Translator

It's easy to go into an interview with a list of questions about the position. But the tougher part-and what the interviewer really wants to see-is whether you can roll with the punches, engage in the conversation, and ask questions that weren't already answered over the course of the interview.

This will require some thinking on your feet. As you're going along in the interview, be thinking which key areas-job duties, company culture, the team you'll be working with-haven't been covered yet, so you can target your questions there. You can also prepare ahead of time by thinking of more non-traditional questions, or ask questions targeted to the interviewer herself, which probably won't be covered in the interview.

Try things like: What you like most about working here? What drew you to work for this organization? What do you think are the current strategic challenges facing the organization? What advice would you give to someone in this role?

This part is important to prepare for any jobs you desire to work. If you have an interest for a job and prepare, you would be interested in staying longer (possibly or not)

Did you meet with other people in the line of work?

Did you perform a job shadow or mentorship/internship?

Did you meet with any of the interpreters who works for the agency?

Have you made every effort to learn as much as you can about the company and its operation?

Do you know much about the owner of the agency and how they are?

This is very important to understand information about the company itself. Companies are interested in what you know and how much you know. Many wants to see potential employees to have an interest in working with them and take pride in working with the company by taking extra time in learning who and what the company is about.

The interviewer already has your resume and cover letter, so she's not looking for a rundown of your employment history. Nor does she care that you grew up in Boston and love to jog on the weekends. She's looking for a pitch-one that's concise, compelling, and keeps her attention, and one that tells her exactly why you're the right fit for the job.

So, while this is a good time to paint a broad picture of who you are, it's most important that you include a couple of key facts that will sell you as the right candidate.

Think about the 2-3 specific accomplishments or experiences that you most want the interviewer to know about, and share them here. You can frame your stories or tie them together using a theme or a quote, if appropriate, such as "My first boss told me that fundraising is really building relationships, and that's the approach I've taken throughout my career. For example…"

It's also a good idea to practice your answer aloud, record it, then listen to your pitch. Are you engaging? Are you rambling? Are you getting your most important points across loud and clear? (This is good advice for any interview question.)

If you're freelancing, get out from behind that computer and network, network, network. Then, when you're sick of all that networking, network some more. This is how you get work. After you're well established and word of mouth has gained a momentum of its own, you won't need to pound the pavement nearly as much, but in the beginning you definitely need to dedicate every spare moment you can to marketing your services.

Also, don't generalize; pick one or two specializations you enjoy and carve your niche in those specializations. If you do that, clients will turn to you again and again as the "go to" person for those specializations, and you'll get to work in a subject you like. To paraphrase a popular saying, do what you love and the money will come later; if it doesn't, hey, at least you're doing what you love. I have a passion for wines and actually have an intermediate certification in wines and spirits from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), so from time to time I'm approached by wineries to translate their marketing materials for an American audience.

► What types of clients do you typically work with?

► Would you ever want to work on your own and start your own freelance translation business or translation agency?

► What kinds of people do you have the most difficulty working with?

► Do you have a certain area of specialization or do you work on generic translation projects of many types?

► Do you hold any translation certifications?

► What type of ethical dilemmas have you encountered as a translator and how did you deal with those?

► How well can you understand different dialects and accents?

► What would you do if you were interpreting and a person said something that you did not agree with or found upsetting?

► What would you do if you were interpreting and a person used gestures which are not understood in the culture of the other person?

► When you are interpreting, do you try to establish a relationship with the person or do you try to keep the relationship formal and more detached?

► What do you do if you didn't hear exactly what a person said but you get the general "gist"?

► Do you try to translate every single word or idea expressed, or do you try to summarize what was said?

► Do you do anything to prepare for a translating session?

► What would you do if you made a mistake in translation or did not understand a term?

► How well can you understand different dialects and accents?

► What do you think about people who speak different dialects or who, for example, code switch? (Sometimes this may be called "Tex Mex" or "Pocho").

► What would you do if you were interpreting and a person said something that you did not agree with?

► What would you do if you were interpreting and a person became very angry and used profane language?

► What would you do if you were interpreting and a person became very angry and used profane gestures which are not understood in the culture of the other person?

► When you are interpreting, do you try to establish a bond with the person or do you try to keep the relationship formal and more detached?

► What would you do if additional cultural information or an explanatory comment is needed to aid comprehension or for a culturally appropriate translation?

► What do you do if a person is going on and on, and you can't remember exactly everything that person said, but you did get the general "drift?"

► Do you try to translate every single word or idea expressed, or do you try to summarize what was said?

► If a client has confidence in you and asks for advice on how to answer a question during an interpretation session, what do you do?

► What, if anything, would you do before an interpretation session?

► What, if anything, would you do after an interpretation session?

► What would you do if you were asked to interpret or translate something for which you do not feel qualified or prepared?

► What would you do if you made a mistake in interpretation or did not understand a term?"