Tag: strategies

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I didn’t save the world today. But I may have helped save a life.

Recently, I encouraged a very dear colleague of mine to try Public Service Interpreting (PSI). The working methods and remuneration differ considerably from classical Conference Interpreting (CI). But I enjoy this work, especially to bridge the gap between bigger CI assignments .

Today reminded me why.

I joined an emergency video call with no briefing or context. Five participants were speaking with a gentleman whose words I struggled to follow. There were technical difficulties, and for the first ten minutes, I questioned the connection, my understanding of his accent, and myself.

Then I realised that what I was hearing suggested a psychotic episode.

His speech jumped between childhood, today and tomorrow. Between countries, people and events, there was no discernible connection. I was struggling because I was trying to piece together a coherent message.

But the fragmentation itself was the message1

As soon as I recognised this, I paused the interpretation to address the five other participants in my own capacity as the interpreter. I explained that the French speaker’s train of thought lacked any discernible coherence or connection.

Then I resumed interpreting.

Our responsibility as interpreters, at any level, is to communicate faithfully, without adding, omitting or changing meaning. Making someone’s words comprehensible cannot mean supplying connections they have not made. In this situation, doing so could have obscured something essential for those assessing his condition.

At the end of what turned into a two-hour call, I could not know what difference my contribution had made. I still cannot. But experiences like this make me reflect on the place PSI holds within our profession.

CI often carries greater visibility and prestige. PSI takes place in more personal settings: an examination room, an asylum centre, a police station or a video call. Yet, the responsibility we carry is the same. And it’s immense.

In that moment, we may not be helping avert the next world war or stock market crash. But we may be helping someone receive urgent care, explain their circumstances or be understood at a decisive moment in their life.

For that person, the stakes can be life or death.

PSI deserves the same professional respect as CI. Different skills and working conditions do not make it less important. These encounters call for trained professionals whose judgement matters as much as their language skills.

Colleagues working in either field: how do you see the relationship between the two? Do we, as CIs, give PSI the recognition it deserves within our own profession? I look forward to your comments.

  1. Image by Petra from Pixabay ↩
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A Single Image Can Be a Game Changer

A picture is worth a thousand words1.

For interpreters, those words are more than a proverb. They are our method.

We are master linguists, yet we don’t get hung up on words. We work with concepts. That’s why our note-taking isn’t verbatim. We don’t necessarily write what was said; we capture what it means—using symbols, arrows and visual shorthand rather than complete sentences.

I’ve read a lot about the history of our profession and about interpreter cognition. One observation resurfaces again and again in the literature on interpreting: interpreters do not necessarily have photographic memories—but they do often have visual memories. Meaning is stored as imagery rather than text.

As a child, I struggled with numbers. Four-and-twenty. Six-and-fifty. Four twenties and ten… My brain simply refused to keep them in order. Then I discovered, if I could picture the numbers, then I could reproduce them. The image unlocked recall.

As it turns out, living inside a world of images is one of the things I love most about this profession. There is hardly a day that goes by without learning something new, solving a new puzzle, or finding a new visual connection to a difficult topic. I get through and master each day one image at a time.

Just recently, I worked on a high-stakes negotiation. My client was a French-speaking high-net-worth individual from an Arabic-speaking country. Her negotiating parties were German-speakers — representatives of major companies across Europe. The register was high on both sides. One of those assignments where conscious thought quietly steps aside and skilled execution simply takes over. The images in my head were clear. Everything landed exactly where it should. I left quietly satisfied and the client’s generous feedback suggested she was equally pleased.

A life of their own

But occasionally, the images in my head decide to take on a life of their own.

Last week, I had already finished my assigned caseload for the day, when I was approached to take just one more hearing. The scheduled interpreter was delayed and they needed someone now. All the info I was given for these legal proceedings was: a workers’ compensation case on unfair dismissal following an injury. Estimated hearing time: 30 minutes. The language pair was English / German — an Austrian legal team on the one side (not my native variety), and a very tall, broad-shouldered, deep-voiced American claimant on the other. Legal language. Medical terminology. Dialectal hurdles. Plenty to keep any interpreter (with or without prior preparation) on their toes.

The hearing commenced with general statements then came the routine question to the claimant.

“Sir, please state your profession for the record.”

“I’m a professional hockey player.”

Given all the euphoria at the moment around the Football World Cup dominating every screen, you’d think my brain might have conjured up football pitches, nerve racking penalty shoot-outs sans fin or even late-night calls from heads of state about a clearly unreasonable red card.

Wrong.

My visual memory took a very unwanted turn and decided to revisit a recently released HBO hockey series instead. The moment I heard the words, “I’m a hockey player,” the assignment became a high-stakes juggling act between professional Conference Interpreting and an imagination that had quite clearly decided to skate off in a different direction.

I was desperately trying to convince my visual memory that Austrian led courtroom proceedings had absolutely no place for testosterone-filled locker rooms, clouds of steam, impossibly broad shoulders and an inordinate number of over-muscular backsides. Suddenly, my visual memory had become my own Heated Rival.

Somehow, my professional brain won!

Interpreters aren’t machines. We process language through concepts, and, for many of us, those concepts arrive as images. Most of the time those images are our greatest ally. They anchor meaning, support recall and allow us to recreate a speaker’s ideas with remarkable precision. However, every now and then, those same images decide to entertain themselves.

La fin du conte ?

The record was accurate. The legal reasoning remained intact. Professional dignity survived. Once again, I was reminded that a single image really can change everything.

Every profession has its stories. Ours unfolds one image at a time.

Before I raise a glass to our brilliant profession, I’d love to hear your stories. Have you ever taken an unexpected mental detour? Has your imagination ever become your greatest ally—or your most heated rival?

  1. Image by gerren0 from Pixabay ↩
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Give and you shall receive

give_pic

Interestingly, the title phrase of this post, while often associated in the West with Christianity, conveys a sentiment found in various cultures and religions around the world*. Let us consider a compelling German saying that conveys a nearly identical message yet from a unique perspective:

Von Nichts, kommt nichts!

A straightforward interpretation of the German idiom might be:

  • Out of nothing comes nothing, or simply,
  • Give nothing. Get nothing.

Expanding this thought, however, can lead us to deeper expressions like:

💡 S(he) who sows no seeds will never harvest any fruit.

    As interpreters, we appreciate the nuances of language and the underlying principles of communication. Our work is not merely about converting words from one language to another; it’s about understanding context, intent, and the emotional resonance of what is being conveyed. This is where the “artistic aspect” of interpretation comes into play. Each seemingly simple phrase can blossom into something profound when considered deeply.

    The essence of giving and receiving is a universal principle, its application, however, varies across different contexts. It is in this variation that the beauty of our work lies. For interpreters must always be mindful of not just the literal meaning of words, but also the intention and nuance conveyed within the context.

    NB: This insight into the complexities that unfold in the minds of every well-trained Conference Interpreter may not always be immediately apparent to those who engage our services. So, if you work with interpreters, remember these words the next time you step up to the mic at an international conference:

    Our ethos at RvL Consultants is: Your words. Our expertise. Global impact.

    *The theme of reciprocity, articulated here as ‘Give and you shall receive,’ can be found across various cultures and philosophies, including the biblical excerpt from Mark 6:38.