Speaking Through A Translator

Speaking through an interpreter changes almost every decision about a talk. The adjustments are mechanical, and speakers who make them are far easier to render accurately.

Two modes with different demands

Consecutive interpretation alternates: the speaker says something, stops, and the interpreter renders it. The available speaking time is roughly halved.

Simultaneous interpretation runs in parallel from a booth, with the audience listening through headsets. Time is preserved, but the interpreter is always a few seconds behind.

The two require different preparation. Consecutive rewards short units and clear stopping points; simultaneous rewards a steady pace and predictable sentence structure.

Sentence shape decides accuracy

Long sentences with clauses stacked before the main point are difficult to render, because the interpreter must hold everything until the meaning resolves.

Putting the main statement first and the qualifications after it makes the work far easier, and the result is closer to what was intended.

The same applies to lists. Naming how many items are coming lets the interpreter structure the rendering rather than discover its shape halfway through.

Idiom and humour travel badly

Sporting metaphors, cultural references and wordplay frequently have no equivalent, and an interpreter must either explain them or drop them, both of which cost time.

Jokes depending on a pun cannot survive at all. Humour built on situation or on a shared observation usually does, which makes it the safer choice.

None of this requires a flat talk. It requires that the interesting parts sit in content rather than in the surface of the language.

The interpreter needs the material in advance

Names, technical terms and figures are the hardest things to render live, and they are the easiest to supply beforehand.

Sending slides, a rough script or even a list of key terms measurably improves the result, and most interpreters will ask for it.

A short conversation beforehand is worth as much. Agreeing how you will signal a pause, and how long your units will be, removes most of the friction.

The audience is watching you, not the interpreter

Speakers often turn towards the interpreter, which sends the delivery away from the room. Facing the audience throughout keeps the connection where it belongs.

Pauses for interpretation are also useful rather than dead. They are the only chance to see how the room is responding before continuing.

Reactions arrive late, which is disconcerting the first time. Laughter and nods land several seconds after the line that caused them, and waiting for them is part of the format.