The world has become a global village with multilingual people communicating with each other across the borders. Businesses are booming because they are ready to expand their services in international markets. This requires them to collaborate, communicate and reach agreements with foreign parties. But how do they understand them? Interpretation services come in handy in situations like business traveling, legal and medical appointments, conferences and meetings.
Interpretation services are offered by all translation services South Africa agencies that have a pool of talented multilingual linguists who have a native’s command over languages and can perform instant interpretation in different situations. Without professional interpreters, you risk your company’s reputation because what you say may not be conveyed in the same spirit and understanding. The miscommunication can lead to unimaginable losses in business deals.
Here are the main two types of interpretation services and what impacts one can face if there is a lack of professional interpretation services.
Consecutive Interpretation Services
Consecutive interpreting is when an interpreter translates one sentence, phrase or thought at a time as the speaker speaks. The speaker can give a short pause after speaking his thought for the interpreter to quickly translate into another language. It is one of the most popular types of interpreting services.
Consecutive interpretation is best used in settings that involve a large audience where the majority of participants speak the same language. It can be used in press conferences, international seminars, presentations and shows for foreign guests. The interpreters might speak the translation into a mic which is connected to the headphones worn by the audience. Consecutive interpreting services are also appropriate in legal settings like in courtroom or in medical situations like dealing with foreign patients in hospitals.
When there is a lack of professional interpretation services, it poses a great risk of miscommunication in such important situations. An incompetent interpreter may miscommunicate a doctor’s recommendations to the patient which can have dire consequences on the patient’s health. Similarly, an incompetent interpreter may miscommunicate the legal proceedings in a courtroom which can lead to unauthentic records and misunderstandings. If an unprofessional interpreter is hosting a conference or delegation of foreigners, the miscommunication can lead to a gap in understanding and the whole purpose of the conference will be defeated not to mention the business losses incurred.
Simultaneous Interpretation Services
It is when an interpreter translates what is being said without a pause, in real time in the target language. The interpreter has to work quite fast by listening to what is being said and quickly translating it simultaneously. Simultaneous interpretation is appropriate in multinational conferences and meetings. This way each participant can have access to the information in his own native language because multiple interpreters can translate simultaneously through a mic attached to headphones of the participant.
In simultaneous interpretation, there is no room for ambiguity as a lost sentence can change the whole meaning of what is being said. The interpreters need to be competent, have an excellent memory and expertise to translate while the source speaker continues to speak without a pause. It requires a very high level of concentration by the interpreter.
Simultaneous interpretation is great in situations where there is one on one meeting or small gatherings. It can also be used over the phone between delegates. Often business travelers prefer simultaneous interpreters to accompany them on trips.
Lack of professional simultaneous interpretation service can be very harmful for a company or an individual who is looking to convey an important message while being short on time. The speaker has no way to check if the interpreter is being accurate because he is speaking without a stop. An unprofessional interpreter can easily miss out on sentences or create gaps that will create confusion in for the listeners. Doing so will also cause a loss of meaningful message. In situations where a business deal has to be closed, an unprofessional interpreter may miss out on important details that may have to become part of a legal contract.
Interpretation services can only work if you hire professional interpreters who know the art of interpretation while having a really strong command over the languages. Anything less than this can have dire consequences and negatively impact the event for which you need interpretation services.
