It is a fact that most Americans and Canadians can’t speak Dutch. They can learn it by Rosetta Stone, but they don’t teach it in the schools and my English will always be better than your Dutch.
This, my unique selling point here is that although we are a small nation of some 17 million and with around 25 million speakers worldwide, there is trade between the major ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp and along the US East and West Coast.
Although the ability to speak, read and write in Dutch to a fluent level and standard does not make me an alien of extraordinary ability within itself, is there any demand for it in either North or then in the wider Central and South Americas as a whole, apart from our former possessions in the Caribbean and South America?
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1. There is no genuine need for Dutch-English interpreters in US, Canada, or elsewhere. There are more than enough Dutch interpreters to meet very limited demand. There is not much work for them in Netherlands as most of the population is fluent in English as well as Dutch. Not qualified for any temporary employment visa anywhere. Not enough work to survive on if one did come to US/Canada/etc. Even in former Dutch possessions, there are more than enough translators for the limited amounts of work which might be available from time to time.
2. Translation work, and almost all interpretation work, can be and is done remotely. If you are Dutch, fluent in Dutch, and certified court translator/interpreter, you have no need to travel to any foreign country to complete an assignment. You do all the work online, over the phone, etc. Technology has eliminated needs for in-person interpreters. Computer programs are already replacing human interpreters in many cases. Translators & interpreters are an endangered species with extremely limited future employment potentials, even as freelance or per-project deals.
There are loads of people already living in Canada who speak fluent Dutch. But, there are very, very few jobs that need it - in fact, i have never heard of any. I have heard lots of people speaking Dutch though, so, they would get any of the jobs that came up.
There is no call for Dutch speakers in any large numbers
Canada and the US are made up of immigrants. We have plenty of people who can speak Dutch and translate if such services were in demand.
Most Americans and Canadians don't speak Dutch because it's not a language that's used much in either place. But one supposes that if you find a North American employer who could prove that Dutch is required for the job (and that you match other skills needed for the position) maybe it would be willing to try to sponsor you. Aruba or Suriname would probably be much easier "gets" just based on being Dutch fluent.
Given there is a higher percentage of the Dutch population that can speak fluent English, than there is in the USA, I doubt your skills will be that much in demand !
The problem with being a Dutch interpreter is that between 90-93% of Dutch people speak English. Many of them better English than those whose first language is English.
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