An Interview for a Job as a Translator

Sarah is in her final year of secondary school. She is going to study English literature and

translation at the University of Cambridge. She is keen to gain some translating experience

and is attending a job interview for the role of a company translator…

Mr Jonas: Good morning, Sarah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Mr Jonas and I’m the managing

director of this company. Please, take a seat.

Sarah: Thank you, Mr Jonas.

Mr Jonas: OK, for the first part of the interview, I’m going to ask you some questions about

yourself and your interest in the role… So, why do you want this job?

Sarah: Well, I’m determined to pursue a career as a translator. I’m starting a degree in

English literature and translation this September and I see this job as an opportunity to

contribute to a very successful and fast-moving company. I feel my skills are particularly

well-suited to this position.

Mr Jonas: As you may already know, our business provides professional translating services

of official documents into English. Do you have any previous experience of professional

translating?

Sarah: Yes, I do. I have translated two short literature books as well as some articles for a

fashion magazine.

Mr Jonas: Were you employed as a freelance translator?

Sarah: Not exactly. I did it for a friend. However, my work was thoroughly checked by an

experienced translator who confirmed that it was accurate.

Mr Jonas: OK, great. And do you have any experience with oral translation?

Sarah: Yes. My family and I travel back home to Russia quite often, and I always translate

for relatives and in social situations too.

Mr Jonas: I see. OK, now let’s move on to the next part of the interview. You were asked to

prepare a presentation with a detailed description of how you completed the translation of a

short document. You have 15 minutes to present. Please open your presentation and begin…