What questions should I expect in an interview for a role in professional translation?

You will probably be asked about your ability to work under pressure and/or a limiting time frame.Good luck.

 The usual silly question

How many pages can you translate per day??

The number of words you have translated  and the years of experience.

How many years' experience do you have? What kind of translation did you work on? How many words total have you translated? re you a certified translator? 

What are your greatest weaknesses for Translator ?

 

Peace !!

first of all , i would like to wish you good luck whenever that interview takes place.. for your questions : i guess it indicates that it would be your first step in pro. translation career.. So it will be a normal interview and me as being an interviewer i can expect a seen where he will start by breaking ice, then he gotta start with open ended Questions regarding personal info as ( introducing yourself, how had you got in translation field) and these Questions usually used to make you more relaxed as you are speaking by your own.. then he will move to close ended Question ending by yes or no.. as: would you be able to dedicate your time for that job , or do you see your self an asset for the company .. and then he will make you face the open ended stress question as why should i hire you, what make you different than normal candidates, and he will intercept your speech by saying may be your language skills are advanced as how you told, but your lack of experience might cause you facing some difficulties so how u can assure that it won't be!! then he will ask about strength and weakness points.. and will immediately ask you to translate a short paragraph to see your responce and how would you manage your temper and skills under pressure.. and finally he would manage a language test for you on another appointment.. so try always to have an eye contact while he asks you & never loose it.. also try to fix you hands in a single position and try not to move it while you answer. remember the smile all the time.. dont say your real strength or weakness points, you can say my strength point is me being a fast learner with good communication skills, weakness points that is my passion towards being a translator as i used to dedicate most of my time improving my skills which some how affects my personal life.. Good luck

your strenght & weakness points in translation

how can u work efficiently in overwhelming and in hectic environment?

Translate: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"?!

Hi there.

The interviewer must ask you about your past experience as a translator (if any), the kinds of texts you worked on, whether medical, pharmaceutical, technical, legal, literary or general, and the average number of words of the projects you have translated. A common question is, of course, about the maximum number of words you can translate per day, how versatile you àre when it comes to text genres and whether you are more inclined or experienced in a specific genre. You would also be asked about whether you have any knowledge of CAT tools or experience in working with softwares like SDL Trados. Working under pressure and meeting strict deadlines are2 major skills that every translator must possess and2 pivotal requirements for candidates in a translation position.

Wishing you the best of luck. I hope my answer is helpful.