Are you a bilingual individual, or know someone who is?
A guide to community interpreting
Last year was a real success for our community interpreters. In 10 weeks these bilingual individuals were trained as community interpreters. Now qualified freelance professionals, they are able to help individuals function within a society that speaks a language that is not their own, one that they may not fully understand.
In light of our new community course in February, we got speaking to a freelance professional who completed the course last year.
How did you find out about the course?
I was prompted by friends to do something with my knowledge of two languages, Russian and Lithuanian. My dream job was to become a translator but when I looked on the internet, I only found expensive courses that were too far away, the prospects of attending looked very slim. A year later I looked on the internet again, I couldn't believe my eyes. I found a local and affordable course for interpreting, I can't describe how happy I was!
How did you prepare for the course?
I worked hard to fill out the application correctly and started to read some articles online in both languages. Only after the introductory meeting did I know what I needed to study, that’s where the real challenge began.
How was the course for you, what was your favourite part?
I enjoyed all of the course as each session was engaging and enjoyable. The tutor, Dominique, is an amazing lady and I have learnt a lot from her. It was very helpful to have speakers from different areas of community services as it opened my eyes as to what's going on in a community world.
How has the course helped you?
I wish I could do an interpreting job every day. I have always enjoyed helping people, now it’s even better because I'm working professionally, whilst getting paid. I can finally say I know the feeling of job satisfaction.
What are you doing now?
I still do my day job, but every day I hope I get a phone call from Vandu for an assignment. I do want to do another course to grow my skills, hopefully in the near future. I'm very grateful to the team at Vandu, all of them are simply great.
Are you a bilingual individual, or know someone who is? Find out more about the community interpreting course today. Contact Olivia on 01273 473986.
Vandu Language Services is based in Lewes, Sussex and has been helping organisations overcome the language barrier since 1999. We provide interpreting, translation, bilingual advocacy and cross cultural training for when you need to communicate clearly across cultures.
