These days, more and more people are choosing to become interpreters. Some people think that a person who has a good command of a foreign language can easily be an interpreter, whereas others argue that fluency in a language does not lead to quality interpreting.
In my opinion, being fluent in a foreign language it is not enough to be a successful interpreter for a number of reasons. To start with, in addition to a perfect knowledge of a foreign language, the work of an interpreter requires the ability to split an attention in order to concentrate on client’s speech and how to interpret it correctly. In addition, a professional interpreter should have a great memory in the case of prolonged speech.
Nevertheless, some people think that a person who is fluent in a foreign language can easily work as an interpreter. If people have a wide vocabulary, they will be able to understand the words spoken and their meaning to avoid misunderstandings between their clients.
I cannot agree with this opinion because interpreters should not only be fluent in a language, but they also need to have a knowledge of using interpreting strategies. Interpreters have to anticipate what the speaker wants to say and generalize ideas of a speech in order to make an interpretation in a natural way.
In conclusion, although a person who is fluent in a foreign language can become a talented interpreter, I still believe that interpreters should also have special traits, skills and abilities to be professionals.