Im in high school. i want to become a language translator but do not know what to do in college...?

what courses should i take?

how can i start now?

what should i major in?

how do i become a proffesional?

is there any specific colleges i should look at?Im in high school. i want to become a language translator but do not know what to do in college...?
What foreign languages have you studied in elementary %26amp; high school? How well have you done? Have you reached the advanced (or highest level offered at your school) courses yet? Have you lived in or traveled to countries where that language is spoken? Or did your family sponsor a foreign exchange student from a country which speaks that language? How's your accent? "Like a native"?



College: major in the foreign language group -- e.g. Romance Languages for French, Italian, etc.; Slavic Languages (Russian, Polish, etc). Take courses in additional related language(s) to an advanced level and take some classes in the Linguistics department to learn how languages "work". You must travel and get real experience in the country to learn the regional dialects, develop fluency equal to that of a well-educated native speaker, so at the least do a Junior Year Abroad program and preferably summer travel as well and any special summer school programs abroad.



Practice translating: find novels in your foreign language and translate them to English, then read and compare your translation to a professional translation available from publishing houses. Do the reverse: English to Language X. Find professional %26amp; technical publications: do the same. (BTW, you will need these later as "samples of your work" when you go looking for translation jobs!)



Join Alliance Francais (for French) or comparable clubs to actually speak the language.



Translator jobs are generally hard to come by, but if you are really excellent, and especially if you can do both written translations and simultaneous interpretations, or have a rare specialty (e.g. translate medical journals), it can be great! The UN uses the most translators, but their standards are very, very high, %26amp; native fluency in 2 or more languages with ability to do simultaneous interpretation is critical.Im in high school. i want to become a language translator but do not know what to do in college...?
I know a few translators and they each majored in the language that they wanted to translate to and from. Depending on what kind of setting you'd want to work in, you may want to double major or minor in something in addition to the language (business, international business, etc.)



While in high school I'd say the most you can do is take language classes, which are usually already a requirement, and take them seriously. Learn as much as you can before entering college. All colleges have general academic advisors who will sit down with you and work out semester-by-semester plans. Use the resources of your future campuses.