A successful career in Community Interpreting includes a Masters Degree for Vandu Associate
Kate Bryant has been working with Vandu Language Services for nine years and has just received her Masters in Translation with SOAS, University of London.
In addition to her outstanding grades in modules involving the translation from Mandarin to English and English to Mandarin, Kate received a Distinction for her dissertation in Linguistic Theory.
Starting her career as a community interpreter, Kate has continually sought ways to improve her linguistic service portfolio and challenge herself. We snatched a moment in her busy schedule to talk to her about her career.
V: How did you come to interpreting, was it a conscious career choice?
K: I was given a Community Interpreting course leaflet by a friend, who, at the time, thought I would be able to "kill" some time when my daughter had started school full time. I’ve now been working as an interpreter for about 9 years!
V: What’s been the best thing about the career choice you made back then?
K: ‘I enjoy all aspects of interpreting. I love the fact that I get to meet people and help them to express themselves’
‘That enables both the service provider and the service user to communicate effectively. It may seem daunting to some interpreters, but I particularly enjoy medical interpreting because I get to go to all departments in the hospital and learn about all kinds of medical conditions and treatment - this is a personal interest.
V: You have been a valued member of our team for many years, how have you found working with us at Vandu?
K: Vandu's office staff are very friendly and easy to work with. I particularly enjoy the opportunity to get together at conferences and social events that Vandu organise for interpreters.
V: What’s been the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome over the course of your career?
K: As a mum and a full-time interpreter, translator, bilingual advocate and of course as a student over the last year, I did have to juggle quite a lot in terms of trying to fit in as many bookings as possible while trying to give enough time and attention to my family. I do have to be extremely organised and flexible to work around schedules.
V: So what motivated you to take on the pressure of completing your Masters in Translation?
K: It wasn't an easy decision to make as it would cut my income and take a lot of time, money, and effort.
‘I took on the Masters course as a personal challenge, just to see how far I can push myself; I also did it for my passion for languages.’
V: How has working in language services in the last nine years benefited you on a personal level?
K: I have lived in the UK for more than 16 years - this might sound strange to some people - but my Chinese was getting rusty as I was surrounded by only English-speaking people before I started interpreting. I spend a lot of time researching on the internet to 'tweak' my use of Chinese phrases and building my own glossaries, so my Chinese can sound as natural as possible to the service users. This helps me to keep my mother tongue in a "top-notch" condition!
V: Do you have any tips or advice for anyone considering a career in interpreting or translation?
K: One common misconception is that, as long as you are bilingual, you can be an interpreter. It takes more than that and a lot of experience and training to be a good interpreter. As it’s not a 9 to 5 job, there is always uncertainty about income, so you have to have a passion for it. You also have to be willing to progress and to improve your credibility and reputation.
V: You worked a lot with Children’s Services and they always wanted you to go back for their cases. What qualities do you possess that made these sessions so valuable to them?
K: Children’s Services are a specialised team, so confidentiality and sensitivity towards the issues are crucial when working with them. You need to accommodate both the service user and service provider’s needs and maintain professionalism the whole time. Once you are familiar with their policies and procedures, it makes working with them easier. That way the outcomes are successful for everyone.
Kate’s determination and professionalism have been key to her success and we hope may inspire others that are considering a career that utilises their language skills.
If Kate’s journey has inspired you, why not give us a call at Vandu Language Services on 01273 473986 We’d be happy to give you an idea of what community interpreting involves and more information about how you can use your language skills to help others.
