(Last Updated On: November 21, 2012)

Essential skills for interpreters

Here are some interesting facts about the hidden complexity of interpretation. Even though many people consider this activity as not being exceptional, we should all take into account the list of special skills a good interpreter must have:

• A good short term memory – this is vital for any interpreter, as several words or even a whole phrase have to be memorised before being processed by the brain. This skill can be improved by memorising short items such as poems, prose fragments, radio news etc.
• Intuition is considered to be an intense interaction between the two hemispheres in our brain. When intuition is working, a bridge is established in order to allow fast information transfer between the brain hemispheres, which work simultaneously at full speed. This happens in the brain during interpreting. The exact location of the interpreter’s language centers is not important, but what is of great importance is the ability to make both hemispheres co-ordinate their active functions, especially during simultaneous interpreting.
• Concentration – research has proved that, even after long and extensive training, it is not possible to divide someone’s attention into two separate actions that both require the highest concentration. Attention focuses on one item, while the other becomes secondary and “disappears” from “sight”.
• Activities interconnectivity – the speed of transition between different types of activity. The so-called dispersed attention allows us to maintain several different “objects” inside our field of attention. The more relaxed a person is, the better the dispersed attention results will be.
• The ability to speak and listen at the same time – strongly connected with the previous two skills, this ability can be easily developed by self-training, while watching TV or listening to the radio.

We are able to offer you all the features of a good telephone interpreting service provider at affordable prices. You can choose which interpreters to work with and how to manage your own interpreting business. Telephone Interpreting Service gives you all the tools you need to start your own interpreting business in no time, and profit from telephone interpretation without investing in expensive hardware and IT staff.