3 Tips to Improve Conference Interpreting
Conference interpreting is a great way to successfully host a global meeting in multiple languages. Conference interpreters are trained professionals that dedicate their career to ensuring that all attendees – regardless of their language – share the same conference experience.
Major meeting events, from international conferences to corporate seminars, require a lot of preparation. Events requiring conference interpreting adds another layer of preparation to guarantee success for all participants.
Preparing for a global meeting should include focusing on the interpreters themselves, in order to avoid potential miscommunications, confusion and delays — embarrassing and stressful issues for any event organizer.
To prevent these mistakes, putting a little extra effort into preparing for conference interpreting is time well spent.
Taking two simple steps can dramatically improve a conference, meeting or symposium. By preparing interpreters for your event, you can increase the quality of the interpreting performed, help the conference run more smoothly and even make your life as a conference organizer or event planner a little easier.
1) Provide Interpreters with Conference Materials in Advance
Preparation is the key to successful conference interpreting. Whatever conference-related documentation is available, from pamphlets to programs, copies should be given to all conference interpreters well in advance of the actual conference. The ability to look over an agenda or itinerary ahead of time allows interpreters to identify the context in which they will be interpreting. Conference interpreters are skilled at research and prepare glossaries and vocabulary lists to ensure they have a strong command of any special terminology that may be required.
Even the most skilled conference interpreter with years of experience will need to prepare. This is especially true in fields where cutting-edge information containing specialized vocabulary is being presented, such as computer science or biotechnology research.
By supplying interpreters with context for your conference, they’ll be better equipped to provide specific, high-quality interpretation without hesitation or delay.
2) Provide Conference Interpreters with Speeches and Presentations
Whenever possible, event organizers should provide conference interpreters with copies of any speeches or presentations to be given. This improves the quality of conference interpreting, since the interpreter can proceed more quickly and accurately when he or she knows what is coming up next in the speech or presentation.
Obviously, the speaker/presenter likely will deviate from the material, in which case the interpreter can’t rely solely on the script – ultimately, it is the interpreter’s job to spontaneously interpret whatever is said.
Conference interpreting will proceed more efficiently if the interpreter has some idea of the major presentation/speech points, so even something as rudimentary as proposed talking points can help interpreters prepare for their job.
3) Provide Conference Interpreters with a Direct Sight Line to Stage
Conference interpreting booths and the electronic interpreting equipment need to be arranged so that the interpreters have a direct sight line to the stage. The interpreters view should not be obstructed by signage or any other item. Their view should include the entire stage as well as the screen where any presentations will be shown.
Professional conference interpreters utilize a variety of cues and information while performing their interpreting duties. A complete and unobstructed view allows them to have the entire experience that everyone else in the audience experiences. This important set up is crucial for the interpreters to be successful.
Informed Conference Interpreters = Successful Global Events
Event organizers can help professional interpreters by keeping them informed and providing detailed conference information. In turn, this extra effort on the organizer’s part can go a long way toward improving the quality of the conference as a whole.
A professional interpreting agency will help determine what type of interpreting best suits your needs, suggest a location for the conference interpreter and set up and provide conference interpreting equipment. Reputable conference interpreting services also provide qualified professional interpreters who are well-versed in their source and target languages, as well as the conference’s subject field.
The bottom line? Relying on a professional interpreting service and working together with interpreters to prepare them in advance can help conferences run smoothly.