Working with Interpreters

WHERE TO FIND SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETERS

© Copyright Joyce Trocki - First published 2004

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There have been many problems during this last year in the field of conference interpreting. Many of them appear to be related to professional and other conference organisers not understanding what is involved, what interpreters do and how they work, the importance of using trained and/or experienced interpreters and sound providers, and, most importantly, where and how to find these interpreters and the sound providers recommended by these interpreters.

There are points to watch so that you can avoid expensive mistakes, expensive because money will be wasted, you will lose credibility and work, and the entire conference and tourism industry will suffer as visitors go away with the impression that Africa cannot handle international conferences properly. This is not surprising when people who have never interpreted before claim that they can or want to interpret and then land up trying to do so, and when equipment and sound levels are not properly monitored or are not used correctly because the sound provider is not present or does not really know what is required.

You will need to know where to find accredited and experienced interpreters and how many interpreters you will need. This will depend on the programme and the number of delegates and their languages. Will you be running one plenary session throughout? For one session only, you will need at least 2 interpreters. If you intend running evening sessions, you may need another 2 interpreters. At international conferences, there are often three to four interpreters, say two English to French and two French to English, or one reserve.

There are established international rates for two interpreters per language combination working in one direction and for only two interpreters working in both directions. There is no set tariff in South Africa.

Will there be breakaway sessions? How many delegates will there be? How many languages will be used? How many breakaway groups will there be and how long will their meetings last? How many will there be? Will the groups be based on language or on other criteria? You may need extra interpreters depending on the organisation, duration and language of the breakaway session.

If you need an experienced and independent professional translator or interpreter, contact the

Translators and Interpreters Networks of Southern Africa (TINSA) at

or the Coordinator at Tel: 011 485 2511 Mobile: 083 249 0010 or see the website at