Interpreter: Did he mean this or that?!: The Life of an Interpreter

Introduction
First things first, you need a strong academic background to be an interpreter. A Masters degree in a language is pretty much a must, and a strong understanding of different cultures is vital. Beyond that, you need to be able to handle pressure, since you'll be doing translations "on-the-fly" especially if you work for a business or diplomatic outlet (the UN, for example). When I joined the UN, I had to undergo more specialized job training, which was particularly grueling. So, expect company-specific training no matter where you go. Finally, remember that you are working with people and not inanimate objects/texts. Having people skills is probably just as important as the rest of your formal training, and you need to be able to communicate with people from different cultures efficiently and respectfully.

Job Function
Since I work for the UN, the best aspects of my job are the traveling and interactions with different cultures. Working as an interpreter for a diplomat means that your services may be required in a variety of different places. If you are assigned a specific diplomat (which you often are), you may have to accompany them to foreign countries and/or embassies. You essentially become their right-hand man and voice. This is not without its negatives, as you can imagine, which brings me to the negatives. Pressure is your biggest adversary. There is no room for error, because a simple mistranslation could have some dire repercussions. Needless to say, this can and will lead to a lot of stress. So, the faint of heart need not apply. Advertisement
Lifestyle
As an interpreter, you are on-call at all times. You never know when your services may be required, so you need to be ready at a moment’s notice. The options of where to work are limited only to the languages you know and where there is demand for them. I cannot stress enough how important people skills are for this job. If you are a social hermit or hate people in general, then this definitely won’t be the career for you.

Additional Information
Study hard, stay focused, be calm and be polite. If you do all these things, then you’ll be fine. Also, being an interpreter is pretty damn glamorous, so enjoy it (and brag about it!).