It is difficult to overestimate the work and responsibility of an interpreter in international negotiations. Mutual understanding between the parties, the clarity of the decisions reached, as well as the general atmosphere of the event depend on this employee. To ensure the successful completion of these tasks, the translator must behave in a certain way during negotiations.
Instructions
Step 1
If possible, prepare for an upcoming event. Find out the topic of the negotiations, check out the maximum amount of materials available. You should be perfectly familiar with the vocabulary and the essence of the issue in both foreign and native languages. Directly during the negotiations, you can clarify only some details (numbers, proper names, minor nuances).
Step 2
If it happened that you were invited to translate a conversation in an area where you do not understand at all as a specialist, try to grasp the topic as quickly as possible. When you apologize to one of the participants, you have the right to ask a few clear and short questions to the other. For example, to clarify the essence of the concepts, without which it is impossible for you to make a correct translation.
Step 3
When interpreting consecutively, when you first listen to one interlocutor, and then translate loudly, use cursive. Capture your main thoughts with symbols, and write down all precision words and numbers in full. As a rule, the speaker, not you, determines the rhythm and volume of the phrase to be translated. However, if a negotiator forgets to pause to be transferred, you can politely and delicately signal him to stop.
Step 4
During simultaneous interpretation (when you are performing a whispering translation at the same time as the speaker), your task is to speak clearly and at a sufficient volume. Your professionalism and ability to listen and speak at the same time come to the fore. You will no longer have time to clarify something, as well as the opportunity to ask what you heard. In this case, you must be extremely collected. A delicate moment: take care of the freshness of your breath, since you will have to speak as close to the interlocutor as possible.
Step 5
If negotiations take place over food, which happens quite often, you are not allowed to eat. The most you can afford is a few sips of a soft drink (water, juice, coffee) while one of the conversation participants is speaking. Chewing anything, even very quickly, or drinking alcoholic beverages is unacceptable.
