SPEAKING
THROUGH AN INTERPRETER
In today’s globally connected world, international conferences are more common than ever before. Chances are if you’re presenting at an event that attracts attendees from other countries—or your speech is streamed over the Web— some people will need a translation to understand the information you will be sharing. You will need an interpreter.
The following seven tips will put you on the fast track to overcoming language barriers and connecting with your audience.
1 Ask Before You Go
Whenever you are asked to speak, you should confirm with the event organizer important details such as the number of attendees, the setup of the room and the equipment available to you. When speaking at an international event, you’ll need to ask additional questions. Find out where the majority of attendees will come from. For example, did last year’s convention in Monaco attract mostly businesspeople from London? If so, you might not need an interpreter.
Find out what languages attendees are most likely to speak. Many countries have citizens who speak multiple languages, so find out which languages these individuals speak. For instance, many individuals in India speak English, but large percentages of the population do not. By learning such information in advance, you can customize your talk accordingly.
If the organizers indicate that some or all participants do not speak the language in which you plan to present, ask if they will provide interpreters. If so, it means more people will understand you. It also means you will need to prepare your presentation in a very different way.
2 Script Your Presentation for an Interpreter
Many speakers like to script their slides, not with the purpose of actually sticking with the script, but as a way to work out exactly what they plan to say. However, when you work with an interpreter, a script serves an additional purpose; it is a source of information. It allows the interpreter to become familiar with your topic before you give your speech. This is especially true if you plan to cover topics involving technical terminology.
Often, an interpreter will sit down with such a script and review any unfamiliar words and phrases, looking them up to find the perfect rendition in the target language. On the other hand, if the interpreter has no prior background in your field and hears a new term while interpreting, she may have no other choice but to skip past it instead of trying to guess its meaning on the spot. An interpreter will rarely interrupt a speaker to clarify anything.
Professional interpreters attempt to keep up with new terminology; how-ever, most interpreters switch quickly from one topic to another. They may interpret for a human rights forum one week and a currency exchange rate summit the following week. The amount of technical vocabulary that an interpreter can memorize has its limits.
If your talk comprises technical terms, script it in advance. Some speakers, when dealing with evolving terminology, will define certain words for the interpreter, so he will be prepared to paraphrase, if necessary. Sometimes a word may not even exist in another language, since terminology tends to be invented when and where it is needed.
3 Budget Time for Interpretation
Ask an event organizer if a simultaneous interpreter will be available during the event. If so, the interpreter will speak while you are speaking. This is usually accomplished by the interpreter listening through headphones while enclosed in a soundproofed booth. If the interpreter will be converting your words while you speak, the amount of time you will need for your talk will be roughly the same as if you were delivering it on your own, in your native language. However, you will need to slow your pace, because some languages require more words than others to say the same thing.
For example, at one telecommunications conference, a speaker used the word slamming in English, which refers to the practice of changing someone’s long-distance telephone carrier without their permission. In some other languages, the word slamming does not exist, so the interpreter translated the word by saying “the practice of changing someone’s long-distance telephone carrier without their permission.” Whenever this happens, the interpreter is in a race against time, trying to accurately convey information while listening to the speaker’s next statement to determine how to convey its message.
Budget extra time for any question-and- answer session at the end of your speech. When questions come from individuals who don’t speak the same language as the presenter, the interpreter will wait until the question is completely verbalized before relaying it back to the speaker, and vice versa. This process is known as consecutive interpreting; it takes nearly twice as long as simultaneous interpreting. In general, you should budget more time for any talk that will be interpreted, especially if there will be a question-and- answer segment.
4 Choose Words with Care
As you develop your script, try to avoid words with double meanings. These words could easily be misunderstood by the interpreter, who will be listening and speaking at the same time—which increases the chances of hearing something incorrectly. Read your script aloud. Do you struggle with any words? Does your speech include words that sound the same, like to, too and two? Train your ear to recognize these words as you practice your speech aloud, and delete them, if possible.
Try to break long sentences into shorter ones. Avoid using too many dependent clauses. Consider occasionally phrasing sentences as questions, because this way, even if you have an interpreter with a dry monotone, her intonation will change due to the natural dynamic of asking a question. If you cite a lot of numbers during your talk, include these numbers on slides, allowing the interpreter to look at the numbers on the slide, instead of having to rely on notes.
5 Prepare the Interpreter in Advance
Contact the organizer to find out how to get your script to the interpreter well in advance of your talk. “Many well-intentioned presenters wait until the day of their speech to provide notes to the interpreter,” says Benjamin B. Sargent, a senior analyst with Common Sense Advisory, an independent market research company, and a Toastmasters based in Arizona. “By that time, it’s usually too late for your interpreter to study up on the content.”
The more advance notice you give the interpreter, the more familiar she will be with your topic, and therefore the better your talk will be.
If you have slides, provide your interpreter with copies. This will help her interpret both the content of the slides and your words. If you will present to an audience in which most attendees speak another language, consider obtaining translations of the slides, and displaying the translations. Remember, you will need to be able to follow along and recall what the slides said in the source language prior to translation.
6 Pace Your Delivery
When the day arrives, the most important thing you can do for your interpreter is to slow down your speaking. Many people speed their pace when speaking before an audience, usually because they are excited. Remember to relax. It’s fine to occasionally pause or even take a drink of water to enable your interpreter to catch up with you. Your interpreter might need a break at that point, too.
If you are able to meet the interpreter before your speech, you might ask her to signal to you when she wants you to slow down. Some conference setups allow the interpreter to press a button, which acts like a stoplight, to relay instructions to the speaker. If the light is green, the interpreter is signaling you to keep speaking. If the light is yellow, slow down. If the light is red, take a deep breath or a sip of water to give the interpreter a chance to catch up.
7 Ask for Feedback
Before you speak, ask the interpreter to provide feedback after your talk. Request information on what you did well and what you could have done better. You might be surprised by what you hear. “If you’re an American giving a talk in Europe, keep in mind that your interpreter might not be familiar with American accents,” Sargent says. Perhaps your voice did not carry well, or you spoke too loudly into the microphone.
No matter what, getting feedback is likely to make your next experience with an interpreter that much easier— and even more successful!
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