Ask The Work Buzz! Brushing up on your language skills

Hola, nice readers!

Today we’re tackling another question from the Ask The Work Buzz files. This one comes from Anita.

Hi, I have 18 college credit hours in Spanish and would like to use my Spanish to become a translator and to help people. My problem is that I have not used it at all in over 10 – 12 years and remember some but do not think I can carry on a full conversation. I have been unemployed for months. What would you suggest would be the quickest and easiest way to refresh my skills?

Anita

Anita’s in a situation many job seekers are all too familiar with. It’s not even just workers who have been out of college for a decade or more. Plenty of people I know who graduated in the last five years haven’t used their foreign language skills since they received their diplomas and their second-language conversation skills are quickly fading.

Anita’s case is a little different than most of ours because she specifically wants to work as a translator. To become a full-time translator or interpreter, you’re going to need experience and proof of  your Spanish skills. Although each company is different, it’s probably safe to say that many organizations looking for a translator would be hestitant to hire her as is right now because of how long it’s been since she studied Spanish and the fact that you can probably find many candidates who are fluent in Spanish.

However, she wants to know how she can brush up on her skills so an employer will want to hire her. Here are some good steps.

1. Immerse yourself in the language.It was true when you were studying it and it’s still true now. The more you’re around it, the more you’re forced to use the language. If you have friends who are fluent, ask them to speak to you only in Spanish (or whatever your chosen language is). When you have no choice but to hear, speak and think in another language, you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish. And I guarantee you know more than you realize. Old vocabulary will come back to you quickly.

2. Look for lessons in any form.Ideally, you could take some refresher courses at a nearby learning center. Check out your local community center or community college. Both places usually have affordable courses at various levels. If neither is possible, plenty of at-home lessons are possible via online learning or tutoring CDs and books. Of course, there are also private tutors if you have the money.

3. Get a job that incorporates foreign language skills. Maybe you can’t be a full-time translator right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a job that will allow you to develop your skills. Several positions, whether they’re in customer service, banking, marketing or sales, involve interacting with people from all demographics, here and abroad. If you already have the foreign language foundation, you can help customers or clients right now. And the more you use your skills, the better they’ll become and the better your résumé will look. Therefore when you are prepared to find a translator position, you’ll have the abilities and experience to prove you’re ready.

Of course, everyone’s different. You might start taking lessons and after a few weeks you’ll regain all the knowledge you thought you’d lost. So no one size fits all, but hopefully one of these options leads you down the right path.

If any of you have been in the same situation, let us know how you built your language skills.

¡Hasta luego!