Even the most multilingual heads of state and politicians utilize conference interpreters in important meetings and crucial events. They know when it comes to the fragile, silken threads that often bind international diplomacy on all fronts 鈥� political, professional and humanitarian 鈥� precise words are essential to fluid communication. This respect for language and its effect on relationships is even more critical in nations where more than one 鈥� or many 鈥� languages are spoken within the same borders.

In our current climate of political and even ethical polarization 鈥� in our own government as well as the realm of foreign affairs 鈥� accurate, precise, and nuanced language has never been more important. Thus, it鈥檚 worth taking time to ponder the importance of language of politics, and how it connects the people of a nation 鈥� and the world听鈥� to their personal, political experience. And in this regard, the role of the interpreters is paramount, as they often hold the in the words they choose and are bound by , and code of ethics, as highlighted recently in one of the latest political and diplomatic scandals.

What is the 鈥渙fficial鈥� language of politics?

Is English the official language of politics? And, if so, what is the overall outcome of that? Comfortably sitting in the 21^st century, it is easy to defend the need for an official international language, and why that language should be English. And while French used to be the language of diplomacy par excellence until recently, some argue that it will once again become the most commonly spoken language in the world,听tripling to 750 million speakers by 2050, accounting for 8% of the world鈥檚 population compared to only 3% for English. This, however, is due to hundreds of years of British and French colonial rule over nations that deserved to be sovereign and the global political and economic continuing ramifications of that colonization.

As renowned social scientist Atle Hetland writes in , arguably all competent linguists 鈥渨ould also suggest that the accuracy, hence the scientific precision, would be higher if one used one鈥檚 mother tongue.鈥� In other words, all languages matter.

While we can all agree that having some degree of language commonality makes sense in the general global arena, it鈥檚 also clear that eradicating the ability for global heads of state, or anyone involved in business or foreign affairs, to speak in their native language would be a grave mistake. It is essential that important political and global figures have the ability to express their thoughts and ideas as comfortably and fluidly as possible, and it is equally important that the target audience has the ability to receive the words accurately and comfortably in their own language. The potential for harmful lack of accuracy, and Hetland鈥檚 remarked 鈥渟cientific precision,鈥� (or any precision for that matter), poses too great a risk when we strip away the importance of one鈥檚 native tongue from the sensitive, delicate and powerful world of global politics.

Heads of state should become familiar with foreign languages

In this incredibly shrinking world of ours, it makes sense for heads of state in powerful countries to become familiar with other languages, if not passably proficient in at least one (perhaps Spanish or French for U.S. heads of state that share borders with Mexico and Canada). There are several reasons for this beyond the cultural nicety of showing you care. The more you learn to read, write and speak a foreign language, the more you learn about your own, understand its intricacies and potentially become a better writer, reader, and speaker in your own native tongue.

While a conference interpreter is prepared to do the lion鈥檚 share of the work, anyone familiar with foreign languages is better able to negotiate a multilingual situation, especially if technical glitches or unforeseen circumstances occur.

Does the adoption of 鈥渙fficial鈥� languages eradicate indigenous counterparts?

The very unfortunate reality is that along with the progress of globalization has come the diminishment and disappearance of indigenous and colloquial languages around the world. According to , 230 world languages became extinct between the years 1950 and 2010, and as of 2018, one-third of the world鈥檚 languages have only 1,000听active speakers.

The obvious downfall for any society that doesn鈥檛 support the life of all its languages is that the voices of the minority, those most frequently subjugated, are erased from the social and political landscape. That is never good for humanity. And, of course, as language disappears, so does one鈥檚 culture and ability to express oneself at the most personal level. Linguists are painfully aware of this as we know countless, precious words that represent certain emotions, feelings and experiences exist in one language 鈥� but not another.

A simple example: in German the word heimat means home or homeland, and as such, it is an important word of diplomacy 鈥� but it also means something more profound than that. A German speaker using the word heimat is also referring to a sense of longing, belonging, and familiarity. This nuance is integral to the full, accurate expression of the sentence and a consecutive interpreter must find a way to harness that feeling and meaning in the target audience鈥檚 language. Extrapolate this idea into the international and political arenas, and you can easily see how important it is that we preserve every nuance possible that facilitates accurate, honest and genuine communication between world leaders 鈥� and that we support the use of ethical and professional, native-speaking interpreters to support that effort.

Are you interested in working with consecutive interpreters who are not only superbly qualified to attend political events 鈥� including G-8/G-20 summits and presidential and ministerial meetings in New York City and beyond 鈥� but who also care very deeply that your message lands with expressive precision and accuracy? Contact us here at 成人动漫.

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At the most basic level, you听hire a team of professional interpreters to communicate your message via the target audience鈥檚 preferred language. From a macro perspective, there is so much more going on than that.

From the way your interpreter team looks and dresses, to their personal conduct and the manner by which they handle a wide range of topics and situations 鈥� all reflect directly on your company, its message, and your brand.

To put your brand鈥檚 best face forward, it is critical that you find and work with a team of interpreters whom you can trust and who 鈥済et鈥� what your company stands for.

Interpreting the interpreter鈥檚 code of ethics

From the professional, industry-driven level to the personal and intuitive one, there is an interpreter鈥檚 code of ethics that should be adhered to at every event in which an interpreter works. You can read听 AIIC鈥檚 specific on your own, but we鈥檝e summed it up for you.

Here are some of the things you should look for 鈥� and insist upon 鈥� whenever you work with a professional team of interpreters 鈥� whether they鈥檙e community-based or conference level professionals.

Confidentiality is a must-have

First and foremost, our interpreters abide by a strict adherence to confidentiality. It doesn鈥檛 matter whether they鈥檙e working with trademarked secrets or interpreting casual conversation at an industry fundraiser 鈥� our team considers each individual, situation, subject matter and topic of interest as if it is protected by government security restrictions.

By treating each client, each target audience member and each piece of shared information as completely private and confidential, interpreters never risk 鈥渟lipping鈥� something they shouldn鈥檛 in their professional and personal life.

An important note about our troubled times:听You may have read in the news about our unlucky colleague harassed by the press for having recently interpreted at a high-profile political case. In our society where sensationalism is king, an interpreter鈥檚 code of ethics requires that they听never听share their notes taken during an event, documents they may have received from a client or any personal opinion they may have on a particular meeting with even one鈥檚 colleagues, friends or spouse 鈥� let alone with the competition or the media. If you don鈥檛 trust your interpreter, you can鈥檛 trust the work they are doing in building bridges and creating ties with your target customers, prospects, clients, other delegates.听We at CCA commend this colleague for refusing to divulge any information to the press,听regardless of his political views.

Dress code translates to 鈥渄ress for the occasion鈥�

Yes, we take interpreting very seriously, but that doesn鈥檛 mean we advocate dressing in a suit听if our Japanese interpreter was hired to work at a casual company luau. On the flip side, of course, an interpreter should probably never welcome a delegation in a Hawaiian shirt and flip flops鈥�

If you opt to hire a freelance interpreter, rather than one who works with a professional language services firm, make sure you are very clear on what the interpreter should and shouldn鈥檛 wear so neither you nor they feel embarrassed when it鈥檚 time to get to work 鈥� or play.

Ethics and honesty are paramount

There are many different approaches and tactics used by interpreters to convey their client鈥檚 message to the target audience. The most obvious of these would be the decision between when to use consecutive versus simultaneous interpretation in a given scenario. You may find during the pre-event consultations that your interpretation services provider has recommended whisper interpreting at a particular function, rather than simultaneous interpretation using a booth, in order to create a more personal atmosphere while still remaining respectful of the message.

Not surprisingly, whisper and consecutive interpreting services are usually more affordable than simultaneous interpreting, which requires a booth, console and other technical interpreter equipment, but they do not offer the same level of comfort, neither for the audience nor the interpreter. If you鈥檙e not working with an honest language solutions firm, you can wind up paying for services and interpretation equipment you don鈥檛 need.

Professional interpreters should be prepared for all types of scenario

When things are business-like and straightforward, an interpreter easily allows his or her own self to fade into the background. This becomes more challenging, however, if the subject matter or a heated conversation between your representatives and the clients becomes more intense or laden with conflict. Even then, professional interpreters must remain calm, neutral and act as your advocates 鈥� regardless of their personal feelings or opinions. At CCA, we insist that our interpreters have hundreds of hours of conference-level interpreting experience under their belt. This will make a tremendous difference in the quality of your interpretations, particularly if the subject matter is particularly sensitive, controversial or stressful.

When it comes to professional interpreting, preparation is one of the foundations of success. In order to be prepared, your interpreter team needs the opportunity to consult with you on everything from the setting and dress code, as well as any documentation that will be used, scripts that have been drafted, who your key players are, the tone you want to maintain and so on.听 Ideally, this would happen in person but emails, phone calls and/or teleconferencing will also do the trick.

Similarly, debriefing after a particular event is important 鈥� particularly if you鈥檙e planning to work with the team of interpreters again in the future. Discussing what went well, what could use some improvement, overall impressions, etc. will help to facilitate even better interpreting scenarios down the road.

Are you interested in working with a professional team of interpreters that considers itself as an extension of your clients and your mission? Contact 成人动漫 to learn more about our services and to experience the platinum standard in interpreting codes of conduct.

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