Translation and Interpreting in 200+ Languages

Everything You Need to Know about Foreign-Language Interpreting Before Your Next High-Level Event

Interpreting is translation on the run. If translators can be compared to artists (which translators like to do, believe me), then interpreters are performance artists. And like a musician gone flat, interpreters have no chance to correct mistakes.

Successful management of interpreting events requires careful preparation to reduce the frequency of error, and in this white paper, we will show you how.

We will share the keys to seamless communication at high-level events among participants who speak different languages. In other words, how to ensure the perfect experience for all your foreign-language guests–and a problem-free event for you.

This includes the different types of foreign-language interpreting available, what these interpreters do and what kind of equipment they use as well as interpreter qualifications and how to find the right interpreters for your event.

Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpreters

Interpreters come in two flavors: consecutive and simultaneous. However, the choice between them is always a trade-off.

Consecutive interpreting means your work will take at least twice as long and presentations will be fragmented. Consecutive is generally more accurate since interpreters have as much time as they need to translate properly. It is also less expensive since simultaneous interpreters are always paired.

Simultaneous interpreting is as seamless as international communication gets. When you speak to someone through a simultaneous interpreter, it is almost as if you speak his or her language. You will be understood almost as quickly as they speak and vice versa. But not quite, since interpreting is almost always a bit wordier, especially when it’s done on the fly.

English uses fewer words than other languages to express the same idea, so it can be difficult for a simultaneous interpreter to keep up. English meaning is usually loaded in the middle of a sentence, while other languages, such as German and Japanese, carry most of their meaning at the end of the sentence.
To address these challenges, simultaneous interpreting requires plenty of preparation and multiple interpreters because the intense concentration required wears out interpreters and boosts the rate of error after only a few minutes. At the United Nations, simultaneous interpreters work only a six-hour day in teams of three or four, spelling each other every 20 minutes.

Passive, Active and Relay

Simultaneous interpreters are usually stronger working into one language of a pair. Usually this “active” language is their mother tongue. The “passive” language is the one they prefer to listen to. So an interpreter who is strong going into Italian, for example, should be paired with an interpreter who works best into English. Also, interpreters who have worked together before work together best.

When more than one pair of languages is required, interpreters should be assigned for each possible pair. So for example, if the conference includes Italian, French and English, a pair of interpreters would be required for French to/from English, Italian to/from English and French to/from Italian. The only alternative to this method is the relay system.

In the relay system, all interpreters first work into the floor language (usually English) and other interpreters then translate the floor language into their target language. Although this is a common practice in the US, the impact on the quality of the interpreting is significant. With each translation, the possibility of error and lost nuance doubles. It’s like the whisper game we all played as children. The slight lag in simultaneous interpreting is also doubled, tightening the time allowed for each utterance and increasing the possibility of misinterpretation. But for most clients stateside, cost and convenience outweigh these disadvantages.

Simultaneous Interpreting and Equipment

If one or two people need to understand what is being said, a simultaneous interpreter can sit behind them and whisper in their ears. These whisper or chuchotage interpreters are the ones seen standing behind world leaders at the big summit meetings. Whispering works only when one person is speaking at a time. Too many people talking at once or other distractions will confuse the interpreter and the listeners. The more structured the exchange, the more accurate the interpreting.

When a number of people need to hear the message, interpreters need an audio link between listeners and speakers. Speakers are provided with a microphone that connects to the interpreter’s earphones, which are plugged into a special console. The console is placed in a special booth or quiet corner of the room where the interpreter can see what is going on and who is speaking. As the interpreter listens, she speaks into a microphone that is linked to each listener’s earpiece. Usually two interpreters are used, switching off every 20 minutes or so, to keep the interpreters from losing their edge. If the day is likely to be long, three or even four interpreters may be required to ensure accuracy throughout the event. A technician is present to intervene in the event of technical difficulties.

Small units with an earpiece allow everyone to listen in. Microphones are placed in front of a few speakers or located at a few convenient locations to allow people in an audience to ask questions. Staff holding microphones can circulate among an audience during question and answer sessions. This type of system is well suited to lectures where there is a speaker and an audience. As microphones multiply, so does the possibility of cross talk and confusion. A few too many open microphones in the presence of shuffling papers and other background noises can quickly deafen an interpreter.

If everyone in a conference needs the opportunity to speak from their seat, delegate units are used. These are tabletop microphones with jacks for two pairs of earphones. Microphones are activated with the click of a button on the unit, closing the channel to other speakers until the speaker is done. Cross talk and inaudible speech are eliminated, increasing accuracy and giving everyone a chance to speak.

Portable systems are a less expensive compromise when a group is on the go or budgets are limited or the flow of information is going in only one direction. The interpreter sticks close to the presenter and talks into a microphone attached to a small pocket-sized transmitter. A cigarette pack-size receiver with an earphone receives the signal. Since sound isolation is incomplete, anything can disrupt the interpreter. Two people talking at the same time (cross talk), laughter, a slammed door, anything can result in the loss of information. Questions by listeners are translated consecutively.

Sometimes a second channel is used to transmit the speaker’s remarks into the interpreter’s earpiece, so that the interpreter does not have to stand right next to the speaker. Two-channel systems are still uncommon.

With so much that can go wrong, an experienced team and the appropriate technical setup go a long way towards providing a problem-free event.

Finding the Right Interpreter

Hiring an interpreter is like hiring a band for a wedding reception. It doesn’t matter how big the cake is or how fancy the hall. If the music is no good, then the reception is going to be a bust. Your event will only be as good as the interpreters you use. Good interpreting, especially simultaneous interpreting, is expensive. But not nearly as expensive as bad interpreting, which can cost a fortune in miscommunication, bad feeling and lost opportunity.

Just because someone can speak two languages is not sufficient qualification for an interpreter. Even many highly-skilled translators are hopeless as interpreters. It takes plenty of training and practice, which is one reason why good people can be hard to find.

Pros and Cons of Bilingual Employees as Interpreters

Using your own staff is not always the best solution. Your people know the business at hand better than anyone and may know more about the people you are talking with. The downside is that your people were hired to do something else. They are unlikely to be trained as interpreters and may not be able to provide accurate interpreting according to professional rules and standards. They may also lose status in the eyes of non-English speakers if they are reduced to the support role of interpreter.

Assessing Qualifications

If you are recruiting interpreters yourself, professional interpreters’ qualifications must be checked. If no one in your organization speaks both languages, an interview may not give you both sides of the story. (Imagine how much harder it would be to hire that wedding band if you were tone deaf.) You must rely on credentials and experience in your industry and the advice of those in the know. Get references and test if you can. Personality is also very important. A hard-nosed deposition interpreter, trained to be exacting and contentious, may not be the best fit when you want to show some clients the town. Sometimes even a short phone chat is enough to save you from disaster.

Certification

There is no single certification process for interpreters in the United States. The Federal Government certifies interpreters in Spanish, Chinese and Navajo. State and local courts often have similar certification programs for a range of common immigrant languages. Unfortunately, the quality of these court-certified interpreters varies widely. The American Translators Association certifies for written language skills, not for spoken. A few simultaneous interpreters are members of TAALS, The American Association of Language Specialists. Nomination is by existing members, which ensures that new members are equally skilled. Regardless of affiliation, however, experience is the key.

Interpreting Expertise

Who can you trust for your important event? 30 years of experience since the founding of our company across the street from the United Nations has given us special expertise when organizing high-level interpreting.

Responsive Translation has provided interpreters for heads of state and ministerial-level meetings at the New York Stock Exchange, for Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, ABC and similar venues, and for Algeria, Argentina, China, Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Korea, Japan and Venezuela.

Our stable of State, Federal and UN-certified interpreters represent the very best concentration of interpreting ability and experience in North America. With that kind of experience, we’ve created a worldwide network of highly-qualified language professionals.

The Right Interpreters for Your Event

Each interpreting event is different. That’s why we consider certifications, venue experience and personality in our continuous quality review process to assemble the team best suited to client requirements.

Knowledgeable project managers select the best candidate for each job and review qualifications with clients before assignment. We encourage our clients to review and interview before finalizing the choice of interpreters.

Our recruitment requirements exceed State and Federal standards. Since we guarantee client satisfaction, we recruit with extreme care, selecting only the most qualified and experienced interpreters for each assignment.

Special events: Specialists familiar with event context and content are more likely to provide excellent interpretation. Our interpreters are assigned by their familiarity with the subject.

Conferences and seminars: We provide complete linguistic solutions for some of the largest multilingual events in North America, including complete A/V services, isolation booths and receivers.

Depositions and the law: We have experienced deposition interpreters specialized by subject area and experience for a technically demanding venue. Checkers too.

Focus groups and marketing: We offer simultaneous and consecutive interpreters–Madison Avenue pros with focus group production experience for live events and satellite uplinks. Our business partners can coordinate multilingual focus groups for you.

Training and human resources: We have interpreters for human resources, training, investigation and urgent communication–credentialed, classroom and seminar-experienced interpreters for one-way and interactive instruction. Our team has worked on a wide range of internal communication projects and we can help you with yours.

Negotiations and business meetings: The right interpreter makes a big difference in business relationships. Our knowledgeable project managers will assign the specialist best suited to your particular requirement for skill, knowledge and personality. We can also provide interpreters who are accustomed to working with heads of state to offer a high level of expertise for important senior-level meetings.

Media: We offer experienced interpreters for on-camera or off, live or feed, as well as specialists in press conferences and public affairs.

Sales seminars and roadshows: Our interpreters are assigned based on personality too. For sales meetings and road shows, we send people who have the personality required to help you get your message across, to inspire and motivate.

Interpreter Preparation and Technical Support

Proper preparation can make or break an interpreting session. We can provide state-of-the-art equipment deployed by technicians and project managers experienced with similar requirements.

Our information systems support interpreter preparation before the event for best results during the event. Experienced studio interpreters and production specialists are available for live and session work. Recording, transcription and sound services too.

Interpreting Available in Most Major Cities around the World

Are you ready for your next event? Responsive Translation can provide seasoned, certified consecutive and simultaneous interpreters in most languages and in most cities worldwide. We have experts available in most subjects and for most venues.

If you would like to discuss your organization’s next event that may require interpreting, please contact Ken Clark at [email protected] or 212-818-1102.