Undeclared
Jasmyne Harper
French/languages Theatre/acting & screenwriting WRITING :)
Interests
Theatre- Fail Creative Writing- Wouldn’t Work English- No way Anthropology- Disappointment
Majors I Considered
International Studies Religious Studies
• I know I want to be a novelist but other than that I am uncertain which is why whatever I choose to major in it will be interdisciplinary. I wanted to interview someone who’s job involved one of my biggest interests.
Good Majors
Owns ContextGlobal Inc. which is a company that works to
form a team that will helps its clients with their translation or interpretation needs
He is from Sweden and fluent in Swedish, German, Spanish, and English while several people who work for him are fluent in other languages
Interpreters- oral work, conversations or presentations Translations- written work, some are self-employed They also have a quality control process where after
something is translated it is passed on to editors/proofreaders
Fredrik Starmark
Abbocc- works with chemical devices,
translates instructions on products into different languages
Public School systems- may need publications translated or working with individual parents from different places
Examples of clients
Did not want to work the average 9-5 job More freedom, able to make profit if successful Chooses vacation time Knew a lot of people who spoke different
languages so he had the network
“Oh, this is going to sound really bad but…”
Knows many people who speak different
languages & has people who often work with him that are from a different culture, for example he has people who with him from an Ethiopian culture
However, it depends on what your definition of “culture” is and what you consider it entails
The average American experience is a different culture for him since he’s Swedish
How often do you come into contact with different
cultures?
Understand other cultures since people think
differently Makes you more humble in your own ways
How does your knowledge of other cultures help you in your job?
If you’re interested in being a translator you should note
that usually they only let people translate works into their native language
There are, however, extremely gifted linguists such as an Argentinian linguist he knows who can translate flawlessly into Chinese, Spanish and English
You should immerse yourself into a community where that language is being spoken
If you’re trying to become a manager of a similar company it is good to know about international organizations and work with other language companies before starting out on your own
What advice would you give to someone interested in doing what you do?
Many, especially for interpreters that can be
hired from many companies. Usually, interpreters will travel very often and could be on “every continent, every year”
Chances to work abroad?
Hard to define since it’s not a very concrete
field to be in (not as simple as majoring in medicine to become a particular doctor).
Has a masters in biochemistry so there’s no real “one size fits all” method.
Economics/math class and writing courses are great to have
Studying abroad and knowledge of languages is necessary as well as just exposure
Background in international relations is helpful
Any preparation you did for your job?
I love learning about different people and their
stories. I also find languages a fascinating part of culture so I would love to do a job which combines both of those. I’ve considered possibly working with a publication company and helping with translating fiction books and Frederic informed me that it’s a difficult field to get into. But usually people get presented opportunities because of who they are or their circumstances/who they know so anything is possible.
My Experience