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Professional Interpretation Services |
Interpretation - Best Practices |
Here are a few tips to help you make the most of our interpretation service:
Before the day of the interpretation session:
- Make arrangement for an interpreter early
Interpreters often have very busy schedules. If you book well early, we can likely confirm the most appropriate candidate for your purpose. This is especially important for situations where a certified interpreter is required, such as a certified court interpreter or certified conference interpreter. - Provide details about the required languages
Please be as specific as possible with the required pair of languages, including details on dialects and accents, where applicable. There are differences in linguistic use and accents between the same language spoken in different parts of the world (e.g. Spanish spoken by a person from Madrid may be somewhat different from Spanish spoken by a person from Mexico City), or sometimes even between different parts of the same country. Also, if you require interpretation of a dialect, be sure to specify. For example, don't just request for "Chinese" when you need "Cantonese". - Provide date, time, duration and venue of the appointment
With detailed venue information, we can first approach interpreters living in the nearby area, cutting down on commuting time and risk of delays.
When booking interpreter's time, we recommend that you allow some additional time before and after the meeting / hearing, especially if your case is complicated or the subject matter to be discussed at your meeting is quite involved. This allows you an opportunity to give the interpreter some briefing beforehand, and ensures that the interpreter is still available should your session overrun. Please be sure to inform us as soon as possible if there are any changes as this may affect interpreter availability. - Specify forum and subject matter
Our multilingual interpreters cover a range of experience and specialties. Knowing the subject matter that your require interpretation for helps us find the most suitable interpreter for your job. This is especially important when following the discussion requires certain professional, technical or industry knowledge. Specifying the forum, whether it is a court hearing, a business meeting, a conference...etc. will also help us arrange for suitably certified professionals for your purpose. - Prepare list of proper names or special terminology
If you have previously translated names for people, companies/organizations, products, product features or other special terminology, please prepare a list for the interpreters' reference. If you know you will be referring to certain terms which are rarely used and/or are highly specialized, even if you do not have ready-to-use translations, we suggest that you provide these to us beforehand so that the interpreter can be well prepared.
- Arrive Early to Meet Interpreter
It is a good idea to arrive early and spend a bit of time with your interpreter prior to the formal forum. This gives you time to show the interpreter some physical documents, visual images or physical objects that you may be referring to during the session, brief him/her on what the issues are, and provide him/her with the list of translated names/terms (see above) where applicable. If the forum permits, introduce the interpreter to your clients (and other attendees) at the meeting so that he/she has a clear idea of the roles of the different players beforehand, and relevant parties have a chance to familiarize with each other's accents. - Arrange for Suitable Seating
Arrange or request for a seating arrangement which allows the interpreter to see and hear clearly each person participating in the discussion, as well as view all the exhibits. Where possible, positioning the interpreter so that he/she can have eye contact with all parties and even view their body language will facilitate better understanding and direct communication. - Deliver Short, Clear Messages
To facilitate complete and accurate interpretation, speak in short sentences and pause at regular intervals. Wait for interpreter to convey the message before resuming. This way the interpreter does not have to memorize lengthy passages, which risks some information being lost in the process, or take notes, which distracts him/her from following the conversations. Different languages have different grammatical and sentence structures. Avoid using convoluted sentences where the conclusion comes at the very end, after partial sentences have been translated in the interim. Try to state your point at the beginning of the sentence, so that the message is clear to the other parties. - Check for Signs of Misinterpretation
Be attentive to what the interpreter says, and look out for clues that you may not be properly understood. Remember that the interpreter is not necessarily familiar with all the background leading up to the discussion. A project that you have worked on for many months and is now second nature to you may be a whole new concept to him/her.
If you see the interpreter hesitating, or the response from the other party having missed the mark of your question, try again. Rather than repeating your original statement or question in exactly the same wording, try to paraphrase and explain it in a slightly different way. If it helps, draw a diagram, use gestures, give examples or use other methods to enhance understanding.
- Confirm Interpreter Attendance and Provide Feedback
Complete our Record of Service form confirming the duration of service received. This will be used to confirm client billing and payment for interpreter. Also provide us with your feedback on the interpretation service rendered. We monitor each interpreter"s performance closely. Your feedback will help us serve you better in the future. - Book Follow up Interpretation Sessions
If there is one or more follow up sessions to your meeting, be sure to book for interpretation services for subsequent sessions. If you are satisfied with the interpretation service rendered, you may want to book the same interpreter for continuity's sake.
