Posts Tagged ‘interpretation’
Interpreters Can Give Advantage in Negotiations or Q&A
Even if you speak the language, interpreters can be an advantage in negotiations or question and answer sessions. As illustrated in the following example from the article "Downplaying linguistic ability can sometimes be to your advantage in business," interpreters can afford you a few extra seconds, seconds that can be incredibly valuable when [...]
Volunteer Interpreters for Japan
JAT (Japan Association of Translators) is assembling a list of volunteer interpreters to help in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami disaster. If you need an interpreter for your rescue, relief, aid or other organization, please contact someone on this list. If you can volunteer as an interpreter, please contact webmaster@jat.org to have [...]
Personal Space
Sometimes an interpreter is not the only thing you will need to communicate well in person. A little knowledge about cultural norms, greetings, and expectations of personal space will help too. Issues of personal space are explained in more detail with humorous anecdotes in the article, "Don't touch me: Personal space lost in translation," by [...]
Downplaying Linguistic Ability Can Sometimes Be to Your Advantage in Business
It is a saying well-known to most Americans — “Nobody likes a show-off.” Resisting the urge to flaunt your language skills can sometimes be a strategic benefit, and a measure of modesty may earn you a better impression. The benefits of such modesty were exemplified in the aftermath of a disastrous 2009 German-to-English translation error. [...]
Poll: Top Translation Blunders of 2010
Translation blunders made news throughout the year 2010. By translation blunders, we are not referring to urban legends like President John F. Kennedy's alleged slip-up saying "I am a jelly doughnut" - that never happened. Nor are we referring to Dave Barry's satirical claim, "The CEO of Toyota appears before a congressional committee and [...]
United Nations Interpreter Bloopers
United Nations interpreters are among the best in the world. However, UN interpreters work under very stressful circumstances and do not have the luxury of an editor to review words before they are spoken. Under such circumstances, UN interpreters are bound to make an occasional mistake. According to the BBC, one mistake actually resulted in a [...]
Conference Interpreters Work in Pairs
Conference interpreters should work in pairs so that they can switch off every 30 minutes and avoid interpreter fatigue as mentioned below in the video "A Day in the Life of a Translator/Interpreter." Interpreter fatigue is a very real issue. Studies have confirmed a very real decline in quality after 30 minutes of interpreting. This reality [...]
Baseball Interpreters in the News
White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen has received a lot of criticism this week for expressing his view that it is unfair for interpreters to always be assigned to Japanese players and not Latino players. Major League Baseball and various teams have responded by listing the many translation and interpretation services they provide for [...]
Thick-Skinned Hippo
At least a decade ago on the TV program "60 Minutes," interviewer Mike Wallace asked former Russian president Boris Yeltsin if he was thin-skinned about the press (and public criticism). Unfortunately, the interpreter asked Yeltsin if he was a "thick-skinned hippopotamus." Yeltsin responded sharply, "An experienced journalist like yourself [...]
World Cup Translation Bloopers
The New York Times recently noted that at least 17 languages are spoken by 32 teams at the 2010 World Cup, and FIFA referees have supposedly been brushing up on cursing in those languages so they know when to eject a player for committing the offense of "Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures." Even in an international [...]
