The first question to ask is: does a translator have to specialize at all? My answer would be no, but it is certainly preferable. While I don’t doubt that it is possible to make a decent living as a freelance translator translating only general texts (“general” being extremely difficult to define and a text that one translator would classify as general could well be considered specialized by another, so let’s just say that “general” texts are those that do not require specialist knowledge in a certain field), the most successful …

I am very honored to be nominated once again in the “Language Professionals” category of Lexiophiles’s Top 100 Language Blogs 2010 contest. If you enjoy Polyglot Blog, vote for me! Don’t forget to vote also for your favorite blogs in the other categories: Language Technology, Language Learning and Language Teaching.

The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste is currently looking to recruit a Portuguese-English translator/interpreter.
Duties: translate documents from Portuguese to English and from English to Portuguese, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting from Portuguese to English and from English to Portuguese
Requirements: excellent knowledge of English and Portuguese (knowledge of Tetum is an advantage), high school diploma as a minimum (further education or diploma in translation is an asset), at least six years of experience in translation and interpreting
Location: Dili, Timor Leste
Application deadline: 4 June 2010
More information on the United Nations human …

If German is not your first language, it is highly likely that you will have to take a German language test or obtain a German language diploma as proof of your German skills if you want to work or study in a German-speaking country. The following is an overview of the most well known German language tests and diplomas:
Goethe Institut
The German language diplomas from Goethe Institut are the most well-known German language qualifications around the world. They are recognized in many countries and can be taken in Germany and abroad.
Goethe …