Satzgewinn english » Certifications » Qualified Interpreter

Qualified Interpreter

All is well that ends well

Imagine you are at a conference. Participants consist of native speakers of various languages, a qualified interpreter interprets everything simultaneously into English. A German speaker comes up with the following line: "On the issue of the fiercely challenged plan debated controversially in the media, politicians after months of tough negotiations have nevertheless finally decided to reject it" In German, the sense of the whole sentence rests typically on the last words. It could have just as easily ended in "endorsed it". The exact opposite.

The interpreter has to bear the whole sentence in mind and start translating it in English only after the last words are spoken. And while he is doing so, the conference participant has continued speaking, in all likelihood using convoluted sentences. This is a huge intellectual challenge for the interpreter. German sentences in particular with their long, many intertwined subordinate clauses, compounds and complicated grammatical structure, each time present certain complexities for an interpreter.

Qualified Interpreter: A Demanding Profession

The example of the conference illustrates just how demanding the profession of a qualified interpreter is. A feel and flair for languages, excellent memory (especially for vocabulary, there is no time to refer to a dictionary) and sound academic training are indispensable prerequisites for this profession. However, even people without the privilege of academic training engage in interpretation. It is an unregulated profession. We therefore strongly recommend that you assign this task only to qualified interpreters. The degree is awarded solely by polytechnics and universities.

The Training: Scientifically Grounded

It takes at least five years of academic training at an university or polytechnic to become a qualified interpreter. Besides linguistics and the chosen languages, aspiring qualified interpreters are also taught subjects that they later want to specialise in, like technology, medicine or law. Besides the first language, as a rule a qualified interpreter has mastery over two more languages.

Of Languages and Language Itself

In the course of the five-year education, qualified interpreters are taught the fundamentals of linguistics. It is crucial, especially for an interpreter, to not just have command over certain languages, but also to know their structure inside out. Through comparative philology, a qualified interpreter is made aware of the differences and commonalities between various languages. This is how a qualified interpreter learns among other things that the most significant part of a sentence in German often comes at the tail end of it.

Philology also imparts information on the history of languages and their historical interrelation. For instance, French and Spanish as Romanic languages are more closely related to each other than German, which belongs to the Germanic group. Although, all three have Indo-Germanic origins and thus the same basic structure. Whereas, say in the case of Hungarian, which is not of an Indo-Germanic root, it is decidedly different from all these three languages.

Qualified Interpreter: Our Languages

We as qualified interpreters offer services in the following languages: German, French, English, Spanish. Trusted colleagues from our existing network take over work in other languages.

Qualified Interpreter: Our Offer

Do you personally, your community or company need a qualified interpreter? It would be our pleasure to interpret on location for you! Our translation agency can be of assistance to visiting foreign experts at your company or provide you with support when colleagues from abroad come for business. Long sentences are never daunting for qualified interpreters.

Read moreRead less

Qualified Translator

Cannot be replaced by a computer programme!

Read more

Qualified Interpreter

Qualified Interpreter


Read more

Sworn Translator

Accreditation from the Higher Regional Court of Cologne

Read more

BDÜ membership

BDÜ (German Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators)

Read more

Have we sparked interest?
Simply get in touch!


Ask for a quotation