Zyad mohammed
Interpreter and Translator since: 1993
My Experience and Credentials in the Language Industry:
My professional pursuit to teaching translation and interpreting was not a mere coincidence, it was a dream that I had since my high school years (1983-1986). I still remember Mr. Fawzi, my English teacher in Baghdad, who used to put me in charge to explain to the rest of the class a chapter of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist or a scene from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
My career in this profession started in 1993 when I joined Iraqi television and I started subtitling movies, which I can criticize and analyze based on stylistic contents. This type of translation had opened the door of TV production and presentation; thus, I produced my own movie review show in which all clips had to be subtitled as well.
Television presentation enhanced my public speaking skills and enabled me to deal comfortably and confidently with microphones and cameras. For this reason, a new skill and aspect was added to my translation career, which is broadcast interpreting. I started interpreting live TV talk shows and speeches.
In 2007, I immigrated to Canada, and there, I relaunched my interpreting career with MCIS in Toronto, Ontario. I passed my training examinations and CILISAT test in 2008 and became accredited as a community interpreter. That was a great start for me in the new country at that time, because I was able to learn from MCIS training about Canada’s social, legal and health systems and services. And due to the fact that community interpreters are always on the move, MCIS gave me a great chance to discover Ontario. My work took me to different cities north, south, east and west of the province, and every assignment I made was a new discovery.
My other credentials include:
B.A. in English language and Literature, Al-Mustansiria University, Iraq (1991)
Postgraduate diploma in translation and interpreting, Bagdad University, Iraq (1992)
M.A. in English Linguistics, Al-Mustansiria University, Iraq(1999)
MCIS Language Interpreter Training Certification (2008)
CILISAT Certificate (2008)
Immigration and Refugee Board Accreditation (2009)
English as Second Language Teacher (TESL) training, Seneca College (2010)
The Ministry of the Attorney General full accreditation (2012)
Why I enjoy being a facilitator: I like to share all the culminations of my education and hard work with my students and to make sure that novice interpreters are getting the best training that they deserve in order to become reliable interpreters proud of what they are doing.
Find out more about me at my LinkedIn profile: Zyad Mohammed