Telephone Interpreter Skills and Resources for Professionals
Filed in: Telephone Interpretation Add comments
(Last Updated On: June 15, 2015)
There is a huge demand for translating and interpreting services nowadays. There are also plenty of career opportunities for translators and interpreters. They are needed at all sorts of conferences and events, they are required by numerous business owners, and they have to translate various manuals and books. So what telephone interpreting skills are required for being a professional interpreter?
Telephone interpreting is becoming more and more popular, and in certain cases, it can even replace face to face interpreting. Telephone interpreting can be very useful in a variety of situations. It is the perfect service for business partners who do not speak the same language or for people who are not very good in English but want to sort things out with institutions, banks, hospitals and so on. Telephone interpreters can work from virtually anywhere. However, there are certain telephone interpreter skills required in order to be a professional.
Just like all the other interpreters, the ones who work over the phone also need to be proficient in English and in another language. They need to master both the source and the target language. Besides language abilities, professionals also need to have other important telephone interpreter skills. First, telephone interpreting can put them in a variety of awkward situations. Sometimes they have to face technical problems or they have to perform their job despite poor sound quality or strong background noises. Regardless of all problems that might occur, a telephone interpreter should be able to perform his work.
Telephone interpreters must be able to speak loud and clear. They usually perform consecutive interpreting, so they should be able to take notes and convey messages exactly from one language to another. It is not allowed for an interpreter to leave something out or to add information. He or she must translate the exact information that they receive. Organizational skills are the most required telephone interpreter skills. Even though interpreting should be objective and accurate, interpreters often take notes and organize the ideas of the speaker in a manner that helps them translate easier.
Telephone interpreters can not rely on body language like face-to-face interpreters. They have to recognize voice tones and to interpret them correctly. More than that, telephone interpreters need to be aware of cultural differences. They cannot afford to miss details that might make a huge difference. Good interpreters are sensitive regarding cultural aspects and are highly adaptable. In most of the cases, they do not know exactly how the discussion is going to be, so they need to adapt quickly to any circumstance.
There are more telephone interpreter skills required in order to become a professional interpreter, but the above should point you in the right direction.
The most important telephone interpreter skills
There is a huge demand for translating and interpreting services nowadays. There are also plenty of career opportunities for translators and interpreters. They are needed at all sorts of conferences and events, they are required by numerous business owners, and they have to translate various manuals and books. So what telephone interpreting skills are required for being a professional interpreter?
Telephone interpreting is becoming more and more popular, and in certain cases, it can even replace face to face interpreting. Telephone interpreting can be very useful in a variety of situations. It is the perfect service for business partners who do not speak the same language or for people who are not very good in English but want to sort things out with institutions, banks, hospitals and so on. Telephone interpreters can work from virtually anywhere. However, there are certain telephone interpreter skills required in order to be a professional.
Just like all the other interpreters, the ones who work over the phone also need to be proficient in English and in another language. They need to master both the source and the target language. Besides language abilities, professionals also need to have other important telephone interpreter skills. First, telephone interpreting can put them in a variety of awkward situations. Sometimes they have to face technical problems or they have to perform their job despite poor sound quality or strong background noises. Regardless of all problems that might occur, a telephone interpreter should be able to perform his work.
Telephone interpreters must be able to speak loud and clear. They usually perform consecutive interpreting, so they should be able to take notes and convey messages exactly from one language to another. It is not allowed for an interpreter to leave something out or to add information. He or she must translate the exact information that they receive. Organizational skills are the most required telephone interpreter skills. Even though interpreting should be objective and accurate, interpreters often take notes and organize the ideas of the speaker in a manner that helps them translate easier.
Telephone interpreters can not rely on body language like face-to-face interpreters. They have to recognize voice tones and to interpret them correctly. More than that, telephone interpreters need to be aware of cultural differences. They cannot afford to miss details that might make a huge difference. Good interpreters are sensitive regarding cultural aspects and are highly adaptable. In most of the cases, they do not know exactly how the discussion is going to be, so they need to adapt quickly to any circumstance.
There are more telephone interpreter skills required in order to become a professional interpreter, but the above should point you in the right direction.