Careers in Translation and Interpreting for Spanish Majors: a Presentation by Patricia Phillips-Batoma

Dr. Patricia Phillips-Batoma from the University of Illinois' Center for Translation Studies talks to Spanish majors about careers in translation and interpreting.
by Ann Abbott

Yesterday we had our very first "Mi Carrera" workshop for Spanish majors at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Patricia Phillips-Batoma from the Center for Translation Studies set a wonderful tone for the rest of the semester by doing three things:
  1. Explaining very clearly what translation and interpreting are.
  2. Inspiring students to think of career paths they can follow (and money they can make!). 
  3. Demonstrating how translators do their work. 
There's nothing like being at a workshop in person, but Dr. Phillips-Batoma kindly shared her slides which you can see below. The main takeaways include:
  • There is a lot of demand for Spanish translation and interpreting jobs.
  • You need some training.
  • Freelancing is the dominant work model--and you can make good money.
Furthermore,  I pointed out to students that even if you do not become a professional translator/interpreter, as a bilingual in any profession you will probably be called upon to do those things. Why not learn how to do them now?



Attendees included mostly freshmen Spanish majors, but all of the "Mi Carrera" workshops are appropriate for all Spanish majors at all levels.
Darcy Lear, career coach to students of foreign languages, will be the speaker at our next "Mi Carrera" workshop: Wednesday, September 18 at 4:00 in Lucy Ellis Lounge, Foreign Languages Building.

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