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Career advice for aspiring French/Spanish --> English legal translator
Thread poster: Graham Perra
Graham Perra
Graham Perra
Canada
Local time: 00:04
English to French
+ ...
Jan 14, 2017

Hello all,

I am currently taking a certificate program (10 courses) in French-English translation and am wondering what my next step should be.

This most may be long, but I will try to give as much detail as possible so you can give me better insight.

My career goal is this: I would like to become a French/Spanish legal translator for human rights organizations or NGOs, mainly in Latin America.

My background:
Canadian, 25 years old. Gr... See more
Hello all,

I am currently taking a certificate program (10 courses) in French-English translation and am wondering what my next step should be.

This most may be long, but I will try to give as much detail as possible so you can give me better insight.

My career goal is this: I would like to become a French/Spanish legal translator for human rights organizations or NGOs, mainly in Latin America.

My background:
Canadian, 25 years old. Grew up in an entirely English-speaking environment in western Canada but did a B.Sc. in international relations in French at the Université de Montréal. I also did an internship for a human rights NGO in Mexico City (entirely in Spanish). I then went on to law, and did half of my degree, but I ended up going through a burnout/depression and flunked out. Now, I am currently doing a certificate in translation and working as a secretary in an audit firm (both full-time). I have always been passionate about language and I feel very much in my element in translation.

I am itchitng to move abroad this summer, after completing my certificate. I would really like to spend a year or two in Colombia, or perhaps in Mexico or Chile in order to really perfect my Spanish so I can translate into English. I would need to find work. I was thinking of looking for a job as an assistant in a human rights organization (or any other suggestions?). Or does anyone think I could find a job as a French-English translator there? I would also like to do a professional masters or graduate diploma in translation (perhaps online, as I haven't found any Spanish-English translation programs in Latin America, just English-Spanish).

Any advice would be helpfull.

Thanks! ▲ Collapse
 
Jessica Noyes
Jessica Noyes  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 00:04
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
Helpful website Jan 16, 2017

This website has volunteer and paid internships of every kind---in the U.S. and overseas. www.idealist.org
Also, see what the Canadian government has to offer. They used to fund an international service organization, but I don't know if they still do. !Suerte!
 


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Career advice for aspiring French/Spanish --> English legal translator






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