The job of a Chinese interpreter is not simply converting one language to another but requires many factors to be successful and earn a high salary.
Chinese interpreter is a job that many young people are pursuing and developing their careers. This is also one of the top interpretation jobs with attractive income and open job opportunities. What is a Chinese interpreter? What are the requirements for applying for a Chinese interpreter position? Let's find the answer through the article below!
1. What is a Chinese interpreter?
A Chinese interpreter is a person who converts and directly interprets conversations, seminars, conferences, and speeches from Chinese to Vietnamese and vice versa.
Chinese translation is the work of translating Chinese documents, texts, books, newspapers, and magazines into Vietnamese and vice versa.
People working in this field can choose to work as a Chinese interpreter or Chinese translator for in-depth development. You can become a professional translator or interpreter or develop both fields.
Find out the definition of a Chinese interpreter
2. Chinese interpreter job description
Depending on the field, characteristics, and scale of each business, the specific duties of a Chinese interpreter is different. Below are some primary tasks of this position:
- Directly interpret group conversations, internal meetings, contact Chinese partners,...
- Translate documents into Chinese and vice versa.
- Interpret communication, enterprise cooperation programs, workshops, programs, extracurricular seminars, etc.
- Support interpretation and problem-solving in other departments' activities such as sales, customer care, and international relations.
- Contact business partners and related parties using the Chinese language.
- Perform other work assigned by superiors.
- Manage interpreting documents.
- Report work.
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Job description
3. Must-have requirements of a Chinese interpreter
To be a Chinese interpreter, you need to improve:
Professional qualifications and experience
First, you need to have professional qualifications. With a job as a Chinese interpreter, you can participate in specialized training in Chinese Language, Business Chinese, or other related majors and take part in Chinese courses to get an HSK3 Chinese language certificate.
Some businesses will require candidates to have experience in Chinese interpretation. Therefore, after obtaining a relevant degree or certificate, you should accumulate relevant experience.
Good knowledge of Chinese
You must arm yourself with a good knowledge of Chinese and fluency in Vietnamese to deliver high-quality interpretation and accurately convey the content the speaker is mentioning. Good language ability is a prerequisite for you to become a professional Chinese interpreter.
Take time to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Chinese regularly. You can join clubs or social projects with Chinese-speaking members or native Chinese speakers to increase your chances of exposure to the Chinese-speaking environment.
Understanding of Chinese culture and society
The professional characteristic of this job is language. In many cases, you must pay attention to business culture, business exchanges, and daily communication stories. Therefore, getting information about Chinese culture, society, and population will be the foundation for you to assert your capabilities to businesses and partners.
Clear voice and good pronunciation
You need to keep your voice audible and at a moderate volume. Practice hard to pronounce correctly. In addition, you should also pay attention to how native speakers use words to convey content more quickly and accurately.
Good memory
A good memory will help you understand the content to interpret it accurately and quickly. At that time, you can confidently and handily interpret entire Chinese sentences into Vietnamese or vice versa.
Inquisitive spirit
If you stop at studying at the previous training facility, it will be difficult for you to become an outstanding interpreter. As mentioned, this job is related to many separate fields so it requires you to interpret many different fields. The richer your knowledge is, the better your interpretation will be.
Continuously and proactively learn more knowledge, interpretation skills and knowledge of other professions. Moving spirit and continuous learning will help you increasingly improve your expertise in the field of Chinese language interpretation.
Soft skills
Chinese interpretation requires numerous soft skills. In particular, communication skills are highly required. The reason is that sometimes you can still understand and grasp the content that needs to be interpreted but cannot express it coherently.
Besides, analytical skills will help you remember well and express more fluently when undertaking interpretation work. During the interpretation process, you must analyze who the author is and the audience and content to be conveyed to have the most appropriate expression.
Your confident attitude and temperament will also bring trust to businesses and partners and help you feel more comfortable during the direct interpretation process.
You also need to have a neat and professional demeanor. This is expressed through your neat and elegant attire to show others your politeness and professionalism.
Requirements in the profession
4. Difficulties in the profession
Chinese interpreters face many difficulties due to the specific characteristics of the Chinese language and culture. Below are some common difficulties in the Chinese interpretation process:
Diverse vocabulary
Chinese has many different vocabulary and uses of each vocabulary. You must understand and remember the appropriate vocabulary for each context to interpret accurately.
Complex grammar
The grammar of Chinese is considered incredibly complex and different from Vietnamese. It's necessary to understand how to use verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions, and sentence structure to interpret accurately.
Sound and semantic transformation
The Chinese language has variant pronunciations, leading to words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. Thus, it is important to clearly and accurately understand the meaning of each word to interpret it correctly.
Culture differences
China's culture is different from the culture of other countries. Tus, it's necessary to understand and use terms, phrases, and cultural expressions properly during interpretation.
Time pressure
When interpreting at events, conferences, or customer meetings, you must ensure that the interpretation is completed on time and with quality to meet customer requirements.
In short, a Chinese interpreter is a job that requires thorough professional knowledge and many particular skills. Difficulties in diverse vocabulary, complex grammar, cultural differences, time pressure, and sound and semantic conversion require you to have experience and multitudinous skills.
Chinese interprets face many difficulties
5. Chinese interpreters recruitment demands
There are lots of job opportunities for Chinese interpreters when a series of large Chinese corporations are operating strongly globally. In particular, in the Vietnamese market, Chinese enterprises account for a relatively high proportion. For smooth exchange and successful cooperation with partners, the support of interpreters is indispensable.
Furthermore, in the context that China's economy is experiencing outstanding development, many Chinese businesses are investing in Vietnam. Thus, being fluent in Chinese becomes a great advantage.
You can work as an interpreter at:
- State enterprises
- Private companies
- Chinese joint venture companies
- Branches of Chinese business in Vietnam
- Governmental and non-governmental organizations
- Freelance interpreter for short and long-term projects
- Cabin interpreter.
6. Salary of Chinese interpreters
The current salary of Chinese interpreters ranges from VND 8 to VND 15 million per month. The salary of a Chinese translator is about VND 10 - VND 12 million per month. This number will be higher and appropriate to the level of position you are take on.
In addition, the salary of a Chinese interpreter is calculated by the hour, session, or month and there are differences depending on the workplace, duration, specialty, type of interpretation, etc.
The salary is quite attractive
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