“And what do you do for a living?”
I was recently asked this in a social setting, after mentioning that I travel quite a lot for work.
“I’m a conference interpreter.”
Blank stare.
“Simultaneous interpreter?”
Blank stare intensifies.
“Like at the EU or the UN? You know, the people sitting in soundproof booths, wearing headphones and speaking into microphones?”
Finally, a reassuring nod.
This doesn’t happen every time, but it happens more often in the UK, where people tend to assume that “everyone speaks English” and are often unaware that interpreting is a profession in its own right.
And when I explain what the job involves, I come across another misconception: that we simply read the slides or repeat what the speaker says in another language.
The reality is that although simultaneous interpreting happens in real time, the real magic starts long before the event.
Conference interpreting starts before the conference
Interpreters aren’t usually cardiologists, aviation engineers or social policy experts, or at least not all at the same time!
So, to make sense of what’s being discussed on the day, we need to read up on the subject, research terminology and company acronyms, and get to grips with the context.
Who is meeting whom, and for what reason? What are the objectives of the meeting? What terminology is likely to come up? Are there particular names, projects or internal expressions we need to be familiar with?
These are not minor details. They help us follow the discussion, understand the speaker’s intentions and find the right words in another language.
Put simply, to say anything meaningful in another language, we need to understand what we’re talking about and become familiar with the relevant terminology.
A term that’s everyday language to a specialist may be completely unfamiliar to someone outside that field. Knowing a language doesn’t automatically mean knowing the subject.
Why do interpreters insist on preparation materials?
I recently wrote about interpreters’ frequent complaints about poor sound quality. Another bane of our existence is the lack of preparation materials, or receiving them at the last minute.
So why do we keep insisting on presentations, agendas, background documents and terminology lists in advance?
Because the better we understand the subject, the context and the terminology beforehand, the better we can perform on the day.
Think of a professional kitchen. A chef needs to know their ingredients, understand how they work together and prepare everything properly before serving the final dish. The result should be more than just palatable. It should be delicious!
The same principle applies to interpreting. Preparation gives us the foundations to deliver an accurate, natural and coherent interpretation, even when the subject matter is highly specialised.
Mistakes can be costly, and interpreting is no exception.
What preparation materials should you provide?
If you’re organising a multilingual conference or meeting, a little preparation on your part can make a real difference.
Ideally, your interpreting team should receive:
- The agenda and programme: to understand the structure of the event, the topics and the speakers.
- Presentations and slide decks: preferably in their final or near-final version.
- Background documents: reports, briefing papers, previous meeting notes or relevant publications.
- Terminology and acronyms: particularly company-specific expressions, product names and technical vocabulary.
- Speaker information: names, job titles and, where possible, a little background on the people presenting.
You don’t need to produce a perfect, professionally prepared glossary. Even a collection of existing documents can be extremely helpful.
And if the presentations change at the last minute, please send the updated versions. We know that conference programmes evolve. We’d simply rather work with the latest information than discover something important while interpreting live.
Preparation is part of the service
Our ultimate goal is for communication to feel seamless, so that clients and delegates can focus on the meeting without the language barrier getting in the way.
The better prepared we are, the less visible the interpreting should be.
Planning a multilingual conference or meeting?
At Unlocking Words, I provide professional conference interpreting in English, German and Polish. If you’re organising an event and need interpreting support, get in touch. I’m happy to discuss your requirements and explain how to prepare for a successful multilingual meeting.
