Interpreting
Read about Telephone Interpreting
Read about Simultaneous Interpreting
Interpreters listen and speak, they do both in two different languages and, many times, at the same time. Their job is to interact with peoples with different languages and help them overcome their communication barrier. They transfer ideas, concepts, opinions, from one language into another and back, and they do this on the spot. Today, the settings at which an interpreter may be required are countless, especially in today's world of fast-pace global communication and trade.
Many people mistakenly believe that the role of an interpreter is to literally convert every spoken word from one language into another. Were this the case, a good interpreter would only need a command of two or more languages and a large body of terminology at the front of his mind. Some people believe that anyone who speaks a second language is able to interpret - or translate - accurately. But this is by no means the case.
Languages do not work in isolation but within communities. They are part of our complex system of human communication. This system also comprises cultural references, body gestures, visible communication and non-verbal components that trained interpreters should be able to identify if they want to overcome the hurdle imposed by different languages and cultures. They perform the role of communication facilitators, as opposed to that of a machine for listening and speaking. They can apply a substantial knowledge not only of both languages in play but also of the cultures of these languages, knowledge that may take a lifetime to acquire.
Lack of one-to-one equivalents between concepts in different cultures is very common. A trained interpreter will be aware of these differences in his language pairs. No matter how close the cultures of a language pair might be, there will always exist different concepts and different understandings of meaning across cultures. Without good regard to these factors, minorities are likely to suffer when in contact with the judicial, health or other system in a foreign country.
A court interpreter should be acquainted with the rules governing the courts of law, with court protocol for interpreters and with the current Code of Ethics. In an interpreter-led court case, the contribution of the interpreter is vital for the proceedings to run in a fair way and, ultimately, for the fair administration of the law.
A good interpreter is, in my opinion, a sort of social worker: he may have to speak like a professor and then immediately switch to impersonating a criminal, later a crying patient, a suffering child or an under-educated labourer with limited command of language. And in doing this he ought, at the same time, to keep his own feelings and emotions aside - almost to suppress his own persona. ❒
Read about Simultaneous Interpreting
Interpreters listen and speak, they do both in two different languages and, many times, at the same time. Their job is to interact with peoples with different languages and help them overcome their communication barrier. They transfer ideas, concepts, opinions, from one language into another and back, and they do this on the spot. Today, the settings at which an interpreter may be required are countless, especially in today's world of fast-pace global communication and trade.
Many people mistakenly believe that the role of an interpreter is to literally convert every spoken word from one language into another. Were this the case, a good interpreter would only need a command of two or more languages and a large body of terminology at the front of his mind. Some people believe that anyone who speaks a second language is able to interpret - or translate - accurately. But this is by no means the case.
Languages do not work in isolation but within communities. They are part of our complex system of human communication. This system also comprises cultural references, body gestures, visible communication and non-verbal components that trained interpreters should be able to identify if they want to overcome the hurdle imposed by different languages and cultures. They perform the role of communication facilitators, as opposed to that of a machine for listening and speaking. They can apply a substantial knowledge not only of both languages in play but also of the cultures of these languages, knowledge that may take a lifetime to acquire.
Lack of one-to-one equivalents between concepts in different cultures is very common. A trained interpreter will be aware of these differences in his language pairs. No matter how close the cultures of a language pair might be, there will always exist different concepts and different understandings of meaning across cultures. Without good regard to these factors, minorities are likely to suffer when in contact with the judicial, health or other system in a foreign country.
A court interpreter should be acquainted with the rules governing the courts of law, with court protocol for interpreters and with the current Code of Ethics. In an interpreter-led court case, the contribution of the interpreter is vital for the proceedings to run in a fair way and, ultimately, for the fair administration of the law.
A good interpreter is, in my opinion, a sort of social worker: he may have to speak like a professor and then immediately switch to impersonating a criminal, later a crying patient, a suffering child or an under-educated labourer with limited command of language. And in doing this he ought, at the same time, to keep his own feelings and emotions aside - almost to suppress his own persona. ❒