Sign language interpreter to lexicographer
A sign language interpreter already meets 28% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.2/ 100
1 How much of what a lexicographer is expected to do is already part of a sign language interpreter’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 lexicographer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A lexicographer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a sign language interpreter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult information sources
- grammar
- linguistics
- scientific research methodology
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 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A lexicographer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a sign language interpreter background worth leading with.
- already held translate language concepts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held linguistics arts and humanities
- already held use word processing software working with computers
- already held consult information sources information skills
- already held grammar arts and humanities
- already held scientific research methodology education
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the lexicographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 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.
- still to learn create definitions required
- still to learn apply grammar and spelling rules required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- still to learn spelling required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- still to learn search databases required
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a lexicographer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create definitions practise this
- 02 apply grammar and spelling rules practise this
- 03 copyright legislation study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held linguistics knowledge
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held translate language concepts skill
- already held use word processing software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held search engines optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
25 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse text before translation skill
- not needed by the target role body language knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate using non-verbal language skill
- not needed by the target role communication related to hearing impairment knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct scholarly research skill
- not needed by the target role court interpreting knowledge
- not needed by the target role fingerspelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role hearing disability knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret languages in conferences skill
- not needed by the target role interpret spoken language between two parties skill
- not needed by the target role lipspeaking knowledge
- not needed by the target role preserve original text skill
- not needed by the target role screen reader knowledge
- not needed by the target role semantics knowledge
- not needed by the target role show intercultural awareness skill
- not needed by the target role sign language knowledge
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role support people with hearing impairment skill
- not needed by the target role translate spoken language skill
- not needed by the target role translate spoken language consecutively skill
- not needed by the target role translate spoken language simultaneously skill
- not needed by the target role translate texts skill
- not needed by the target role voice interpreting knowledge
- not needed by the target role write research proposals skill
- not needed by the target role write scientific publications skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- still to learn spelling required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
Other moves recorded from sign language interpreter
Common questions about this move
Can a sign language interpreter become a lexicographer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A sign language interpreter already covers 28% of what a lexicographer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the lexicographer role treats as required.
What skills does a sign language interpreter need to become a lexicographer?
7 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create definitions.
How hard is the move from sign language interpreter to lexicographer?
Its learning distance is 66.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.