What are the rules for telephone interpreting, 10 tips for clients
What are the rules for telephone interpreting
A new invention is coming out every other day. It is hard for people to keep up sometimes. The reason you know how to use a smartphone is because you have always seen it around you. Most of the young kids today get their first phone or their own computer in their early teenage. A generation growing up with such an easy access to technology will have no problem learning about the new devices. But it isn’t the same for everyone. If you hand over a smartphone to someone who grew up reading newspaper and never saw a computer up close, they will be extremely confused about its usage.
The same situation occurs when people don’t know how to use modern services. All of us have one or two embarrassing experiences with modern services where we didn’t know what to do. Some try to turn on the automatic tap in restaurants, some don’t know how to use the electric hand dryer. But that’s okay and it isn’t something to be ashamed of. It is not anyone’s fault that inventors are creating things faster than we can adapt to them. And services are there to help us, if we take long to understand them, no one is going to blame us. Eventually we will see how they can make things easier for us.
Translation has been around for a long time. The units of armies in World War I and II had their own interpreters with them that helped them interact with prisoners of war. Interpreters also helped states of head communicate with each other and resolve conflicts to ensure peace. But time has become more important today than it was in the last century and sometimes the old methods of translating are not sufficient for people. That’s why telephone interpretation method was thought of so that people can get in touch with an interpreter no matter where they are in the world and save their time instead of waiting for a translator to come to their meeting. Telephone translating also gives people control over their privacy and take away their worries about keeping their information safe and secure.
However, since telephone interpreting is something relatively new, not a lot of people know about it. And when they do find out, they don’t know what are the rules that govern this service and what they can do to aid the work of their interpreters. But there is nothing to worry about. As long as the clients want to help their interpreters, they can. All they have to do is learn a few basic rules of telephone interpreting. If you want to get an interpreter on the phone, here are the ten tips you should follow:
- Start with the Introduction:
You don’t want to tell your name to the interpreter if you don’t want to but you should ask them to introduce themselves to all the parties in the conversation. This will take away the hesitation of everyone else about speaking in front of a stranger and they will be able to express themselves more openly.
- Be Patient:
Translators take a day to translate a document, interpreters do that in real time. But when they have to think in real time, they will need to think of the proper words to relay the message to you. If they take a few seconds’ pause, don’t interrupt them. They will only be thinking of the right words to use to make you understand the message. Give them the time they need to do their job in the best way possible.
- Use Short Sentences:
The interpreter will translate a person’s statement as soon as they are done talking. But if you say three to four sentences consecutively, you will be making their job difficult for them. Be considerate when working with them and use fewer and shorter sentences. Use precise wording to get your point across.
- Explain the Purpose:
Explain to them the purpose of the meeting beforehand and also talk about the things you will be discussing. The context will help them perform their job in a better way.
- Answer Questions:
The person you are working with to translate your conversations are a human and humans can make mistakes. If they mishear you and ask you to repeat yourself, don’t get angry at them and answer their questions calmly.
- Maintain a Reasonable Speed:
If you speak too fast, the interpreter might have trouble following what you are saying. Sometimes, they may even ask you to slow down. But it is better if you think of it beforehand and maintain a pace that is neither too fast nor too slow.
- Don’t Talk Via Them:
They are there to translate whatever you are saying like a machine. Don’t ask them to ask the other person something. Instead talk like you are talking to the person who don’t speak your language and your interpreter will relay your message as it is.
- Remove Distractions:
If your office or the place where the meeting is taking place is noisy, it can prove to be a problem for the interpret. Be sure to eliminate any such distractions before initiating the call.
- Avoid Slangs and Native Phrases:
Something that is common in your language may not be easy to explain to a non-speaker. Avoid using those phrases.
- Ensure Clarity:
One the meeting is over, ask everyone is everything was clear to them. So, if there is anything left uncleared, you can clarify it in the presence of the interpreter because once they leave, you will have no way to explain your point to everyone else.
Now that you know the rules of telephone interpreting, you can start using this beneficial service yourself.
