunities mught interest you.So keeping that in mind I have done some research and recommend the following.: Just click below to find out.
Click Here!
If you are looking for a Bengali / Sylheti Interpreter with proper qualifcation(DPSI),experience in different fields( courts, Prisons, Police stations, Hospitals, Airports etc) then contact me .
My email is mognichoudhury@yahoo.com and my mobile no. is 07832371577. My rates are very competetive.I am based in North West London. I can drive and get to most places at short notice.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Friday, 10 April 2009
More Tips For Bengali / Sylheti Interpreters
O.K.you want to work as an Interpreter for Bengali/Sylheti speaking people.
You are good at both English and Bengali/Sylheti.You also have some interpreting
qualification and may be even you have done it informally in the past. (like helping a relative or an associate at the doctor's surgery or someother place.)
But to work as a professional interpreter you need some qualities on top of your language skills or qualifications.And you have to adhere to them all the time.
The first principle is you have to interprete everything.You do not decide what is important and what isn't.You don't add anything or omit anything.Whatever either language speaker is saying, you translate it to the other language speaker.Doesn't matter if it is offensive,embarassing, filthy or a swear word.
It is your role as an interpreter to interprete everything and right of the other parties to know what is being said.You can not take any side.You have to be impartial.You can not have a personal conversation with either party during the interpreting session.Your role is not that of an adviser.So do not give advice of any sort.That would be totally unprofessional and unethical and you could also be creating problem for yourself for the future.If you can stick to these few principles I mentioned above, you would go a long way to become a good interpreter.Oh one other very important thing. Confidentiality !
As an interpreter you would get to know a lot of personal/ private information about different people.You are bound by your professional ethics to keep all that information confidential. You must not divulge any of that to third parties.And that includes your friends and family.
Similarly for the sake of impartiality, you should not interprete for any family member or a friend or any body known to you.If you are given an interpreting assignment and after getting there you find that either of the parties involved is known to you, you must disclose that and let the authorities decide whether you should proceed with the assignment or not.( my persoanl opinion would be not to).I might have mentioned some of these before; but there is no harm in repeating them.These are very important.
I suggest you read my older posts as well to get more inforamtion.You would pick up bits of helpful inforamtions from each post and taht way would be able to build an overall picture.If you still want to have a personal chat, I am quite open and willing to have a chat. My mobile no. is 07832371577 and my email is
mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
It is better to email me giving me some of your background information.Based on that I can guide you to the right direction.
If you are an Interpreting / Translation agency or you need a Bengali/ Sylheti Interpreter/ Translator , you have come to the right place.You can contact me on my mobile or email as mentioned above.I have worked as an Interpreter in Courts, Police stations, Doctors'surgeries, Airports(for immigration officers), for social services', for solicitors ( at their offices and accompanied them to prison visits)for film makers etc. I also do Translation and Transcription work.
You are good at both English and Bengali/Sylheti.You also have some interpreting
qualification and may be even you have done it informally in the past. (like helping a relative or an associate at the doctor's surgery or someother place.)
But to work as a professional interpreter you need some qualities on top of your language skills or qualifications.And you have to adhere to them all the time.
The first principle is you have to interprete everything.You do not decide what is important and what isn't.You don't add anything or omit anything.Whatever either language speaker is saying, you translate it to the other language speaker.Doesn't matter if it is offensive,embarassing, filthy or a swear word.
It is your role as an interpreter to interprete everything and right of the other parties to know what is being said.You can not take any side.You have to be impartial.You can not have a personal conversation with either party during the interpreting session.Your role is not that of an adviser.So do not give advice of any sort.That would be totally unprofessional and unethical and you could also be creating problem for yourself for the future.If you can stick to these few principles I mentioned above, you would go a long way to become a good interpreter.Oh one other very important thing. Confidentiality !
As an interpreter you would get to know a lot of personal/ private information about different people.You are bound by your professional ethics to keep all that information confidential. You must not divulge any of that to third parties.And that includes your friends and family.
Similarly for the sake of impartiality, you should not interprete for any family member or a friend or any body known to you.If you are given an interpreting assignment and after getting there you find that either of the parties involved is known to you, you must disclose that and let the authorities decide whether you should proceed with the assignment or not.( my persoanl opinion would be not to).I might have mentioned some of these before; but there is no harm in repeating them.These are very important.
I suggest you read my older posts as well to get more inforamtion.You would pick up bits of helpful inforamtions from each post and taht way would be able to build an overall picture.If you still want to have a personal chat, I am quite open and willing to have a chat. My mobile no. is 07832371577 and my email is
mognichoudhury@yahoo.com
It is better to email me giving me some of your background information.Based on that I can guide you to the right direction.
If you are an Interpreting / Translation agency or you need a Bengali/ Sylheti Interpreter/ Translator , you have come to the right place.You can contact me on my mobile or email as mentioned above.I have worked as an Interpreter in Courts, Police stations, Doctors'surgeries, Airports(for immigration officers), for social services', for solicitors ( at their offices and accompanied them to prison visits)for film makers etc. I also do Translation and Transcription work.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
How To Become an Interpreter
I get a lot of querries from would be Interpreters about the
basic things.i.e. How do you become an Interpreter ? Where do
you start ? What are the requirements ?
So let me answer some of the basic questions about becoming an
interpreter today.
O.K; you can start by doing short courses in community interpreting.
But I think that is a roundabout way of doing it.Because if you start
that way, it would take you a long time to become an Interpreter who
would be able to work at any level of interpreting field.Let me expalin:
You can not get on the NRPSI(National Register of public service
Interpreters)register if you do not have a DPSI(Diploma in Public service
Interpreting)or a language degree and some other requirements.
Community Interpreting qualification is lower level than the DPSI.
DPSI is an NVQ level 4 qualification. Right, now if you are not on the
NRPSI register, you can not expect to get calls from the law courts or
police forces.So already your market is smaller and so your earning ability
is also less.That's why I think it is better to go for the DPSI course first
rather than doing it in satges.Yes, it is harder and would take longer to begin with but once it's done, it's done.Also if you are coming into the field of interpreting, you should be confident enough to do it.
Another thing.Do not expect the teacher/s to teach you the languages.You should already be good in both languages.The course would teach you Interpreting skills, not the language/s.And it may sound silly; but let me get it clear anyway.
You must be able to read and write both the languages.Yes, unless you can do that , you can not expect to become an interpreter.Simple as that.But that's no reason not to do it.Learn what you have to learn before starting the course if you are really keen to become an Interpreter.
OK; that's basically it. In a future post I will talk about other skills and qualities you would need to be a good and successful Interpreter.
You can contact me by email at : mognichoudhury@yahoo.com or my mobile on 07832371577
My Name is Mohammad Mogni Choudhury.If you are looking for an experienced and qualified Bengali/ Sylheti Interpreter for court interpreting, prison visits , Solicitors' office, Hospital, Doctor's surgery,Probation Service or any other Interpreting or Translation work, please feel free to contact me .
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Glamourous side of Interpreting Profession
In the last blog I mentioned one disadvantage of being an Interpreter.
So on this post I am going to mention some positive aspects of the interpreting
profession.I am sure all of you would be intrigued by this.
Last year a Film Production company approached me ( they made a Film on Global
Warming and it was filmed in Bangladesh).In the Film there were some interviews
with the local Bangladeshis.They were non English speakers.So the Director wanted
me to go to their offices and sit down and watch the clips and translate it for them. can you think of any more Glamourous job than that ? Has this tickled your
imagination? I hope it has. I certainly found it very interesting and satisfying!
Interestingly enough, few weeks later a foreign student approached me for a similar project. That student chose to go to Bangladesh for their Post graduate research and guess what ? Made a Film ! Again, I had to provide the interpreting service for the interviews on the Film.But this time, it was at the IT Resources room/ Laboratory
of the University rather than the offices of the Film Director where I did the Translation.
Continuing on the same theme, only last week I was approached by some body to translate some film clips for an Aid Agency.Unfortunately though, this time, I could not take up the offer. I was too busy ! Can you imagine ? Some of you probably would have killed to get such an opportunity!I am sorry , I don't say this to brag or to demean you, but only pointing out the interesting possibilities that you could come across in this Field. And I may be wrong; may be some of you would not be as thrilled as myself to get this kind of opportunities.
I think I better finish here today.I will talk about other interesting aspects of Interpreting profession in the future posts.Bye for now.See you later.
So on this post I am going to mention some positive aspects of the interpreting
profession.I am sure all of you would be intrigued by this.
Last year a Film Production company approached me ( they made a Film on Global
Warming and it was filmed in Bangladesh).In the Film there were some interviews
with the local Bangladeshis.They were non English speakers.So the Director wanted
me to go to their offices and sit down and watch the clips and translate it for them. can you think of any more Glamourous job than that ? Has this tickled your
imagination? I hope it has. I certainly found it very interesting and satisfying!
Interestingly enough, few weeks later a foreign student approached me for a similar project. That student chose to go to Bangladesh for their Post graduate research and guess what ? Made a Film ! Again, I had to provide the interpreting service for the interviews on the Film.But this time, it was at the IT Resources room/ Laboratory
of the University rather than the offices of the Film Director where I did the Translation.
Continuing on the same theme, only last week I was approached by some body to translate some film clips for an Aid Agency.Unfortunately though, this time, I could not take up the offer. I was too busy ! Can you imagine ? Some of you probably would have killed to get such an opportunity!I am sorry , I don't say this to brag or to demean you, but only pointing out the interesting possibilities that you could come across in this Field. And I may be wrong; may be some of you would not be as thrilled as myself to get this kind of opportunities.
I think I better finish here today.I will talk about other interesting aspects of Interpreting profession in the future posts.Bye for now.See you later.
Friday, 13 February 2009
Ordeal of an Interpreter !
O.K; last time I promised to tell you few things about my experience
of working in the community.I will just mention some of the lighter
things rather than going in to any serious stuff.
I hope you would get some amusement and entertainment at my expense.
May be you can give me some tips on how to avoid this kind of suffering.
Alright, what I want to mention first of all is having to work closely
with people having bad breath ! As interpreter you have to be in close
proximity of the people using your services.You need to be quite close
to them to be able to listen to them and also to speak to them. So there
is no escape for the poor interpreter ! You need to endure this experience
for as long as necessary !Having arrived at the venue and after starting
your assignment you can hardly leave ! How do you tell somebody you have just
met that their breath smell without being rude ?
And don't worry, I don't just mean that its just people from our
community suffer from this embarrassing problem. Some of the English
speakers I have worked with also suffer from it.
But I think it is worse in our community because a lot of people in our
community has the habit of chewing Paan and Betel Nuts( and smoking).And I find that
that also gives out some unpleasant smell.Ofcourse people who chew Paan
would disagree with me.But what do you think ?
of working in the community.I will just mention some of the lighter
things rather than going in to any serious stuff.
I hope you would get some amusement and entertainment at my expense.
May be you can give me some tips on how to avoid this kind of suffering.
Alright, what I want to mention first of all is having to work closely
with people having bad breath ! As interpreter you have to be in close
proximity of the people using your services.You need to be quite close
to them to be able to listen to them and also to speak to them. So there
is no escape for the poor interpreter ! You need to endure this experience
for as long as necessary !Having arrived at the venue and after starting
your assignment you can hardly leave ! How do you tell somebody you have just
met that their breath smell without being rude ?
And don't worry, I don't just mean that its just people from our
community suffer from this embarrassing problem. Some of the English
speakers I have worked with also suffer from it.
But I think it is worse in our community because a lot of people in our
community has the habit of chewing Paan and Betel Nuts( and smoking).And I find that
that also gives out some unpleasant smell.Ofcourse people who chew Paan
would disagree with me.But what do you think ?
Monday, 2 February 2009
Bengali / Sylheti Interpreters
Well, it's been a while since I added something on this blog.
Now that I have some time on my hand today ( as it has been the
heaviest snowfall in London for as long as I can remember),I feel
compelled to write something.
Yes, I started this blog so that Bengali/Sylheti interpreters or
any language interpreters for that matter could help each other,
give tips to each other or just have a common forum for interpreters
or would be interpreters.
well, I am glad that I started this.Because through this I have got
to know few people and I have been able to offer help (albeit not much)
to some readers of this blog.
It's interesting because people from as far as the USA have contacted me
regarding Bengali Interpreting jobs after coming across this blog.
Some agencies also have contacted me after reading my blog.So, overall
it's been a good experience for me.
sometimes I can be a bit radical in my views and I have expressed some
strong views in the past.But I do not do that to hurt anyone's feelings.
I just do that in good humour.So I hope my readers would see those comments
in that light.
And yes, it's always a pleasure to hear from somebody who has read the posts.I love getting your phone calls and emails.So don't be shy, if you come across this blog and like it (or even dislike it), or you feel that I could help you in any way
for your interpreting career,do get in touch.
I have done some interpreting at the GP surgeries recently.It has been an interesting experience ! I will write about some of those experiences in the next post.(ofcourse maintaining confidentiality; I won't name any names or disclose anybody's personal details; that would be against the ethics of Interpreters.)so keep checking this blog regularly ! I have also posted a couple of other blogs. If you click on the link that says 'view my complete profile' you will find them.Why don't you check them as well? I think you will like them.
Now that I have some time on my hand today ( as it has been the
heaviest snowfall in London for as long as I can remember),I feel
compelled to write something.
Yes, I started this blog so that Bengali/Sylheti interpreters or
any language interpreters for that matter could help each other,
give tips to each other or just have a common forum for interpreters
or would be interpreters.
well, I am glad that I started this.Because through this I have got
to know few people and I have been able to offer help (albeit not much)
to some readers of this blog.
It's interesting because people from as far as the USA have contacted me
regarding Bengali Interpreting jobs after coming across this blog.
Some agencies also have contacted me after reading my blog.So, overall
it's been a good experience for me.
sometimes I can be a bit radical in my views and I have expressed some
strong views in the past.But I do not do that to hurt anyone's feelings.
I just do that in good humour.So I hope my readers would see those comments
in that light.
And yes, it's always a pleasure to hear from somebody who has read the posts.I love getting your phone calls and emails.So don't be shy, if you come across this blog and like it (or even dislike it), or you feel that I could help you in any way
for your interpreting career,do get in touch.
I have done some interpreting at the GP surgeries recently.It has been an interesting experience ! I will write about some of those experiences in the next post.(ofcourse maintaining confidentiality; I won't name any names or disclose anybody's personal details; that would be against the ethics of Interpreters.)so keep checking this blog regularly ! I have also posted a couple of other blogs. If you click on the link that says 'view my complete profile' you will find them.Why don't you check them as well? I think you will like them.
Friday, 10 October 2008
Reality about Bengali Interpreter jobs
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.
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.
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