Basic Terms of the Language Industry – Part One

If you are looking into buying a car or a house, an insurance policy or a computer, it is only natural to research the information that would educate you and put you in a better position to make a smart purchasing decision. Similarly, the same approach applies when it comes to buying interpreting and translation services. In order to be a savvy buyer, one has to know some basic terms and concepts of the industry.

The first order of business for any buyer is to learn the difference between a TRANSLATOR and an INTERPRETER. I cannot count how many times I’ve received a request for a “translator” only to decode that the client actually needed an interpreter. INTERPRETER is an individual who orally renders a message from one language into another, whereas a TRANSLATOR’S task is to convert a written material from one language into a written material in another language. Both the interpreter and/or translator should not be confused with a BILINGUAL INDIVIDUAL, who is merely able to communicate in two languages to some or possibly full degree of proficiency. Professional interpreters and translators are not only fully bilingual, but they also possess a number of vital skills: linguistic and cultural competence, knowledge of and compliance with ethical principles of the language industry, ability to interpret in different modes. A bilingual individual should not be performing translation and/or interpretation task any more than a person should be attempting to conduct an orchestra simply because he has a wand in his hand. If that is not a convincing enough, remember the old truth: “You get what you paid for”. An error a bilingual person makes while charging little money for his/her work, which may end up costing much more in the long run. Why? Because it not only affects the translation market and the value placed on translations and/or interpreting services, but it also compromises the quality of the client’s product and may cost the client a contract or even lead to lawsuits.

All interpreters and translators work from the SOURCE LANGUAGE, which is the language one interprets/translates from into the TARGET LANGUAGE, which is the language one interprets/translates into. Both languages create what we call a LANGUAGE PAIR. Interpreters may work ON-SITE directly in the presence of the speakers. Sometimes it is called FACE-TO-FACE interpreting. REMOTE interpreting is done via either TELEPHONIC or VIDEO interpreting, where interpreters perform their services remotely, without ever being in the same location as the speakers. Telephonic interpreting is a great service as long as it is not being used as a substitute to on-site interpreting, which is a preferred method. We will be publishing an article on telephonic interpreting in one of the next issues of the newsletter.

A professional interpreter should be able to perform interpreting in several modes: consecutive, simultaneous and sight translation. The latter is a cross between interpreting and translation. CONSECUTIVE interpreting is when the interpreter waits until a statement has been completed and then begins interpreting. This mode is most commonly used in legal and health care settings. SIMULTANEOUS interpreting is a difficult mode, highly demanding on even vastly experienced interpreters. There, the interpreter speaks at the same time as the speaker, having to absorb the information, process the information and render it flawlessly in the target language virtually at the same time. The interpreter uses either portable or stationary equipment or performs Simultaneous whispering interpreting for only one listener. Simultaneous whispering interpreting usually happens in a legal setting, for example, at a trial where the defendant has a constitutional right to participate in his/hers own defense, which means that he/she must hear everything that is being said, including communications addressed to an attorney, a judge, or a jury panel. Simultaneous interpreting is mostly used in interpreting conferences, tours, business meetings. In those cases, the use of portable or stationary professional equipment is essential. A very difficult process in interpreting is one that requires two high level simultaneous interpreters, this is called RELAY INTERPRETING. It is used in some international conferences where not all participants may have a language in common. For example, a speech given by a French presenter must be interpreted simultaneously into English for the English-speaking portion of the listeners, and then, in turn, it is interpreted into Portuguese or Russian for the attendees who speak only those languages. Relay interpreting presents an additional level of difficulty for the second interpreter and is very exhausting. According to the industry requirements, simultaneous interpreters should work in pairs, switching to rest every 30-45 minutes, otherwise the quality of interpretation may suffer. In performing SIGHT TRANSLATION, the interpreter reads and translates a written document orally either from English into the foreign language or vice versa (less frequently). It is also a complex skill requiring ability to comprehend text and convert it into another language immediately.

I hope that our readers have acquired a higher level of respect towards the interpreters and more appreciation for the work that they perform. In the following issue, we will continue discussing more terms related to the language industry, this time concentrating on translation related terminology.