The profession of language interpreter is a profile that is becoming increasingly well-known in society, but it still does not have all the visibility it deserves.
In this article we want you to learn a little more about this profession. What are the differences between hiring an interpreter and hiring a person who only speaks the language? To make clear the differences that pass between the above figures, below we will show you 6 problems you can avoid by hiring professional language interpreters.
1. Barriers in communication
To carry out communication between two people who do not speak the same language, you need a person who is fluent in both languages. Professional interpreters are trained in their working languages so that they master both sufficiently so that the interlocutors can communicate correctly and fluently. Having a person who does not speak both languages can lead to many problems: incorrect information, interrupted and/or fluent communication, etc.
2. Errors of meaning
In addition to language proficiency, another important characteristic of a language interpreter is training in interpretation. An important characteristic is being able to be faithful to the speech and maintain consistency from beginning to end. Not having a professional interpreter can cause the literal translation of the message to mean something different or, worse, make no sense at all in the target language. Similarly, lack of literalness, that is, straying too far from the message in the original language, can also cause the same situations. The same thing happens with puns, jokes, etc., you have to know how to convey them in the other language so that the speech does not lose meaning.
3. Lack of command of vocabulary
Preparation to be a professional interpreter requires not only knowledge of the working languages, but also the necessary documentation to be able to deal with any kind of situation. In addition to having general knowledge, when the 'language interpreter receives an assignment, he or she must first document the field in which he or she will interpret. This way you can avoid encountering concepts or terms you do not know, mistakes in transferring them into another language, etc.
4. Omissions of Information
Did you not feel that the information provided by your colleague acting as interpreter was a summary of what the client had said? Not having a language interpreter can cause your communication to be affected by the omission of information. Most of the time it may be due to a misunderstanding, but in most cases it is because an unprofessional language interpreter has not mastered note-taking techniques or lacked the necessary training of their short-term memory.
5. Feeling isolated in conversation
Surely on some occasion, while a friend or colleague is helping you with interpretation, you realized that he or she was speaking directly to the foreigner and for several turns of phrase you did not understand anything they were saying. The lack of a language interpreter can result in missing turns of phrase and adding information that was not actually said, which can lead to problems and even risks. The language interpreter follows a code of ethics that, among other things, stresses the importance of translating everything an interlocutor says into another language and not adding information that the interlocutor did not say. Therefore, having a professional interpreter will help us avoid this kind of problem.
6. Confidentiality Issues
Imagine that the ad hoc interpreter ends a meeting and goes to talk to a company of your competitors to discuss the details of your prices and services. Professional interpreters are governed by the code of ethics. One of its most important sections is confidentiality. All information to which the language interpreter has access while practicing his or her profession must be confidential and cannot be disclosed under any circumstances. This is one of the most important aspects and one that we can avoid if we hire a professional interpreter. Otherwise, confidential information could end up in the hands of, for example, the other party in a lawsuit, journalists, your main competitor, etc.
International conferences, consecutive and simultaneous interpretation professionals
We hope you have a somewhat clearer understanding of the language interpreting profession and the problems you can avoid by relying on professionals in the field.
At International Congresses, we want to offer you the best interpreting services in multiple languages. If you need to hire a language interpreter, contact us and we will find the perfect professional for you.
Marketing Team Congressi Internazionali
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