Professional speaking: how to work with your interpreter

They have a deeper understanding of the inner-working of language, and have studied how to take ideas and transfer them in a way that people of another language can understand.  

Their professionalism and experience make interpreters more effective than people who just know a few languages.

Before we get into how to hire and work with an interpreter, let’s look at the two main types.

Types of interpreters

While there are dozens of kinds of interpreters, there are two main styles, and you’ll need to know the difference because when you first hire your interpreter, you’ll need to specify the format you need.

Here are two of the main styles of interpreting:

 

• Simultaneous interpretation: You and the interpreter speak at the same time.

  The interpreter will listen and speak almost simultaneously with you.

  These are the type of interpreters that the United Nations uses, and is the more common method used by professional speakers around the world.
   

• Consecutive interpretation: You speak and the interpreter listens, then you pause, and the interpreter translates.

  This type of interpretation is a much more common technique for one-on-one conversations, but sometimes professional speakers use this method as well.

Once you know the format required, you’ll need to consider the other factors when hiring an interpreter.

Hire the interpreter well in advance

While you may be tempted to go with the interpreter with the most experience, sometimes it can benefit you to start by looking at credentials and training.

A well-trained interpreter has expertise which goes beyond simply being bilingual—they have a blend of public speaking skills, they will be trained in objectivity, and most importantly, the subtle nuances of the language they are interpreting.

And as language is constantly changing, an interpreter who is well trained in the subtleties of the languages can be advantageous for you when it comes to making sure you get your message across.

When you looking for an interpreter, look at what training they’ve had, and then look at their experience.

 

Here are some other skills to look for:

• They can speak both languages very well. If you have trouble understanding them, or they seem to have trouble understanding you, this will probably lead to difficulty later on.

• They have the right vocabulary for your topic or industry (especially if it’s technical or the talk you are giving is very industry specific.)

• They are culturally aware: meaning they understand your culture and the culture they are translating into. This can be very helpful, not only in avoiding faux pas, but to make sure that you and your ideas come off positively.

• They seem confident, professional, and calm.
   

Once you find a good interpreter, keep their contact details for later so you can start  to build a relationship and trust. As they learn your style of speaking, future talks will be made easier.

One the best things you can do is to start early.

Great interpreters will put a lot of work into preparing for your talk by learning the vocabulary, lingo, and jargon commonly used in your industry, watching videos or listening to interviews of you speaking to learn your style and topic better, and going over the transcript (which we will talk more about in a moment) to make sure they understand the talk well and what your message is.

If you hire someone at the last minute, and give them minimal prep time, the result can be unpredictable.

Customize your content

If you haven’t worked with an interpreter before, take note that it will take twice as long to deliver your message than it would normally take you.

When you create the content of your talk, if you can’t adjust the time, make sure that you cut your content in half to allow time to get your points across.

Be crystal clear on your main points, and get to work on exactly what it is you are going to say.

While speaking to a group of people who speak the same language as you, you are more able to wing it and go in whichever direction you fancy—your audience will probably come with you, but in the case of working with an interpreter, knowing exactly what you are going to say can be very helpful.

You can also transcribe your talk, which will have many benefits for your interpreter and your ability to get your message across.

Transcribe your talk

Poor preparation, poor performance.

Having enough time to prepare is essential for interpreters, and some will spend days preparing for an hour-long presentation.

If you do not give them enough time to prepare, it puts you both at a disadvantage.

Provide them with as much information as you can, plus enough time to go over it. The more time you give them, the deeper they will be able to dive into your topic and better understand the context.

What you should supply your interpreter with, to help them with their research :

• The event’s agenda, as well as where and when your presentation will be

• Your slide deck

• Any videos you plan to play in the presentation

• Your SpeakerHub profile, as well as your website

• All the documents that will be discussed, as well as relevant articles

• Videos of your past talks that show your presenting style

• The speakers’ brief you were given by the organizer

And of course, a transcription of your talk.

Transcriptions are fairly easy to have made: you can simply record your presentation on your smartphone, and then have it transcribed via an online service. See a list of options for recording your transcription via your iPhone or Android.

You could transcribe your talk yourself, using an auto transcribing service, such as:

• oTranscribe

• Trint

• Sonix

Even if you do veer away from your transcription a little in your live presentation the transcription will still be a tremendous help to your interpreter in preparing for your talk.

Have a prep meeting

Great interpreters will ask to have a meeting weeks before the presentation so that they have enough time to work on your content before the event.

In the (likely) case that your interpreter is based in the country you are going to, schedule a Skype or Zoom meeting a few weeks in advance.

If possible, give them the materials and transcription before the meeting, so that they have time to go through all the content. This is important because then, during the meeting, they can ask questions, especially clarification on any particular words, phrases, jargon, lingo, idioms and/or metaphors.

If any of the words or phrases do not have a direct translation, your interpreter can suggest to you different regional substitutes well in advance, so there are no surprises on stage.

They might also suggest to you other things that could be edited to improve the presentation—from simplifying the language, to expanding or editing down the content to suit the timeframe and audience.

It is a good idea also to run through any jokes or stories you plan on telling, as humor is not the same culture to culture. They may be able to advise you on whether the joke or story is appropriate.

Find out more about telling jokes around the world with this PDF “Presenting around the world: Cross-cultural humour guide”

Have a practice run

Before you get on stage, take the time to do a practice run together with your interpreter.

If you have never worked with an interpreter before, it may take some getting used to to find the balance and rhythm. If you want to come off as professional, do that adjusting before you get on stage.

A practice run will also help both you and the interpreter work with pauses and timing, and will give the interpreter time to coach your speed.

If possible, have someone who speaks both languages sit in on your practice run, then gather feedback from them—once again, you don’t want any surprises on stage.

Be wary of an interpreter who takes far longer than you for each section—they might be trying to add things of their own. On the same note, if they are taking far less time, it might be that they are leaving things out.

You can also work on using your pauses effectively during the practice run—do you need to leave a pause after a particularly important point to let it sink in? Or after a joke to leave time for laughter? Working this out beforehand will make your presentation more flawless.

If you’d like your talk to be interpreted as accurately and effectively as possible, the practice run will help you sort out issues before you get in front of your audience.

Three tips for speaking with an interpreter

1. Keep each section short

Make sure that you are listening and watching as you are speaking.

Are your sections too long? If you are speaking for too long before the interpreter can translate, the audience might get distracted or bored, and the sections might be too much information for the interpreter to remember.

If your sections are too short, you might not be getting the ideas across as blocks, which could be challenging to follow, so try and keep each section as a short, to the point, complete thought.

2. Slow down

Speaking too fast puts a lot of pressure on your interpreter, and you run the risk that they might start skipping information just to keep up with you.

While you still want to sound natural, try slowing down your pace when working with an interpreter to ensure they can relay your talk as accurately as possible.

3. Talk to your audience

Great interpreters are invisible—you are talking through them, not to them.

So talk directly to your audience, instead of asking the interpreter to say things for you.

The talk should be fluid and natural, as though the interpreter wasn’t there at all.

Ready to start getting on stages around the world?  There are events looking for speakers with your skills and expertise on SpeakerHub’s Marketplace. Search events now.