Understanding Interpreting

Australia is a small player in a competitive world. Many countries compete for business and language barriers need to be negotiated. Australia leads the world in its accreditation and training system of interpreters and translators. Most of these professionals work at the community level (domain); smaller numbers of interpreters work in the commercial sector or at conferences.

Because Australians are largely monolingual - often the importance of good interpreting and translating is overlooked or left to the last minute, when it actually contributes as much value as the presenter/speaker him/herself. Time and planning are essential to allow the interpreter to do a good job.

A professional interpreter is no different to a doctor, an engineer, or a scientist - they are tertiary educated - usually to a postgraduate level. If they are senior and experienced their skills are usually in demand.

Can you afford not to engage a professional interpreter in important business dealings?

What is interpreting?
When are interpreters used?
What are the prerequisites to become an interpreter?
What is the difference between Community Domain and International Domain interpreting?
Please explain the differences between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting
Why is it important to consider an interpreter during the planning phase of a project?
Does experience count in an interpreter?
Why is it helpful to develop a relationship with an interpreter?
How can an organisation's reputation be enhanced or harmed by an interpreter?
Can any bilingual person be an interpreter?
How do I know if the interpreter did a good job?
How can a professional Australian interpreter add value?
How should I work with an interpreter?

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Q: What is interpreting?

A: Skilled, trained interpreters provide a bridge between participants in some type of interaction where not everyone speaks a common language. It might be a doctor consulting a patient; an academic delivering a paper; a well-known identity facing a press conference. Through the interpreter, knowledge and understanding are achieved as the message gets through and barriers are removed.

Interpreting, simply defined, is the rendering of a speaker's words into another language, conveying the meaning through appropriate word choice. The interpreting may be consecutive - the speaker speaks then pauses for the interpreter to interpret; or simultaneous - where interpreters work in teams with the use of headphones and sound-proof booths, as occurs in the United Nations, for example.

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Q: When are interpreters used?

A: Interpreters work in almost every facet of life - in community settings - for example a meeting between a non-English speaking client at a parent-teacher interview; they also are critical at international conferences where participants might come from dozens of countries speaking up to six or eight languages with teams of conference interpreters providing simultaneous interpretation into their languages on subjects as diverse as dog food and world peace. Interpreters assist with frequent visiting delegations of business people in Australia exploring options for commercial ventures, as well as in education and training, the court room, and much more. At its most fundamental, interpreters simply help people speaking different languages to talk to each other.

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Q: What are the prerequisites to become an interpreter?

A: Interpreters (and translators) are normally tertiary qualified in another language (other than their mother tongue), often with tertiary qualifications in a specialized field as well and frequently they hold postgraduate qualifications in the interpreting and translating specialization - so they are specialized interpreters and translators.

Australia is one of a handful of countries that accredits interpreters and translators via postgraduate qualifications and/or an extensive testing programme. The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) was set up by the Federal Government in 1977. Australia is held up as a model for the interpreting/translating profession and there are over 100 languages for which the process is formalized. The engagement of a NAATI-accredited, qualified interpreter (translator) should ensure a professional assignment.

As well as being professionally accredited as an Interpreter (and/or Translator), most dedicated practitioners belong to at least one professional association - in Australia this is the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT) which provides on-going training, a code of ethics and a pool of resources through its members. Many practitioners also belong to specific language-group associations and other local and international organizations relevant to their languages and professional interests.

For historical, taxation and budgetary reasons, in Australia most interpreters are freelance or contractors. They are responsible for their own tools of trade - dictionaries, computer aids, on-line resources, software and other up-to-date technology, transportation, training, accounting, taxation and superannuation; insurances such as Professional Indemnity, various professional memberships, and as well they must keep abreast of technology.

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Q: What is the difference between Community Domain and International Domain interpreting?

A: In Australia much of our business and trade and other links come from our geographic position - foreign languages of relevance are largely from the Asia-Pacific region. Languages spoken in communities in Australia are those where there are sizable populations of residents speaking those languages in Australia and community domain interpreters provide assistance with health, housing, human services, schooling, etc. Most interpreters in Australia work in this sector. Some languages are prominent in both community and business: Chinese (Mandarin/Cantonese) is one example, while Japanese is an example of a language used mainly in commerical and international domains.

Few interpreters work at more senior, demanding levels (commercial/international) let alone in the conference circuit. It is hard to gain the necessary experience and requires very specialized vocabularies and subject knowledge, not to mention a good memory and the ability to concentrate for many hours at a time, keeping up a virtual instant transfer from source language to target (audience) language.

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Q: Please explain the differences between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting

A: Most interpreting is done in the consecutive mode: speaker speaks, pauses, interpreter repeats what was said in the other language referring to notes taken in shorthand. Simultaneous or conference interpreting is a more demanding mode of interpreting where speaker and interpretation happens in real time with no delay. This mode is used in the United Nations (remember Nicole Kidman in the movie, The Interpreter). International conferences around the world rely on the skill of teams of simultaneous interpreters to get important messages across to delegates. It is not possible to use consecutive interpreters in a conference format - you need double the amount of time for starters; secondly if more than two languages are involved, as is often the case with international conferences, teams of interpreters relay the speech into their respective languages. Sometimes this involves what is known as 'relay interpreting'. For example the speaker speaks in Japanese, the Japanese interpreters interpret into English from where the other teams (could be multiple languages) then interpret into their respective languages. Such interpreting relies on the expertise of the interpreters; if one link breaks, all delegates miss out.

Consecutive interpreting relies on the fast note-taking skills of an interpreter to record and remember what has been said and to very quickly transfer to the other language. Speakers ought to pause every paragraph or so, otherwise it becomes more difficult to recall/record. Simultaneous interpretation relies on the fast transfer and accomplished language skills of the interpreter to listen through headphones in one language, while speaking the 'translation' through a microphone into the headsets of the delegates.

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Q: Why is it important to consider an interpreter during the planning phase of a project?

A: Organizations can spend an inordinate amount of time and money negotiating a deal or pitching for a huge project only to leave the choice or engagement of an interpreter to assist with an important meeting or presentation to the last minute, or rely on the unknown and usually inadequate skills of an 'interpreter' accompanying the visitors from their home country. Consequently, an experienced interpreter may not be available and furthermore the interpreter will have little time to prepare for the assignment by background reading, research and discussions and development of vocabulary lists. The outcome is almost certain to be less than satisfactory.

Whatever the goal of the presentation or meeting at least 50% of responsibility for getting the message across, appropriately and fully, lies with the interpreter. If the interpreter is unequal to the task and only gets 20 or 30% of the message across, or worse, makes errors, a negative outcome may result. It may not be the interpreter's fault having been engaged at the last minute and told "just do your best". So planning and preparation time are critical and the organization must allow sufficient time for the interpreter to prepare.

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Q: Does experience count in an interpreter?

A: Like any profession, of course experience counts, but everyone has to start somewhere. The more experienced interpreters are in demand. They are tried, confident and proven and can provide references and recommendations. Experienced interpreters in your sector are invaluable, as they already have acquired the specialized vocabulary, may have a good working relationship with the presenters/executives and will really impress the visitors as everything runs smoothly with minimum interruption and maximum understanding. They can also assist when problems arise and advise the presenter of any issues such as body language or murmurings that need to be addressed.

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Q: Why is it helpful to develop a relationship with an interpreter?

A: Interpreters are often overlooked, seen as peripheral and "any bilingual person will do" - however they account for half of a project's outcome and this should be taken into full account. Savvy organizations select their interpreter (and translator) with care seeking recommendations and references, relevant experience at the appropriate level, an interpreter who will reflect the style of their organization and convey a very positive impression. It is ideal to develop a relationship with the same interpreter/translator for on-going work and, rather than communicate through a third party (agency), best to work directly with the interpreter/translator. It is imperative to book the person early, as interpreters at senior level may have many demands upon them (depending on the language) and important to provide the interpreter with any relevant information well in advance.

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Q: How can an organisation's reputation be enhanced or harmed by an interpreter?

A: For non-English speakers in Australia for business or training, their window to Australian experience and knowledge is via an interpreter. Training classes are a good example of where an interpreter can make or break the course. Often overseas students pay thousands of dollars to acquire an overseas qualification - a course delivered via interpreters. One needs to consider what goes into developing a course and enrolling students, also the expertise of the lecturers and presenters and the reputation of the college. In the classroom the expertise and capability of the teacher will only be 50% of the equation - the other half is invested in the interpreter and his/her accurate, complete and natural conveying of the material. If errors are made, or the complete story is not told - the course and students' success is threatened and at worst, Australia's reputation as a provider of such training harmed.

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Q: Can any bilingual person be an interpreter?

A: Theoretically, although by professional qualifications, they will not be recognised as such. If the person is untrained and inexperienced, they may flounder and harm may be done. In certain settings - courts, for example, interpreters must be qualified and accredited.

Students can sometimes make good interpreters. A student may be a specialist in the subject area and already know all the terminology (in both target and source language). However, as the person has not been professionally trained and has limited experience what happens if they don't understand - do they seek clarification or simply leave bits out or even insert their own ideas - after all, they don't want to admit they weren't listening or didn't understand.

Another area where errors are frequently seen through the use of untrained interpreters is in the handling of questions. Questions are asked of the presenter which the 'student' interpreter answers - "after all - this is my subject area too" - leaving the presenter out of the loop. The presenter misses out on feedback and can never be sure that his/her message has been conveyed completely.

Another telling example of inappropriate interpreting is where relatives (even children) are used as interpreters, for example in the health sector, when a health professional is discussing an illness with a patient. Think about the impact on the family and the child, say, if the child has to explain bad news.

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Q: How do I know if the interpreter did a good job?

A: Presenters or organizers of events are not going to be aware of how capably the interpreter has undertaken the job - usually they are monolingual. Clues can be gleaned however:

Did questions from the visitors reveal shortcomings in the information? Were the questions relevant?

Did two or three sentences get interpreted as one or two words and vice versa?

Was the interpreter taking notes?

Did the audience talk amongst themselves or appear perplexed?

Did the interpreter engage in discussions directly with the audience ignoring the presenter?

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Q: How can a professional Australian interpreter add value?

A: The best outcome for your business meeting, conference, training or other event will be realized from engaging local interpreters. Australian accents and colloquialisms are often difficult for overseas interpreters to understand. Furthermore, as the subjects being discussed will involve Australia's policies, institutions and practices - knowledge of local systems and structures will only come with the local interpreter - this will have been part of his training.

The interpreter is not only the bridge between delegates and their Australian hosts - but also an ambassador for the Australian company and can add a lot of value to a visit in between sessions or while touring with interesting insights and anecdotes. The visitors' minds are a blank canvas and an interpreter can paint a great impression of Australia.

Frequently we work with 'interpreters' who have come from overseas. More often than not, they are not professionally trained or experienced - simply the best or only English speaker available, or the next in line for an overseas trip. Instead of sharing a role that should be done by two interpreters - the burden falls with the local Australian interpreter making his/her task much more difficult.

Examples of errors from lack of knowledge include 'super' (superannuation) being interpreted as 'superb'; board (board of directors) as a piece of wood; nursing home as an accommodation house for nurses; CEO - abbreviation unknown - Australians like to abbreviate everything and problems inevitably arise.

Even if the overseas interpreter is a leading practitioner in their country, he/she faces a difficult task here because of the need for local knowledge - so the expenses in bringing the interpreter could be better utilized on a second local interpreter.

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Q: How should I work with an interpreter?

A: Planning and preparation, as mentioned earlier, are essential. Unless the interpreter works full time in your organization he/she will need to acquire the relevant terminology, therefore provide him/her with time and information.

International practice recommends that 2 or even 3 interpreters be engaged concurrently for intense assignments. Certainly for conferences, three to four is the norm. The demands on an interpreter - memory, concentration, note-taking and voice are unrelenting; he keeps working even when the presenter pauses. In effect, he is working twice as hard as the presenter and usually, at an event, there are a number of speakers. It would be like sitting through an important academic lecture where you write down everything you hear and then read it back on the spot, not to mention transforming it into another language en route! Even at lunch the interpreter is the 'meat in the sandwich'.

Speak in the first person to your audience pausing frequently (two to three sentences maximum) for consecutive interpreting. Do not look at the interpreter. If using microphones, ensure the interpreter has one too. For conferences, ensure that any papers or slide presentations that are ready be made available to the interpreters as soon as possible.

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More general information about translating and interpreting is available on this site at: FAQs.

For an account of the historic visit of President Hu to Australia and the first ever use of simultaneous interpreting in Australia's Parliament: Bush Came, Hu Conquered, Charles Qin Made History.