One thing to remember about working as an interpreter is that your training will help to prepare you for this role, but there's nothing like actually diving in and interpreting conversations in real time. You'll definitely experience a learning curve as you do so — listening to someone speaking in one language, translating it in your head and repeating the person's comments in another language, all while you continue to listen to what is being said, is a definite challenge. You'll find that you get more adept at this work as your experience increases, but here are three tips for excelling early on:
Look Directly At The Person's Mouth
When you're listening to someone for the purpose of interpreting what he or she is saying, one tip that can help you is to focus your attention on the person's mouth. If you're just looking generally at him or her, you can easily get distracted by small things, such as hand movements or facial expressions. You may also get distracted by what is going on around the person. When you focus exclusively on the person's mouth, you may find that it's easier to follow what the person is saying as you interpret it.
Filter Out Other Noises
In the world of interpreting, few things can derail you as quickly as other noises around you. For example, if you're interpreting a conversation in a public area and there's a public address system making announcements, it's easy to start listening to these announcements and quickly realize that you've missed a segment of the conversation. Try to consciously filter out other noises around you. This can be difficult, but telling yourself that you're solely interested in the conversation, regardless of what other noises may be present, can get you into the habit of effectively ignoring distractions.
Don't Be Afraid To Interrupt
It's important for new interpreters to remember that they play a key role in helping multiple people communicate. You're not just an observer, but an active participant in the conversation. To this end, it's important that you remember that you can interrupt when it's necessary. For example, if you have trouble with something one person has said, or you've been momentarily distracted by something around you, simply interjecting to have the speaker repeat himself or herself will ensure that there are no communication gaps — and this will keep your clients pleased with the service that you're offering.
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Although every culture is a little bit different, there are some parts of the world who have completely opposite takes on major issues, which is why I decided to learn more about anthropology. I wanted to know which things to say and which things to avoid when I was around different people, and although it was a lot to learn, I really started to feel comfortable with different cultures. Before I knew it, I could talk with just about anyone without any big problems, and it really made me feel powerful. This website is here to inspire other people to learn more about culture.