RecordMove

Localiser to sign language interpreter

A localiser already meets 39% of what the sign language interpreter role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From localiser

Distant match

To sign language interpreter

9 You already bring

7 Still to learn

31 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

58.8/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a sign language interpreter is expected to do is already part of a localiser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the sign language interpreter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A sign language interpreter role treats 7 of its required skills as things a localiser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

grammar
linguistics
preserve original text
semantics
speak different languages
translate language concepts

What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sign language interpreter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a localiser background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held translate texts communication, collaboration and creativity
already held analyse text before translation communication, collaboration and creativity
already held preserve original text communication, collaboration and creativity
already held semantics arts and humanities
already held translate language concepts communication, collaboration and creativity
already held linguistics arts and humanities

All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the sign language interpreter role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 22 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn show intercultural awareness required
still to learn translate spoken language required
still to learn translate spoken language simultaneously required

optional, not held interpret languages in conferences optional
optional, not held communicate using non-verbal language optional
optional, not held interpret spoken language between two parties optional
optional, not held translate spoken language consecutively optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional
optional, not held write scientific publications optional

02 arts and humanities 2 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn communication related to hearing impairment required
still to learn sign language required

optional, not held fingerspelling optional
optional, not held lipspeaking optional
optional, not held voice interpreting optional
optional, not held body language optional
optional, not held court interpreting optional

03 health and welfare 1 required

still to learn hearing disability required

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required

still to learn screen reader required

05 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held support people with hearing impairment optional

06 education 1 supplementary

optional, not held scientific research methodology optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a sign language interpreter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 9 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held grammar knowledge
already held linguistics knowledge
already held preserve original text skill
already held semantics knowledge
already held speak different languages skill
already held translate language concepts skill
already held translate texts skill
already held analyse text before translation skill
already held consult information sources skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional

08 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use word processing software optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held fingerspelling optional
optional, not held interpret languages in conferences optional
optional, not held lipspeaking optional
optional, not held voice interpreting optional
optional, not held body language optional
optional, not held communicate using non-verbal language optional
optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
optional, not held court interpreting optional
optional, not held interpret spoken language between two parties optional
optional, not held scientific research methodology optional
optional, not held support people with hearing impairment optional
optional, not held translate spoken language consecutively optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional
optional, not held write scientific publications optional

41 held skills the sign language interpreter role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adapt developed game to the market skill
not needed by the target role adapt text culturally skill
not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
not needed by the target role anthropology knowledge
not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
not needed by the target role attend gaming tests skill
not needed by the target role communicate with local residents skill
not needed by the target role comprehend the material to be translated skill
not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
not needed by the target role contextualise artistic work skill
not needed by the target role develop a translation strategy skill
not needed by the target role develop terminology databases skill
not needed by the target role develop the product catalogue skill
not needed by the target role employ assessment techniques to anticipate translation efforts skill
not needed by the target role employ translation techniques skill
not needed by the target role evaluate translation technologies skill
not needed by the target role follow translation quality standards skill
not needed by the target role improve translated texts skill
not needed by the target role liaise with advertising agencies skill
not needed by the target role literature knowledge
not needed by the target role master language rules skill
not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
not needed by the target role postediting knowledge
not needed by the target role proofread text skill
not needed by the target role provide written content skill
not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
not needed by the target role review translation works skill
not needed by the target role revise translation works skill
not needed by the target role spelling knowledge
not needed by the target role study cultures skill
not needed by the target role terminology knowledge
not needed by the target role transcreation knowledge
not needed by the target role translate tags skill
not needed by the target role types of literature genres knowledge
not needed by the target role unseen translation knowledge
not needed by the target role update language skills skill
not needed by the target role use computer-aided translation skill
not needed by the target role use dictionaries skill
not needed by the target role use localisation tools skill

1 further entry not listed here

10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn communication related to hearing impairment required
still to learn hearing disability required
still to learn screen reader required
still to learn sign language required
optional, not held fingerspelling optional
optional, not held lipspeaking optional
optional, not held voice interpreting optional
optional, not held body language optional
optional, not held court interpreting optional
optional, not held scientific research methodology optional

Index

Other moves recorded from localiser

Full index of moves from localiser

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a localiser become a sign language interpreter?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A localiser already covers 39% of what a sign language interpreter is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the sign language interpreter role treats as required.

What skills does a localiser need to become a sign language interpreter?

7 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is communication related to hearing impairment.

How hard is the move from localiser to sign language interpreter?

Its learning distance is 58.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.