What you need to do for consecutive interpreting to be really smooth and professional at the event
Consecutive interpreting is an interpreting technique mostly used during meetings where the interpreter is present in the room throughout the entire meeting and participates in the meeting, presentation. The interpreter transposes what is being discussed or presented in blocks - mostly, after one or several sentences, or possibly string of thoughts - into the target language. Through their ability to empathise, experienced interpreters with expertise in the given theme are capable of credibly and accurately reproducing what has been said, hence forging a bridge for thoughts. This makes it possible to avoid weak communication by beginner interpreters, who tend to focus on words, instead of connections, and fail to use appropriate language twists.
What should you pay attention to when arranging consecutive interpreting? Let's, for example, take a training held by a foreign trainer with Hungarian participants (for 10-15 individuals without a microphone) assisted by either one or two interpreters:
1. First of all you need to decide whether one or two interpreters are needed depending on the intensity of the training. If the trainer plans on holding a highly interactive training with few breaks that is packed with information and goes on for several days, it is worthwhile having two interpreters, since even if the interpreter is an expert in the topic, such a series of sessions would be far too much for one interpreter whose performance will deteriorate. However, in the following I will present a classical case when a training is held with only one interpreter.
2. Once the date of the training has been set, it is worthwhile arranging interpretation as soon as possible, because the diaries of good interpreters fill quickly.
3. Although using the same interpreter and/or an interpreter that is familiar with the topic in highly specialised areas is definitely an advantage; however, it is also worthwhile knowing that a routine interpreter is capable of interpreting almost any particular topic. Of course, the interpreter needs some background information and truly needs to have the routine and experience.
4. Once you have the interpreter, the following things need to be clarified and information provided to the interpreter preferably as earliest possible before the event.
a) What is the topic and programme of the training?
b) Who are the trainers, where are they from and what is their position? The names of institutions and positions are often so complex that it is definitely an advantage for the interpreter to know these in advance.
c) Lectures, presentations, speeches, etc. – I do not think I need to go into the details of the importance of this point. An interpreter needs input to be able to produce sufficient output. Although interpreting is like a blind fall and anything can happen anytime, if the interpreter knows in advance that, for example, the word colostrum will be used at the conference, she/he will be able to prepare for this. Otherwise, the interpreter will have to improvise, which may go both ways. (By the way, do you know what this word means? If you don’t, don’t worry, I didn’t either a few years ago. Otherwise, colostrum is the form of milk produced by the mammary glands of mammals which differs in both texture and composition to ordinary milk.)
d) Who the contact person will be at the venue on behalf of the contracting party and what her/his the telephone number is (if this person is not the same as the one with whom the contract was negotiated).
e) Will any audio or visual recordings be made at the training that record the voice of the interpreter? This needs to be clarified for reasons pertaining to copyright, because the interpreter is entitled to the interpretation as a product and if anyone wants to use this text beyond the “here and now”, this needs to be negotiated with the interpreter by paying for copyright surrender in certain cases.
f) If films are screened which need to be interpreted (possibly summarised), the interpreter needs to be ensured the opportunity to watch these beforehand.
g) From the perspective of the interpreter, as well as the rest of the participants, it is important to clarify whether lunch or coffee is served during coffee breaks in the case of a full-day training. It generally is.
5. On the day of the training: don't forget that sometimes the interpreter will be talking all day long and needs to drink. Interpreters need to preferably be provided mineral water throughout the duration of the training.
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