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- Always speak in the first person; do not ask the interpreter to relay
information or ask the other person a question. The interpreter is your
mouthpiece, so speak directly to the other party as if you were both speaking
the same language.
- Languages
do not share perfect, one-to-one correspondences. For example, it takes 20 to
30% more words to interpret in Spanish what you have said in English. Speak a bit
more slowly than usual. Interpreters can interpret at speeds of 160 words per
minute if they know the subject matter, but may have trouble keeping up if the
terms are unfamiliar or if they need to retrieve a word from their passive
vocabulary.
- An interpreter’s goal is to say everything you say. You can help the
interpreter by accommodating her when she asks you to repeat a question,
phrase, or term.
- Because their work
is mentally taxing, interpreters need breaks, perhaps more often than anyone
else in the room. Remember that speakers take turns in a conversation: When you
stop talking, someone else begins. The interpreter, however, doesn’t get to
take advantage of this cognitive “pause”—she is actively processing everything
that is being said and then speaking herself. For this reason, breaks
are necessary.
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