We work with clients on a daily basis with the provision of interpreters. From legal meetings to business meetings, conferences and business expos, we cover a lot of ground.
Working with an interpreter isn’t always easy; especially if you are new to it. Understanding roles and ensuring smooth communication is essential as otherwise you and your interpreter could become even more of a barrier than just language differences.
So here are 10 terrific tips from our interpreting team and how to get the best out of your working relationship:
1 – Establish ground rules from the start way before any meeting or using the interpreter. Going in ‘cold’ is bad preparation. It is key to work out each others’ language styles, use of words, etc and then to agree on how long people will speak before translation, seating arrangement, goals and objectives.
2 – Brief your interpreter as to who you are meeting and why. If you don’t know, task your interpreter with doing some research for you in return for additional recompense. This will allow them to gain insights and offer feedback. If you foresee any tricky situations or tense moments, prepare them for it.
3 – If reading a speech or using a script, always send this to your interpreter in good time. ‘Good time’ is not 24 hours prior. The better they know what you plan to say, the better they will say it in their language for your audience.
4 – Don’t speak to your interpreter in place of the people you want to speak to. Your interpreter should simply be besides you translating what each party is saying – the interpreter should not be pivotal to the conversation.
5 – If you plan to use humour, confer with your interpreter as to how they think it will be received. Jokes often don’t translate across cultures and sometimes do the opposite.
6 – Remember using an interpreter means you will spend longer than usual in discussions as conversations take twice as long, sometimes longer.
7 – Keep a steady pace as otherwise you can exhaust your interpreter if you speak too quickly. Try to slow down and take regular breaks to allow the interpreter time to relax.
8 – Never let an interpreter get personally involved. An interpreter is there purely to translate what present parties say – they should not be involved in discussions, get emotionally involved or in any way curtail either side’s interests.
9 – Ensure it is clear that your interpreter can not make decisions on your behalf even if they are certain of your agreement. You and only you can make decisions.
10 – If you plan to behave in a certain way, such as tackling a sensitive issue or saying a certain thing that will cause a reaction, make sure your interpreter knows you want them to not alter your words or sentiments in any way.
With these terrific tips you will get the best out of your interpreter and as a result also your presentation, meeting, conference or anything else.
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