#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Doing Things Legally >  >  How to  be a licensed translator and interpreter?

## goykanok

I've been thinking to work as an interpreter and translator but the problem is I don't know where I can have the exam to be a licensed translator and interpreter in English in Thailand, Is there anyone know and give me some advice?

I'm sure your information is going to be make benefits for many people who want to be a translator and interpreter.

Thanks :Smile:

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## dirtydog

There isn't an exam, you just buy a stamp.

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## goykanok

Really?  I do not think it's that easy, I mean the authorised ones who can translate the important papers like court papers from English To Thai or being the interpreter for an important event like interpreter for UN or something big like that.  Don't they have the license to be an authorized interpreter?

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## dirtydog

There is no license, you just get the papers certified by the ministry of foriegn affairs.

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## Gerbil

> There is no license, you just get the papers certified by the ministry of foriegn affairs.


 
.... who couldn't give a toss whether it's an accurate translation or not, as long as you buy the stamp.  :Smile:

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## dirtydog

They aint accurate believe me, my girlfriend does them everyday, the idiots that certify it are now argueing over whether Bangkok should be listed as a metropolis or the capital of thailand in English, bunch of dumb uneducated pricks that think they know English.....

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## goykanok

I wonder about the translation centers around the embassies in Bangkok, they don't have the cetified to open the translation servie centers at all? same as when someone wants to open the clinic, they have to get the certified number from the government which they are showing it in front of the clinics, am I wrong?

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## dirtydog

No, they don't have to be certified and to translate from Thai to English there is no certification available, so all those shops that you may see that say they could be certified by the British Embassy are just Thai lying ****s.

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## goykanok

No offense, dirtydog but you know it as a fact or just guessing.  If that is a case, it's terrible :Sad:

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## dirtydog

> If that is a case, it's terrible


terrible=Thailand, it is fact.

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## robin

Check with the IOL website for acceptable quals..
I don't know about Thailand, I only worked "unofficially" there and was never asked for proof of my diploma but here in Germany there's no way to be accepted by any public service organisation without one.

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## Texpat

What's the point of an accurate translation when, for a few thousand baht, these monkeys will say whatever you like?

How much is the price of translations?...  :Sad: 

How long have you lived here goykanok?

Almost every transaction I've ever had with officials in Thailand, there's always an offer *to me* to get it done easier, faster, and more accurately than the approved, official channel.

What are you selling? A pipe dream?

Some advice --- go to law school, get a degree and lobby for a high ranking government position. Then start sucking so much money in illegally that you'll forget your high-flying aspiriations of righteousness and nobility.

good luck.

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## Fabian

> No, they don't have to be certified and to translate from Thai to English there is no certification available, so all those shops that you may see that say they could be certified by the British Embassy are just Thai lying ****s.


Are you sure? For the german translators this certainly is not true, there are some certified ones but they have to be certified in Germany.

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## William

Unless it has changed in the last 6 months, there's no such thing as an "authorised" translator in Thailand.  Basically, anyone can do it.

About 5 years ago the Ministry of Justice tried to introduce an authorised translator list (for court related documents), but after everyone pick themselves off the floor laughing, the MoJ were politely told to get fucked with that stupid idea.

The list the British embassy gives out of translators are "recommended" translation services.

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## robuzo

Bear in mind that translation and interpretation are very different skills.  Translation generally refers to the written art; people who successfully make a living as translators (i.e., pros) usually focus on areas in which they have expertise, for example people with a technical background might focus on patents, while those with a legal background will handle agreements, deposition transcripts, etc.  Professional translators will generally seek to translate from their target (second, third, etc.) language into their native language, for purposes of both speed and accuracy.  The demand for translation of the more exotic languages, such as Thai, into English is such that non-native English speakers are often required to work into English, but for important documents editing by a native speaker is almost always necessary.  Translators do not necessarily need to have proficiency in the spoken language- good translators very often don't speak their target language with particular fluency.  On the other hand, native language writing skills are probably more important than reading ability in the target language.

Interpreting refers to oral translation.  There are three kinds of interpreting at the professional level: guide interpreting, which is the easiest (although it, too, can be very stressful) and can be done by anyone with a good command of two languages; consecutive interpreting, in which the interpreter takes notes and repeats what the speaker has said; and simultaneous interpreting, in which the interpreter begins interpreting before the speaker has finished.  The last two require a good deal of training to be done with accuracy; in the case of simultaneous, even the top UN interpreters are not expected to achieve more than 70% accuracy (less in certain languages, such as Japanese, which until the 1970's was considered an impossible language for simultaneous interpretation).

I suspect that in Thailand, as is the case in the USA but not in Europe or Australia, anyone can pass themselves off as a translator.  Working as an interpreter other than informally or as a guide, such courtroom or official government interpreting, surely involves testing and certification of some kind (at least I hope so!).  I would think that it can't be very easy to make a good living as a translator of Thai unless one is a native English speaker with area expertise (such as law or business), and given the pay scales of professionals in general in Thailand I would be surprised to find that even good interpreters are paid what they are worth.  In any case, becoming a professional in translation or interpretation requires a lot of study and training, and I would recommend making sure that you really love it before embarking on that career.  It has its advantages as a profession, but there is also a high incidence of professional burnout.

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## Bluecat

> No, they don't have to be certified and to translate from Thai to English there is no certification available, so all those shops that you may see that say they could be certified by the British Embassy are just Thai lying ****s.


And besides, the best business of translating from Thai to English is next to Nana and Patpong area.
Growing bigger by the day.
And nobody asks for a certificate there... :Smile:

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## Frankenstein

Translators based in some European countries have to undergo extremely rigorous testing to become certified. The reward is that they can then charge exorbitant fees.

Dog, when you say:




> There isn't an exam, you just buy a stamp.


A stamp claiming 'certified translation / company name' or something along those lines?




> There is no license, you just get the papers certified by the ministry of foriegn affairs.


Do you mean the company papers, or the papers containing the translation, stamped with the 'certified translation / company name' stamp bought for 200 baht?

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## Bluecat

I can't comment about english translation but as far as Thai/French translation is concerned, my embassy only allows a few companies to do it.
One is the French Alliance and there are 2 others.
Not sure how they decided which one is good and which one is bad actually.
But I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the translator holding some kind of "recognized" degree...

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## Frankenstein

^^ DD, did you miss my questions?

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## dirtydog

> A stamp claiming 'certified translation / company name' or something along those lines?


yep.




> Do you mean the company papers, or the papers containing the translation, stamped with the 'certified translation / company name' stamp bought for 200 baht?


For papers that need to be translated into Thai, ie for a farang getting married.

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## Frankenstein

Cheers.  :Smile:

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## dirtydog

It's all a bit stupid, ie Bangkok is not allowed to be listed as the capital as of a few months ago, but has to be listed as metropolis on translations, you list Bangkok as the Capital and MFA wont stamp those papers.

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## dirtydog

another one is the stamp of the Garuda on official documents, this now has to be called a sticker, even though it is not a sticker, there pretty dumb them lot.

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## Itchy

The professional body that hands out accreditation in the UK is the Chartered Institute of Linguists. For example if you wanted to apply for positions as a court/police/embassy translator.

IoL certification would also be a great help if you were applying for a UN position. But the UN also have their own internal examination and 'competitive' application procedure - as a rule the UN would expect true fluency in two languages and a very good working knowledge in at least one other. 
From experience of past postings, where UN personnel seem to provide the core of our social circle, I can add that the linguists working for the UN that I know speak multiple languages (three of four at least) - There are some frighteningly bright linguists out there.

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## Itchy

Sorry, and I would add, all the linguists I know agree that linguistic skills are woefully undervalued. As someone who speaks three languages I can confirm this to be true.

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