Not enough people talk about the perks of interpreting jobs. For example, some interpreters have to interpret Pashto to English and often have a rough gig since Pashto is spoken in a warzone (Afghanistan). Interpreting can be an exciting and sometimes dangerous job, depending on the location of the work. An Italian interpreter based in Italy or dealing with Italian culture (if he or she is lucky), on the other hand, will probably have a lot more non-life-threatening fun.
Just think of all the types of things an Italian interpreter hypothetically gets to interpret, such as opera music, cooking classes, and cycling or cooking tours through beautiful Tuscany, or down south in Sicily. They can interpret for speakers at wine conferences, cheese-making conferences, or for tourists skiing in Northern Italy as well.
Sure, it’s not all romantic. They might be called on to interpret at the United Nations, or at an economic conference where he or she will have to listen to and interpret an awful lot of bad news about the dismal state of the Italian economy.
The interpreters who had to interpret for the former prime minster, Silvio Berlusconi, probably had to deal with a very mixed bag of work. While he was often in trouble, under criminal prosecution, or in hot water for dalliances with prostitutes, it was probably never, ever a dull interpreting job.
If you’re thinking about becoming an Italian interpreter, you could do a lot worse. Some Russian interpreters working in the energy sector are stuck in freezing Siberia. Just because you’re an Italian interpreter doesn’t mean you’ll get to travel and work in Italy, but your chances are a heck of a lot higher than if you were a Japanese interpreter.
Wine, great food, and lots of sun (yes, and a bad economy) potentially await anyone who is planning on working as an Italian interpreter. Viva l’Italia!
