simultaneous interpreters Archives | INGCO International

AUGUST: Interpreter of the Month

Ingrid Christensen — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 23:15:36 +0000

My name is Dory Cristina Montenegro, I’m originally from Guatemala and I have lived in Minnesota for 13 years. I studied Political Science at Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala and as this career requires two languages, I started studying Italian. Unfortunately I was not able to finish my career due to moving to the United States so long story short, I speak English, half Italian and currently I’m learning Spanish Sign Language with the Deaf Association of Guatemala (thank God for technology). I, as many of us, like to travel so any time I have a chance I’ll travel by plane or car but my favorite place to go is always home. I try to go home every two years. I am a fan of football, soccer and any sport in between as well as I’m always into politics, economy, health, education and more. I love to read – you will always see me with a book (or two). I love to listen and learn and always will fight against injustice. I love red so there is a little detail of red with me all the time!

I’m a fairly new interpreter and have only been doing this for about two years, but I’ve always wanted to enter this wonderful profession. I started as an education interpreter and then I combined it with medical interpreting. I currently have the opportunity to do some immigration related jobs, I love to work in the education field and do educational evaluations. I had the opportunity to work as a teacher back home so this feels really natural to me. I have innumerable different opportunities in the medical field as this specialty is very vast.

I also have the opportunity to provide simultaneous interpretation with INGCO International, one of my favorite skills as this poses a great deal of detail and accuracy, tone, and much more.

My favorite part of being an interpreter is being able to have LEPs* feel comfortable with someone else’s voice and be well informed with a well understood outcome after each job is done. The trust put on me to convey the message is immense and I feel compelled to respond and put that trust into words so LEPs and their family members can truly have a voice.

I have an immense pleasure and I’m humbled to be able to be part of something that is greater than anyone can understand, as it’s not only being an interpreter but constantly being flexible, willing to invest in continued education, listening to co-workers feedback as well as clinic personal, acting with high professionalism, sticking to my values and privacy policies, and so much more. All of these things make me love this profession and to always give the very best of me each and every time.

Dory Cristina Montenegro – Interpreter

* Limited English proficiency (LEP) is a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English language, often because it is not their native language. Both LEP and English-language learner (ELL) are terms used by the Office for Civil Rights, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Education.

What does the future hold?

Ingrid Christensen — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 16:05:30 +0000

What does the future hold?

Global On-Site Interpreting and Document Translation Services in 200+ Languages

Great global success, if you turn to INGCO International for your on-site interpreting and document translation needs. Our clients can attest that we are the best in the business. With over 15 years of experience, we have traveled the globe, and we’d like you to take us along on your next international adventure.

We are proud to have provided conference interpreters for events with over 1000 attendees and board meetings for Fortune 1000 companies. We work hard to ensure flawless simultaneous interpreting equipment and soundproof booths. We are honored that our clients trust us to translate over 100,000 words a day and we are beyond pleased when our client launches their new localized website in 22 languages. Languages are in our heart and soul, and we hope to work with you when you need us most.

Our company’s philosophy is to have fun while doing our job and to create long-term relationships with our clients. We believe every person deserves equal access to language and our goal is to preserve the art of language through interpretation and translation. And through that, we commit to earning your trust. There are plenty of things in this world that don’t make sense, your translations needn’t be one of them.

Whether it’s translating an event invitation from English into Catalan or providing simultaneous interpretive services for your next international event, INGCO International delivers, and we make it make sense.

We can’t wait to talk to you about your next global on-site interpreting and document translation services in 200+ languages. Drop us a line!

Don’t talk with your mouth full.

Ingrid Christensen — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 13:15:51 +0000

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.” conjures up many memories of mom reminding us to mind our manners.

But what if your job required you to speak while eating?

One of our fabulous Spanish simultaneous interpreters had to do exactly that when assigned to interpret for the world famous chef, Ferran Adrià. It would be hard for anyone to resist gobbling up his molecular gastronomy deliciousness, but even language interpreters need to mind their manners, and try to talk between bites.

We’ll admit it: not all of our assignments include delicious food and famous folks, but sometimes, they do.

In fact, interpreters find themselves in any number of situations and we need to be ready to work upon arrival. This past weekend INGCO International had the honor and pleasure of working with world-famous chef Ferran Adrià. Adrià is the infamous Spanish chef that invented the dissassociative form of cooking that brought the world foams, spheres, and powders, and molecular gastronomy. He visited Minnesota to celebrate Ferran Adrià: Notes On Creativity, an exhibition of his drawings at the MIA (now called Mia).

Adrià’s visit included a talk with the great Spanish chef José Andrés and Minnesota’s infamous chef, Andrew Zimmern. He also participated in a tasting designed by a who’s-who of local Minnesota chefs and bartenders whose work has been inspired by molecular gastronomy, including: Tim McKee and Niki Francioli (La Belle Vie), Steven Brown (Tilia), Mike DeCamp (Monello), Steve Hesse (Libertine), Lenny Russo (Heartland), Russell Klein (Meritage), Erick Harcey (Victory 44), Isaac Becker (112 Eatery), Jim Christiansen and Jo Garrison (Heyday), Diane Yang (Spoon and Stable), Michelle Gayer (Salty Tart), and James Winberg, Mike Brown, Kale Thome, and Bob Gerken (Travail) with deliciously crafted cocktails from Bradstreet Crafthouse.

Simultaneous interpretation preparation for such an event is key to overall success. Our interpreters spend countless hours researching the speakers that will present, and the type of information that might be discussed. After all, not all interpreters are molecular gastronomy experts. When our interpreters work in highly visible assignments like live radio interviews or live on-stage interviews in front of hundreds of guests, nerves tend to run high. Preparation is essential to making sure that the messaging is 100% accurate for the entire audience. No matter the challenge, our professional interpreters are up for just about anything and thrive under pressure.

Whether interpreting for heads of State, community organizations, famous chefs, convicted felons in prison, or translating technical manuals, websites or legal contracts, or anything in between, INGCO International is honored to be your voice when you need communicate to the world. And we promise to heed mom’s advice: “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

How To Ruin Your Next Multilingual Event

Ingrid Christensen — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 12:20:03 +0000

3 steps to failure at your next multilingual event

There are a few surefire ways to set your simultaneous interpreters up for failure at your next multilingual event. (Clearly we are pointing these out so that you DO NOT commit any of these mistakes.) Conference interpreting is a complex and difficult profession requiring precision, training and preparation. INGCO International has over 15 years of experience in the language service industry and we’ve seen all of these mistakes, and more.

We hope that by pointing out how to fail, you’ll learn how to succeed.

Failure #1: Don’t provide your interpreters with preparation material.

Yes, we are incredible amazing and talented linguists. But just like every profession on the face of the planet, we need to be prepared. Failing to provide us with preparation material is basically setting us up for failure.

Let us give you an example.

We recently provided simultaneous interpreting at the prestigious Starkey Hearing Foundation Gala. We interpreted for President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton, and comedian Norm Crosby. In preparation for this event, we spent approximately 15 hours preparing for a 5-hour event.

We received a transcript of all of the speeches and learned them inside and out. No, we didn’t just read a translation of the speeches because all speakers make changes on the fly. Being fully prepared for the speeches allowed us to convey the complete meaning and emotional appeal of the speakers. The act of simultaneous interpreting is so intense that preparing for every detail in advance is a surefire way to achieve success, not failure.

Failure #2: Don’t hire a minimum of 2 interpreters per language.

Simultaneous interpreting is really hard and tiring work. We’re talking about stressing out the caudate nucleus of the brain for multiple hours. One person cannot do simultaneous interpreting alone, it just doesn’t work. Expecting one person to listen to complex messages, process them into another language, and push them out to the audience while simultaneously listening to the next message requires constant brain work and puts a lot of stress on the highly trained linguist.

Trust us: one person cannot do this job alone.

We have been asked to do companies a favor because it’s simply not in their budget to hire two professional conference interpreters. We are in the business of interpreting because we love to help people communicate and believe in equal access to communication, so yes, we like to help. But help and hindrance are two vastly different things. Sending one simultaneous interpreter into the battlefield of interpreting is exactly like sending one soldier into the battlefield of war.

Failure #3: Don’t hire a professional interpreter.

This is our favorite comment: “Just get someone that speaks Spanish, anyone can do this.” Um well no, “anyone “cannot do this. I know how to brush my teeth, so does that mean I am qualified to be a dental hygienist? Obviously not. Speaking a language does not qualify anyone as a simultaneous interpreter. There are years of practice and studying that go into preparing a professional interpreter for challenging simultaneous interpretations. Simultaneous interpretation is widely considered a professional skill and an internationally revered profession. Failing to hire a professional interpreter will surely leave the audience in the dark.

It’s true that interpreters are often heard yet rarely seen.

Our simultaneous interpreting skill set and training is much deeper than just speaking two languages. We work hard to accurately and completely convey complex messages and are proud to be your voice when you need to speak to the world.

Don’t follow our 3 steps to failure and your next multilingual event will be a success.

INGCO International, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is proud to provide the very best simultaneous and consecutive interpreters in over 200 languages across the globe. We look forward to talking to you about your next multilingual event and helping you make it a smashing success. Contact us today.

Conference Interpreters for FITASC Event

Ingrid Christensen — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 23:05:59 +0000

Conference Interpreter Services for Global Event

INGCO International was proud to provide conference interpreters for the FITASC annual meeting this week in Mankato, Minnesota. Our interpreter team provided simultaneous and relay interpretation services for audience members representing 20+ different countries that participate in the organization. FITASC is an acronym standing for the French words: Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse. Sport shooting is a type of shotgun sport shooting similar to sporting clays, trap and skeet.

Sport shooting is an international competitive sport involving tests of proficiency (accuracy and speed) using various types of guns. Research suggests that 15% of Americans are active sport shooters. Bloomberg reports that US high schools are embracing sport shooting as a “hot new sport.”

“Preparing to interpret for any event is time consuming and intensive. Preparing for this event was no different. I am not a sport shooter and knew absolutely nothing about the sport before accepting this assignment. I can with 100% confidence say that I now know more about the sport than anyone else I know. This is one of the reasons why I love the profession of interpreting; what other job exposes you to such a broad range of concepts on a daily basis?”

“It is true that interpreters must walk into every assignment and be prepared admit when we don’t know a term or word. We carry along with us a plethora of tools and reference material to quickly find terms and vocabulary on the fly. When I first started in this industry, that included a complete suitcase full of dictionaries and glossaries that I would select based upon my assignment: legal, medical and business reference material all had their own suitcase. Now we primarily rely on technology like laptops and iPads. No doubt this has eased my back pain over the past few years!”

Minnesota is home to the World Sporting Championships Final of the World Cup. The Championships will take place at the Caribou Gun Club in LeSeur, Minnesota and will bring over 740 athletes from across the globe.

Looking for information for your conference interpreting needs across the globe?