Mission2go  >  How to Speak Through an Interpreter

Effective use of an interpreter is an important travel skill if you do not speak the local language.  Follow these guidelines to help the interpreter communicate what you are saying.

Determine Language Skills

Before you ask someone to interpret for you, you need to determine their fluency in English.  Have a conversation with the interpreter and ask questions about their family, village, country, etc.  Asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer is the only way to determine if they can actually understand what you are saying and communicate thoughts and facts.

If the interpreter is not fluent in English, it may help to use improper grammar.  Many languages build sentences in a different grammatical sequence. Speaking English improperly might more closely resemble the interpreters native tongue and increase their comprehension.

Decide on Technique

Once you have determined the interpreter's language skills, explain how you want to be translated.  There are three interpretation methods that you can use separately or in combination;

• You can have a complete conversation with the interpreter and then let them speak on your behalf
• The interpreter can translate several sentences at a time with a thought for thought method
• The interpreter can translate small phrases word for word to the extent possible

The method you use depends upon your circumstances.  Generally, the less the interpreter is your colleague, the less they understand the situation, or the poorer their English language skills, the more you need to use very small phrases translated word for word.  There are several signs you can watch for that indicate the interpretation is not going well:

• Even if you don't understand a thing being said, the time spoken in each language should be approximately the same.  If you talk for 15 seconds (a long time for an interpreter to follow) and the interpreter then only speaks for 4 seconds, something probably got lost in the translation.  The opposite is true as well
• Watch the body language of the person you are trying to communicate with, if it does not match what you would expect from someone who spoke and understood your language, something is wrong
• If your interpreter and the other person start arguing and you're not in the conversation, you no longer have a interpreter.  Best case... you have an advocate.  Worse case... you have an incompetent spokesmen. 

Difficult Situations

It is very tough to use a interpreter when you are talking about something controversial or needing to confront someone.  In these cases, it is imperative that you let your interpreter know that you want them to interpret exactly what is said and not try to shield either party.  If the other person goes on a tirade, yelling and spewing spit everywhere, and your interpreter looks at you and says the other person did not like what you said, you are getting a commentary, not an accurate interpretation.  Let your interpreter know that you will not be upset at them for repeating what was said.  If the other person tells you to buzz off and drop dead, you want the interpreter to translate, "buzz off and drop dead".

Having only one interpreter for a team is another difficult situation.  The team leader must make sure the interpreter knows who they are working for and not let them bounce from person to person during a conversation.  As a team leader, if you are having a conversation through an interpreter and one of your team members interrupts and starts talking to the interpreter, you must immediately tell them to shut their yapper and talk to you if they have something to add.   If you are not the team leader, the opposite is true.  If you think there is a better way to express a thought, or you think you are understanding something the team leader is not, talk to the team leader.  Don't try to take over the interpreter unless you have been given permission to do so.

Remember Your Ignorance

Treat your interpreters well, they have a very tough job.  Try to remember that no matter how bad they are, they obviously know the two languages better than you, or you would not be needing them in the first place.  After you've experienced a few tense negotiations, or long conversations through an interpreter, you will much better understand the necessity and the miracle of God giving the gift of tongues to those speaking at Pentecost.

SPEAK SLOWLY!    SPEAK CLEARLY!

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