Too late to start training for a professional translation/interpretation career?

IrishExpat

As it stands, I've applied to go back to University as a mature student for 2013, and hoping my application was sufficient to secure a place - and every course was a combination of Business/Commerce with a foreign language.

In the last few years I've discovered a new passion for language learning and the benefits it brings (challenging for the mind, increases social opportunities, expanded world view and great for the CV, to mention a few).

Up until 21 I only really spoke English, and though I had German and Irish for x years in school, the methodology, lack of motivation aside from passing exam etc didn't bring me any closer to fluency.

It's only from living abroad and finding myself immersed in the culture of a host country that I really went from an A1 - C1 in Spanish, and I'm currently learning German in my spare time and 'considering' a few months in Berlin - if I can convince a few clients that I can as easily work out of the country.

If I were to pursue my language learning further, even to the level of professional translation (or more difficult, interpretation), would beginning to study for this at 25 be seen as nearly too late?

I ask as I have friends working in this field - but they all (bar none) are bi/tri-lingual speakers of their working languages from early childhood, and even at that they would admit that the examinations/courses they undertook were no walk in the park.

So, for as a mono linguist for the most part of my life, to go from actually learning a language, from basic to intermediate, advanced and above and 'then' to undertake these courses - I wonder if I should have started a lot sooner.

I'm not short of work, but what I do now is not exactly a passion, and it's definitely an extra skill-set I'd like to develop.

Any thoughts?

Konata

Personally, I don't think so.

I'm currently studying Japanese and French as part of the Translation Studies degree in DCU. I've been doing French since secondary school but I only picked up Japanese 2 years ago. I'm in 2nd year now and I'm 23, so not too far behind you in age. There are several people in the course who are older than you are - late 20s/early 30s. Doesn't seem to be stopping them!

It's never too late to learn something new in life (and 25 is DEFINITELY not too late!). As long as you're dedicated and work hard, you can most definitely achieve competency in another language within a few years.

Best of luck!

syntax1

It's never too late. And being brought up a monolingual is not an automatic barrier to working as a translator or interpreter.

Aard

Bear in mind that to become an interpreter, you don't necessarily have to have a degree in the language. If you work in the European Commission you just need a masters in interpretation. There's a list of acceptable courses on their sites; one of them is available in NUIG.

Also you'll only ever be interpreting into your mother tongue - there's a lack of English mother tongue interpreters out there atm. Go for it!