UAE
SAUDI ARABIA
No Result
View All Result
AZIMUTH GULF
  • Latest News
  • Middle East Markets
    • Middle East Economy
    • Middle East Investment Opportunities
  • Business
    • Energy & Industry
    • Finance & Investment
    • Local Business News
    • Real Estate & Construction
    • Saudi Arabia Business News
    • Startups & Innovation
    • Tourism & Hospitality
  • Digital Trasformation
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Technology
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Analytics
    • Digital Marketing
    • E-Commerce
    • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Internationalization
    • Cross-Cultural Business Practices
    • Foreign Market Entry Strategies
    • Global Market Trends
    • International Marketing
    • International Trade Laws & Regulations
    • Middle East Real Estate
    • Supply Chain Management
  • Business Interpreting
    • Simultaneous Interpreting
    • Consecutive Interpreting
    • Interpreting Equipment
  • Language Services
    • Interpretation Services
    • Language Learning
Azimuth Gulf News
  • Latest News
  • Middle East Markets
    • Middle East Economy
    • Middle East Investment Opportunities
  • Business
    • Energy & Industry
    • Finance & Investment
    • Local Business News
    • Real Estate & Construction
    • Saudi Arabia Business News
    • Startups & Innovation
    • Tourism & Hospitality
  • Digital Trasformation
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Technology
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Analytics
    • Digital Marketing
    • E-Commerce
    • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Internationalization
    • Cross-Cultural Business Practices
    • Foreign Market Entry Strategies
    • Global Market Trends
    • International Marketing
    • International Trade Laws & Regulations
    • Middle East Real Estate
    • Supply Chain Management
  • Business Interpreting
    • Simultaneous Interpreting
    • Consecutive Interpreting
    • Interpreting Equipment
  • Language Services
    • Interpretation Services
    • Language Learning
No Result
View All Result
Azimuth Gulf News
No Result
View All Result
Interpreter Dubai Interpreter Dubai Interpreter Dubai
ADVERTISEMENT
Home Business Interpreting

Are Bilinguals Good Interpreters?

Nardino Di Marco by Nardino Di Marco
July 23, 2021
in Business Interpreting, Internationalization, Simultaneous Interpreting
0
are bilinguals good interpreters?
https://www.linkedin.com/company/azimuth-international

Table of Contents

  • 1. Bilingual VS Interpreter
  • 2. The Role of the Interpreter
  • 3. Becoming an Interpreter
  • 4. Interpreting Gone Wrong
  • 5. Interpreters at Langpros

Many people often think that their bilingual friend, relative, or colleague is the right choice when they need an interpreter for the company,  for a conference or a business meeting with a potential client, or any other occasion where in order to communicate with the counterpart, on-the-spot translation is inevitable.

Your Arabic colleague who studied in the UK, is nearly a native speaker so he will be able to translate your presentation, workshop or negotiation, right?

Not really or, at least, not as good as you think.

He may be skilled and good in informal conversation or even at translating your emails and docs, but chances are he will get lost in translation conveying what you meant to say wrongly or missing parts altogether. This is because being an interpreter is not just being fluent in two languages, but much more than that.

While being bilingual certainly is a quality that all interpreters must have, being a professional linguist implies much more.

 

1 Bilingual VS Interpreter

First of all, is your colleague/friend/cousin really bilingual?

Being fluent in another language and feeling confident to use it to communicate in official occasions is not that common.

The skills perception may be different from the reality: language proficiency levels aren’t always easy to define and assess and language skills are rapidly deteriorating if the foreign language is not used regularly.

Last but not least, knowing a language for everyday use doesn’t automatically imply being able to translate specific lexicon and terminology related to technical or sectoral aspects.

 

2 The Role of the Interpreter

Interpreters are language experts who can translate speech from one language to another in real time. The language service they provide must be accurate, impartial, and fluent.

In order to fulfill this demanding task, interpreters must, of course, be fluent in two or more languages, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Good interpreters also possess the following qualities:

  • Good Working Memory

Interpreters have to retain great amounts of information before delivering it to the target language, making sure to carry across every bit of the speech uttered by the original speaker.

  • Cultural Awareness

Working between languages also means to deal with cultural differences. Carrying meaning across one language to another is not a mechanical task, as the message must be adapted according to the context and the sensibility of the hearer. Moreover, interpreters read body language and understand every nuance of a sentence that the average bilingual might fail to notice.

  • Interpreting Techniques

According to the occasion, interpreters use different working techniques to provide their language services: simultaneous interpreting for long conferences and workshops, consecutive interpreting for shorter conferences and presentations, or business interpreting for one-on-one interviews and small group meetings.

During their work, interpreters achieve the greatest accuracy by retaining information thanks to specialized note-taking techniques.

  • Impartiality

In order to be considered trustworthy by both parties, interpreters must keep a professional behavior while performing their task. For example, they should avoid speaking to one party without informing the other of what is going on, avoid taking parts when conveying their messages, and make sure the translation is neutral and not biased. This is of the utmost importance especially in court interpreting, during litigations and also during business negotiations.

  • Multitasking ability

Simultaneous Interpreting is a really demanding task – the interpreter needs to listen and talk at the same time, being careful not to miss relevant info from the speaker and making sure to convey the message to the audience at best. Do you think this is not that hard? Give it a try – just start the news channel on your tv and try to translate aloud what you hear in another language: not that easy, uh?

  • Handling Pressure

All of the above qualities would be useless without the ability to employ them in a fraction of a second. Interpreters sustain incredible amounts of pressure and are able to take swift decisions, guaranteeing the natural flow of the translation.

  • Preparation

Professional interpreters spend a great deal of time in preparation for the event. They will study the content they are given and do additional research to better understand the subject and context and be ready to face any challenge they might encounter during their task. They prepare glossaries and study the domain-specific lexicon to be used.

Being fluent and able to handle informal talks, doesn’t guarantee you will be as good in translating when the subject is more specific and sectoral terminology is needed – be it technical, medical, financial, ect.

 

3 Becoming an Interpreter

While bilinguals generally acquire their language skill by being raised in a multicultural environment, professional interpreters always have formal training, such as a specialized university degree or a postgraduate diploma.

 

4 Interpreting Gone Wrong

Choosing an interpreter is not a decision to be taken lightly. This profession is often operating in high-stakes, challenging situations, such as medical emergencies, court trials, or important business meetings. The slightest mistake could cost time, money, and in the most extreme cases, it could entail disastrous consequences for one or both parties. It is thus important to rely on trusted language service providers which will assign your task to the best-suited linguist for the job.

 

5 Interpreters at Langpros

Langpros collaborates only with the best trained interpreters in the GCC and beyond. Our language services range from simultaneous interpreting with rental equipment installed by our technicians, to consecutive and business interpreting. Contact our team to find the best solution to suit your needs and get a free quote!

Related Posts

alibaba office
Business

Breaking Barriers: Alibaba’s Strategic Move into the UAE Market

December 6, 2023
saudi arabia flag
Global Market Trends

2030 in Saudi Arabia’s Push for 100% Foreign Ownership

November 27, 2023
big5 dubai 2023 Innovation construction industy
Business

Big 5 Dubai 2023: Key Dates and Highlights for Your Ultimate Construction Industry Experience

November 16, 2023
chatgpt openai
Artificial Intelligence

Unveiling OpenAI’s Dev Day Announcements

November 8, 2023
business saudi arabia - women office
Business

Unlocking Opportunities: A Step-by-Step Guide to Starting a Business in Saudi Arabia

November 7, 2023
Saudi Arabia's Vision
Business

Discover the Future: Saudi Arabia’s Vision

November 2, 2023

POPULAR POSTS

  • COP28 Dubai UAE. United Nations climate change conference

    COP28: UAE to Host Major Climate Change Summit

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Most Spoken Languages in the UAE (2023)

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision: A bold plan for the future

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 6 Hybrid Languages You Might Not Know

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why We Should Protect Endangered Languages

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Azimuth Digital Azimuth Digital Azimuth Digital
Azimuth Gulf News

Keeps you up to date on the latest trends in the UAE and the Gulf market. Find out what your target customers need, search for new business opportunities, and learn how to reach new potential clients with compelling marketing techniques.
Find out how to move the right steps to expand your company overseas with the most successful digital transformation procedures and effective localization strategies.

AZIMUTH BOARD

© 2023 Azimuth International  | [email protected] | Built with by Azimuth Digital

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News
  • Middle East Markets
    • Middle East Economy
    • Middle East Investment Opportunities
  • Business
    • Energy & Industry
    • Finance & Investment
    • Local Business News
    • Real Estate & Construction
    • Saudi Arabia Business News
    • Startups & Innovation
    • Tourism & Hospitality
  • Digital Trasformation
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Technology
    • Cybersecurity
    • Data Analytics
    • Digital Marketing
    • E-Commerce
    • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Internationalization
    • Cross-Cultural Business Practices
    • Foreign Market Entry Strategies
    • Global Market Trends
    • International Marketing
    • International Trade Laws & Regulations
    • Middle East Real Estate
    • Supply Chain Management
  • Business Interpreting
    • Simultaneous Interpreting
    • Consecutive Interpreting
    • Interpreting Equipment
  • Language Services
    • Interpretation Services
    • Language Learning

© 2023 AZIMUTH INTERNATIONAL - Azimuth Digital Azimuth Digital.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Manage Cookie Consent
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}