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Interpreters are verbal translators, conveying ideas, words and phrases from one language to another through spoken word. Translators work with written documents and transfer information between to languages in documents, books, articles and other written media.
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Interpretation and translation differ from one another in that they both work to achieve different goals. Linguists often choose a specialty in interpretation or translation, both of which require attention to detail and foreign language fluency. For example, English is a language that contains words, phrases and structures from various languages due to conquest, cultural influence and the imperialistic efforts of the British empire. How words or phrases translate to different languagesįoreign language fluency often includes intensive courses on the history of specific regions, cultures and foreign influences to teach linguists how languages evolve and change. This includes understanding the nuances of language, including: This requires foreign language fluency, or the ability to interpret and speak certain languages effectively. Linguists study languages of all kinds, which often includes languages that are foreign to their native language.
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Linguists bring many skills to the industry, including: Foreign language fluency Read more: 10 Jobs You Can Get With a Degree in Linguistics Examples of linguist skills For example, an interpreter might need both foreign language fluency and patience to excel in the industry. Soft skills and hard skills are equally important because they often support one another. Soft skills are transferrable skills, often interpersonal skills, that linguists can apply to the job. Hard skills are technical abilities that linguists apply directly to their work, such as foreign language fluency or interpretation. Linguists can learn both hard skills and soft skills during their training. Linguist skills are important attributes that linguists bring to the industry.
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Linguist job description how to#
In this article, we show you what linguist skills are, provide some helpful examples and explore how to develop your linguistics skills. Understanding what skills you need as a linguist can help seek the correct programs and decide on a specialization for your linguistics career. Linguists often need to develop specific skill sets in order to excel in the linguistics industry, and it's important to understand what those skills are. Linguistics is an extensive career field that offers many opportunities to career seekers.
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