Translator/Interpreting in the US armed forces?
Hey guys, I have a few questions about whether becoming a translator/interpreter in the US armed forces is a good career path. A little background on me might help pout so here it goes: I am currently in college working towards a degree in the social sciences, I am US born and raised but of Lebanese heritage and have lived there when I was younger as well as in other Middle-Eastern and North African countries as well as in many other countries around the world (such as Mexico, Thailand, Spain, Malaysia, Morocco, Tunisia and Guatemala) and am quite fluent in Spanish and French though my Arabic ironically is only rudimentary but even though I can read and write it (albeit poorly). My friend in the national guard suggests strongly that I should become an interpreter/translator in the US armed forces because I love to learn about culture, traveling, learning foreign languages and have a talent for it. I have been planning on going into nursing but I have doubts as to whether it would be right for me, also my sister is a nurse and she says that i would hate it (from what she knows about me). I have also heard that interpreters/translators in the US armed forces make around 150k a year, is this true or highly exaggerated as it seems to me. Finally, my last question is, what branch of the US Armed forces are best to work in as a translator/interpreter in terms of pay, adventure, benefits, etc..? I have babbled on long enough, any advice or educated opinions and personal expertise in these fields would be very much appreciated. Thanks everyone!
Military - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Any branch right now will pay very well and also if you finish college you can become an officer. Then after the armed forces you can go towards homeland security or the CIA, and if you don't want to join the armed forces try these two first.
2 :
interpreters that wear a us uniform make the same salaries as everyone else. Some do make a yearly bonus, but that is usually only for serving after your initial contract which will be 4-6 years. You might run into some trouble getting your security clearance due to have lived abroad, but other than that you should be fine. There is usually a good sign on bonus for interpreters, but a bonus should not be the reason to pick a job in the army, pick one you'd like to make a career out of in or after the army. If you want to become a nurse, look at the medical jobs for the army, they provide extensive training, and most states consider the training to be exceeding EMT-B licensing.
3 :
Only ENLISTED personnel are linguists. and no they don't make $150K a year. for the Navy at least, they do NOT translate, they only transcribe. Few personnel are actually out there in the thick of things acting as translators. depending on when you lived in those countries and WHY you lived there, you may be ineligible for a Security Clearance, which means no Linguist job. Pay and bennies are the same across all five branches. as for adventure.. well,if you want to be in the desert Translating for the CO , then stick with Marines and Army..and even then, you may not be doing that.
4 :
There are 3 entry level jobs in the U.S. Army that use language skills: 09L Translator/Interpreter 35M Human Intelligence Collector 35P Cryptologic Linguist 09L does not require a security clearance, but it requires a certain minimum proficiency in a middle eastern language. 35M does not actually require you to speak a foreign language at all; but if you do, the Army will take advantage of that, and pay you extra for it. Requires a Top Secret clearance. 35P (initially 35W) typically sends you to language school first, then you go out in the Army as a linguist. Requires a Top Secret clearance. All three of these jobs pay about the same, approximately $1,800 per months during training. The $150,000 is what you could potentially make as a civilian contractor after your service. I'm not sure if you will qualify for a clearance or not, the only person who can really tell you that is the Security Interviewer at the Military Entrance Processing Station. And, finally, I recommend the Army. I've been in the Army for 8.5 years, and I like it. My wife was in for 5 years as a linguist, and she liked it, too. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions. Good Luck By the way, if you do decide to go into the medical field later, the Army can train you as a Physician's Assistant, Physical Therapist, or Registered Nurse; regardless of what job you do in the Army.
