Interpretation agency manager

An interpretation agency manager

Description

Interpretation agency managers oversee operations in the delivery of interpretation services. They coordinate the efforts of a team of interpreters who understand and convert spoken communication from one language to another. They ensure the quality of the service and the administration of the interpretation agency.

The typical duties of an interpretation agency manager include, but are not limited to:

  • Recruiting, screening and training new interpreters.
  • Analysing performance of interpreters and drawing up action plans.
  • Establishing strong relationships with staff and clients.
  • Ensuring that high quality translation and interpretation services are provided.
  • Ensuring all staff exercise good time management.
  • Obeying agency regulations, guidelines, and policies, and ensuring staff do the same.
  • Researching current industry/market trends and using knowledge for business improvement.

Working conditions

Like other interpreters, interpretation agency managers work indoors in offices. They occasionally work outdoors at events such as fairs, sporting events, or outdoor performances.

Interpretation agency managers usually work a set schedule every week. They travel often to accompany clients to performances, appearances or negotiations.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to interpretation agency manager:

interpretation agency director
language translation agency director
language interpreter
language interpretation service manager
interpreter
translation agency manager
language interpretation agency manager
language translator
translation service manager
language translation agency manager
language interpretation agency supervisor
language interpretation agency director
language translation agency supervisor
language translation service manager
interpretation agency supervisor
translator

Minimum qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in foreign language, business, or communications is generally required to work as an interpretation agency manager. People with an educational background on technical subjects, such as engineering or medicine, may be able to provide a higher level of interpreting and translation.

As a general rule, a proficiency in at least two languages is required, one of which is usually English, and the other one the translation or interpretation skill to be provided.

Certifications are not required; however, they may help showing proficiency in one or more languages, and therefore increase the likelihood of getting hired.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Interpretation agency manager is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Interpretation agency manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to interpretation agency manager.

interpreter
translation agency manager
sign language interpreter
lexicographer
translator

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of interpretation agency manager.

  • Interpreting modes: The various ways of translating a language orally, such as simultaneous, consecutive, relay, whispered or liaison.
  • Project management: Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.
  • Spelling: The rules concerning the way words are spelled.
  • Grammar: The set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.
  • Customer relationship management: The customer-oriented management approach and basic principles of successful customer relations that focus on interactions with customers such as technical support, customer services, after-sales support and direct communication with the customer.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of interpretation agency manager.

  • Lead a team: Lead, supervise and motivate a group of people, in order to meet the expected results within a given timeline and with the foreseen resources in mind.
  • Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
  • Speak different languages: Master foreign languages to be able to communicate in one or more foreign languages.
  • Translate spoken language consecutively: Translate what a speaker says when the speakers pauses after two or more sentences, accurately and completely and based upon your notes. The speaker will wait until the interpreter finishes before proceeding.
  • Master language rules: Master the techniques and practices of the languages to be translated. This includes both your own native language, as well as foreign languages. Be familiar with applicable standards and rules and identify the proper expressions and words to use.
  • Develop a translation strategy: Perform research to better understand a translation issue and develop the translation strategy that would remediate the encountered problems.
  • Follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities
  • Assess quality of services: Test and compare various goods and services in order to assess their quality and to give detailed information to consumers.
  • Interpret spoken language between two parties: Convert one spoken language to another in order to ensure the communication between two parties who do not speak a common language.
  • Observe confidentiality: Observe the set of rules establishing the nondisclosure of information except to another authorised person.
  • Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
  • Translate spoken language simultaneously: Translate what a speaker says accurately and completely at the same rate of speech without any lag time.
  • Manage a good diction: Speak clearly and precisely so that others understand exactly what is being said. Pronounce words accurately so as not to make mistakes or unintentionally say something incorrect.
  • Apply grammar and spelling rules: Apply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts.
  • Liaise with colleagues: Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to ensure that work in general run efficiently towards the achievement of the objectives.
  • Preserve meaning of original speech: Translate speech without adding, changing or omitting anything. Make sure the original message is conveyed and do not express your own feelings or opinions. Work to keep the intended meaning.
  • Build business relationships: Establish a positive, long-term relationship between organisations and interested third parties such as suppliers, distributors, shareholders and other stakeholders in order to inform them of the organisation and its objectives.
  • Assume responsibility for the management of a business: Adopt and assume the responsibility that entails running a business, prioritising the interest of its owners, the societal expectation, and the welfare of employees.
  • Perform bilateral interpretation: Understand and interpret oral statements in both directions of a language pair, while maintaining the speaker’s communicative intent.
  • Translate language concepts: Translate one language into another language. Match words and expressions with their corresponding brothers in other languages, while making sure that the message and nuances of the original text are preserved.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of interpretation agency manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Chuchotage interpreting: The act of providing individual simultaneous interpreting in a low voice to a small audience. This type of interpreting entails no specialised equipment and it is targeted to the few who do not understand the language spoken.
  • Tape transcription: The act of translating spoken utterances into written text format.
  • Linguistics: The scientific study of language and its three aspects, language form, language meaning, and language in context.
  • Technical terminology: Type of language used in a certain context, containing terms that have a meaning specific to a particular group or activity, such as in industry, medicine, or law.
  • Phonetics: The physical properties of speech sounds such as how their are produced, their acoustic properties and neurophysiological status.
  • Scientific research methodology: The theoretical methodology used in scientific research involving doing background research, constructing an hypothesis, testing it, analysing data and concluding the results.
  • Unseen translation: The translation technique whereby unseen extracts from Latin and Greek prose or verse are presented to translators for them to translate the excerpts perfectly in a determined language, for instance English. It aims to evaluate vocabulary, grammar, and style and increase linguistic knowledge.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of interpretation agency manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Write research proposals: Synthetise and write proposals aiming to solve research problems. Draft the proposal baseline and objectives, the estimated budget, risks and impact. Document the advances and new developments on the relevant subject and field of study.
  • Motivate employees: Communicate with employees in order to ensure that their personal ambitions are in line with the business goals, and that they work to meet them.
  • Liaise with financiers: Liaise with people willing to finance the project. Negotiate deals and contracts.
  • Provide advocacy interpreting services: Provide language interpretation services aimed at helping people belonging to minority communities get their message across irrespective of the language.
  • Liaise with government officials: Consult and cooperate with government officials who handle matter that is relevant to you or your business.
  • Manage office facility systems: Keep management and service ability of the various office systems needed for the smooth and daily operation of the office facilities such as internal communication systems, software of common use inside the company, and office networks.
  • Show intercultural awareness: Show sensibility towards cultural differences by taking actions which facilitate positive interaction between international organisations, between groups or individuals of different cultures, and to promote integration in a community.
  • Perform sight translation: Read documents aloud in a language different from the language in which the document is written.
  • Preserve original text: Translate texts without adding, changing or omitting anything. Make sure the original message is conveyed. Don’t express your own feelings and opinions.
  • Perform sworn translations: Translate documents of all kinds and affixing a stamp indicating the translation has been performed by somebody endorsed by the local or national authorities.

ISCO group and title

1349 – Professional services managers not elsewhere classified


References
  1. ESCO
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
  3. Translator or Interpreter Job Description – StateUniversity.com
  4. Agent and Business Managers – Working Conditions – Illinois WorkNet
  5. Featured image: Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
Last updated on June 8, 2022