Interpreters and Conference Interpreting

Hey everyone!

I am a newbie who has been lurking this forum for a while now It's been very interesting to read you all, indeed, most of my questions have been answered! Even questions I didn't know I had So, many many thanks, I'm glad to have found this site!

First, a little about me: I'm a Latin American, Spanish-speaking student in Germany, about to graduate from University (with a (German, old system) MA in a Roman Philology). I plan to enroll in a European Master's of Conference Interpreting program next year (2010) with a Spanish A, English B, German C combination (provided my English recovers from the slow, German-induced decay it has suffered in the past two years, and goes back to being my beloved first foreign language, in which I was (or merely felt?) delightfully fluent).

So: I already have a pretty clear idea of where I should train, of the entry requirements, tips for the entrance tests, which languages I should consider adding to my combination, how hard it would be to get a job, how much I would have to rely on self-marketing, the professional standards I should uphold, how much money I would make, etc etc etc. But I have some questions left, and I can't find the answer in here:

1. I'm trying to get an idea of my options when I graduate from my hypothetical European MA's in I&T. Specifically, do I need to be an EU-national to qualify to work as an interpreter for EU institutions?

2. I would probably need a work permit if I planned to work free-lance in the EU anyway, right?

3. I am assuming my best bet as a Spanish A would be to work in a Spanish-speaking country. Am I right?

4. I am also assuming my chances with my intended language combination (Spanish A, English B, German C) are not that bad, because all of them are widely-spoken languages. Again: am I right?

Thanks again!
M.

,

do I need to be an EU-national to qualify to work as an interpreter for EU institutions?

You must be an EU national to apply for staff positions, but I think you could work for the EU institutions as a freelance. However, I do not know whether in the Spanish booth 2 languages would be enough.

I am assuming my best bet as a Spanish A would be to work in a Spanish-speaking country. Am I right?

Probably yes. Most conferences have English as a working language. So with Spanish A and English B you should find work there.
An alternative might be a country where your B-language is spoken. Though I do not know whether there is a high demand for Spanish e.g. in the UK.

Ulrike wrote:

I am assuming my best bet as a Spanish A would be to work in a Spanish-speaking country. Am I right?

Probably yes. Most conferences have English as a working language. So with Spanish A and English B you should find work there.
An alternative might be a country where your B-language is spoken. Though I do not know whether there is a high demand for Spanish e.g. in the UK.

Dear Ulrike, that depends a lot. I agree with you completely, but I'd like to add one thing or two

I am Spanish A too, and going back to Spain is not an option. Much less to other countries.

Granted, I don't have retour and you, Margalicia, have it, which makes you very attractive for the private market anywhere. But do check, because you won't find a private market big enough to live off, in every country in Latin America, I think.

By adding just one more language you could also benefit from the institutional market. Your combination would be appreciated at EUROFOR in Strasbourg, for one. But yeah, that's probably a longer shot for you, so I stick by Ulrike's words.

Thanks for your replies!