美國蒙特雷國際研究生院(Monterey Institute of International Studies)是美國翻譯及傳譯專業No.1的學校，以下十條便是蒙特雷校方給翻譯專業新生的建議。有志于走上翻譯道路的同學們，來看看如何成為一個優秀的譯員吧。

1. Read extensively, especially in your non-native language(s).

1.多讀書，尤其要讀外語作品。

Read high quality newspapers (e.g. the New York Times, Wall Street Journal) EVERY DAY for at least a year.

每天讀高質量的報紙（如《紐約時報》《華爾街日報》等），堅持至少一年。

Read high quality news magazines (e.g. the Economist), cover to cover.

讀高質量的雜志（如《經濟學家》等），從封面到封底，每一頁都要讀。

Read your favorite topics in your non-native language(s).

閱讀關于你感興趣的主題的外語作品。

Read other well-written material that will help broaden your general knowledge.

閱讀其他高質量的，有助于拓寬視野的材料。

2. Watch the TV news and listen to radio news and podcasts on current events in all workinglanguages.

2.多關注電視和廣播里的各語種時事報導。

Don't just listen to news stories; analyze them.

不要只把新聞當故事聽，要分析新聞。

Keep abreast of current events and issues.

與時俱進，跟上時事的步伐。

Record news programs and interviews so you can listen to them later.

把新聞節目和采訪錄下來，以便回顧。

3. Strengthen your general knowledge of economics, history, the law, international politics, and scientific concepts and principles (in that order).

3.加強你在經濟、歷史、法律、國際政治和科學方面的知識，了解一些基本的概念和原理。

Take college-level courses, review high school texts, etc.

可以通過學習大學課程或復習高中課本來達到這一點。

Strengthen your knowledge in a specialized field (preferably in a technical field, such as computers).

加強你在某個特定領域的知識（最好是某個技術領域，如計算機等）。

4. Live in a country where your non-native language is spoken.

4.在通用語言是你所學外語的國家住上一段時間。

A stay of at least six months to a year is recommended.

推薦至少住上半年到一年。

Live with and/or frequently interact with native speakers of your non-native language.

和以你所學外語為母語的人住在一起或保持互動。

Take content-related courses (e.g. macroeconomics, political science) in your non-native language (not just pure language courses).

參加一些外語教授的課程（如宏觀經濟學，政治科學等，而不是單純的語言課程）。

Work in a setting that requires high level use of your non-native language.

在對你的外語水平要求較高的環境里工作。

5. Fine-tune your writing and research skills.

5.提升你的寫作和研究技能。

Take challenging composition courses (not just creative writing courses, but classes in journalism, technical writing, etc.) so you can “speak” journalese, UNese, legalese, etc.

參加有挑戰性的寫作課程（不僅僅是創意寫作課，而是新聞寫作、科技文章寫作之類的課程），如此你方能熟悉“新聞體”、“聯合國體”、“法律體”等等寫作風格。

Copy (by hand) sections of textbooks and periodicals in your non-native language(s).

抄寫外語課本和期刊段落。

Make a note of unfamiliar or troublesome grammatical points and work towards mastering them.

把不常用或者易出錯的語法點一一記下來，努力掌握它們。

Practice proofreading.

多做改錯練習。

6. Improve your public speaking skills.

6.提升你的公共演講技能。

Take rigorous speech courses.

參加嚴格的演講課程。

Practice writing and making presentations in front of other people in both your native and foreign language(s). (Have native speakers of your non-native language edit your speeches.)

多練習寫講稿和在其他人面前做演講，既要用母語練也要用外語練。（最好讓以你所學外語為母語的人來修改你的講稿。）

7. Hone your analytical skills.

7.磨練你的分析技能。

Practice listening to speeches and orally summarizing the main points.

練習口頭總結出聽到的演講的中心思想。

Practice writing summaries of news articles.

練習寫新聞報道的摘要。

Practice deciphering difficult texts (e.g. philosophy, law, etc.).

練習闡釋難懂的文章（如哲學文章、法律文章等）。

Practice explaining complicated concepts understandably.

練習把復雜的概念解釋清楚。

Identify resources for background research (e.g. library, Internet, etc.).

為背景研究儲備資源（包括圖書館、網絡等等）。

8. Become computer savvy.

8.通曉電腦。

Familiarize yourself with navigation and file management under current Windows operating systems.

熟悉如何在Windows操作系統下導航和管理文件。

Develop an understanding of the features Windows offers for multilingual processing, such as language-specific keyboard layouts, regional settings for units of measurement.

了解Windows系統多語種進程的特點，比如特定語言的鍵盤布局，地區性設置的方法等等。

Learn to use advanced functions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications in both your native and non-native languages.

熟悉Word，Excel和其他辦公軟件的母語版本以及外語版本。

Become an expert in search engines and online research by using these tools on a daily basis.

通過日常的頻繁使用，熟悉搜索引擎和網絡資源搜索。

9. Learn how to take care of yourself.

9.學會照顧自己。

Eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and get sufficient sleep. These are all habits required of a good translator/interpreter.

合理飲食，經常鍛煉，睡眠充足。這是成為優秀的譯員所必需的習慣。

10. Be prepared for lifelong learning.

10.活到老，學到老。

Be patient. Bringing your language skills and analytical skills up to the level required of a professional translator or interpreter is not a task that can be accomplished in a few short years. Only with a lot of sustained hard work can anyone truly succeed in these challenging and exciting fields.

要有耐心。將自己的語言和分析能力提升到職業譯員所需要的水平不是一朝一夕的事。只用通過長期不懈的努力，才能在這個充滿挑戰和刺激的領域取得成功。