Youtube daily what to watch Feb 15 2019

So I want an interpreter but what's one like? Are they someone who speaks another

language? I'm Dr Jonathan Downie and this is inside interpreting. And in

this video I'm gonna give you the lowdown on what you need to look for and

an interpreter. Let's begin with what you shouldn't look for an interpreter. A few

weeks ago I was at a networking meeting in her and all the gentlemen came up to

me and said, "erm can I get your advice?" I said, "sure."

He said, "I have a niece and she's, she went abroad for three weeks and

she's a bit of a drifter and doesn't really know what to do with herself

could you give her a job interpreting?" So I paused and I explained what I rely

on the interpreters in my team to do. it I said well I work with people whose

language is so solid and whose interpreting is so good that you can

trust them when there's a multi-million pound deal on the table. I work with

interpreters who I can trust that if someone's life is at risk they would

deliver when it matters most. I work with the kind of interpreters who, if it's a

scientific conference, will be so powerful and amazing in their

interpreting that the clients will come up to them at lunch time and ask how

many degrees they've got in the subject." He looked at me and said, "Oh, I don't

think she's ready for that." I said, "perhaps she isn't." You see one of the

most basic requirements of a professional interpreter especially in

the business world and in the conference world is that they're qualified.

Interpreters don't just have language degrees. Qualified interpreters mostly

have language degrees and the further postgraduate interpreting degree on top

or they may have an undergraduate degree with interpreting. They've spent at least

four years, sometimes five and a half or six, working on their skills and being

trained and then after that they're continually training and improving and

learning. So the first thing that you should look for an interpreter is their

qualifications. Alongside that, if it's an interpreter that you're going to trust

with the meeting that really matters, they really should be a member of a

professional association. That reduces your risk that

there are someone calling themselves an interpreter but who has new skills in it

whatsoever. There are worldwide associations such AIIC, the

International Association of conference interpreters and national associations

such as in the United Kingdom the Institute of translation and

Interpreting, who have lists of people that they've examined and checked or

made sure that they can do the job. So you need to be qualified in you to have

some level of membership of a professional association and make sure

you verify that if you can. And the third area that you need to be

looking for is that they'd experienced in the area that you're working in. It's

not enough just to say that I qualified interpreter, I can drop them in a nuclear

power plant. That probably won't work. Or they're a qualified interpreter and

they've been doing lots of medical events surely they can do this sales

meeting. No. probably not. I know many interpreters who I would

absolutely trust to do a brilliant medical conference interpreting but I wouldn't

take them near a sales meeting. And vice-versa. I know some interpreters who are

wonderful with motivational speakers I wouldn't put them in an AGM. They

wouldn't want to be in an AGM. Actually a great way of finding interpreters is to

start with an interpreter that you already know. Find an interpreter who's

been putting out content you've been enjoying there's been helpful for your

business and ask their advice. I'm an interpreter and I do very little translation

but already this morning someone asked me, "Do you know a good medical translator?"

it just so happens, yes I do. I know lots of very good medical translators

depending on the language. If someone were to email me and say, "Do you do you know a

good interpreter for German car events?" Yes, I know. One of the best places to

start when looking for interpreters is to talk to an interpreter that you

already know and they can build you, often they can build your team for you.

We'll be talking more about how to find great interpreters in a future episode

but for now, I'm Dr Jonathan Downie and this is Inside Interpreting.