First off….no….this really isn’t a vent or anything. Working with a translator can be very difficult, especially if you’ve never had to use one in a business situation.
Also, for anyone reading this that doesn’t really know me…no…I am not a professional card carrying translator, or I guess we are called interpreters. But I have had to fill that role many many many times, usually in a formal business situation so, what I write may not be 100% accurate if you hire one…but I think it’ll help you if you ever find yourself in this situation.
#1. Remember, usually they understand or at least grasp parts of what you say and will be using the interpreters as confirmation.
In another words, don’t speak in English to the interpreter assuming that the others in the room will not understand you. This is especially true if you are working with a pro. They are obligated to translate EVERYTHING you say. Of course, this works both ways so they should be also telling you what the other people are saying as well or at least as much as they can catch if it is a quiet conversation or there are many people talking at once.
Now, even if, like in my case, you are a coworker of mine, it still looks bad. Worse yet, if they understand what you say, they may still feign ignorance just for this purpose. Is it sneaky? Sure. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. Just assume that there are people that can understand you….especially if you are speaking in English. If the interpreter is a coworker and you want to talk without anything translated, wait for a break or any other non-formal meeting situation.
#2. Let the interpreter finish.
Like I explained above, there are usually a few people in a typical meeting that understands some English. Thus, not only will they be listening to the interpreter to confirm that they THINK you said but they will also be listening to make sure the interpreter is correctly translating into English what they said. Now, every single person I’ve done this with has made this mistake. After a while they will not let me finish. Juuust as I’m about to finish my sentence they will get impatient and start going, “Yes yes I get it…so anyway what I wanted to say is blah blah blah”.
DON’T DO THAT!!!
9 times out of 10 (or in my case 9.999999999999 times out of 10) you do NOT understand the language and more importantly, they KNOW you don’t understand it. Not only that but some people will be listening to the interpreter for accuracy. If you interrupt the interpreter, their first thought is going to be, “How can you POSSIBLY understand what they said if you don’t let the interpreter finish??”. By interrupting the interpreter, you have interrupted them. Not good. Be patient. We can usually pick up on body language after a while and if we think you got it, we will wrap it up as fast as we can.
#3. Remember, meetings and thus, your presentations, will take twice as long now.
Yup…so if you are used to giving an hour long presentation, either make sure the meeting is 2 hours long or cut the presentation in half. Oh, and in case you were wondering, talking twice as fast is NOT an option….though people try…much to the interpreter’s distress….
#4. Don’t talk to me. Talk to them.
Don’t turn to the interpreter and and go, “Tell him blah blah blah”. I am not a kid passing messages back and forth between parents when they are fighting. Talk to THEM in English as if they understand you. They will be listening to your voice and looking at your facial expression and gestures even if they don’t understand you. It is my job to then tell them what you said. Now, many times, the other side may talk to the interpreter rather than to you. But that really depends on how used to interpreters they are. But, in my experience, they have never told me, “Tell him my answer is such and such”.
#5. Translating is utterly mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. Don’t expect them to remember much of what anyone said.
This is more important if it’s your coworker doing the translation. Most books will tell you that if you are going to have a full 8 hours worth of translating done, you should hire 2 of them. Of course…at least in my case, I’m screwed and I get to do all 12+ hours of it most of the time. Yay. Now, after the first 4 hours or so, my brain starts to get fried…. By the end of the day, all I am is a filter. A robot if you will. All I know is that if the guy next to me talks, I speak to the people in front of me in Japanese. If they talk, then I turn to the guy next to me and speak in English. Of course if the guys in front of me decide to screw with me and speak in English, I have been known to, without missng a beat, turn to the guy next to me and repeat almost word for word what they just said….and then sheepishly apologize….
Actually…hell….I’ve done it in less than an hour before.
Needless to say, by the end of the day, I am not retaining a damn thing you say. This is rough since I am also here as an employee…. But the brain can only deal with so much before it just goes, “Um…no more…I’m done…I’m gong to shut down for a bit…”.
#6. Speak in sentences but no more than 2 at a time.
This is very important. Don’t go on a rant or get into the flow and rattle off a 3 or 4 sentence statement and expect the interpreter to remember everything that you said. Just as important, don’t just say 3 words and then wait for the interpreter to translate that before moving on. Especially in a language like Japanese and such where the sentence structure is different. I need to know the context or the statement before I can translate it. Too many times, I’ve been in situations where they will go, “It’s hard to understand…….*ahem*…go ahead……..” and I had to look at him and tell him to keep going. BUT this, just like the first half of this statement, this is not an invitation to go on for 3 minutes either.
I can keep going and going and going…but I will stop for now. Maybe one day there will be a part 2.
Trust me…you want to keep the interpreter happy. They are your lifeline for communication. And they also know that you don’t understand the language at all. So…don’t tick them off!!!
(^_^)
