«Little by little, new American words started to become part of their everyday lives, infiltrating their Italian way of life, intermingling with the various Italian regional dialects, and ultimately bringing heart and soul to the streets of Little Italy. Years later, these continue to form an essential part of the Italian stereotype, something that can clearly be seen in famous films such as The Godfather.
If you didn’t think remote interpreting was profession that required compassion and warms the hearts, think again!
In times of crisis, such as famine, war, or natural disaster, society seem to show two extremes of human response. Panic and solidarity. Panic breeds defensive survival behaviors and typically blinds us to the needs or issues of others around us who may be going through the exact same struggles at the exact same time in the exact same place. Empathy and solidarity, on the other hand, make us aware of just that. There is a power in the awareness that one is not alone in their needs or struggles during national or international crises. Part of that power is shown when one struggling reactive family, becomes a thriving proactive neighborhood.
But how does this relate to interpreting? Simple! Our job is vital to the heath and information needs of a nation as diverse as the U.S.
Imagine learning through your child or neighbor that the country is on lockdown because of a potentially deadly virus going around, and not having a way to obtain official information in the language you best understand? Just relying on social media memes and people on the street? Not being able to communicate with your doctor or the staff handing out Covid tests? Having all the information is part of what has kept so many people from throwing themselves into panic and pandemonium. This is where performing our jobs as interpreters with a full sense of compassion and mission becomes crucial. The clients can hear that over the receiver, despite repeating only exactly what is being said from one person to the other.
Of course it’s the vital standard to interpret only what is being said, as it’s being said, and not add your own words or flair. However, there is a sense of mission one must carry into the field of interpretation. This sense of mission will inform the importance you give to an honest and heartfelt interpretation, no matter what the scenario.
In the video shared below, you will get an idea of just what I am talking about.
Can you name a single industry that has not been impacted (for better or worse) by the COVID-19 pandemic?
In the case of bilingual interpretation, mostly all have had to learn to move with the times and adapt technologically. Zoom has become a go- to platform not just for conference meetings and classrooms, but for consecutive interpreting. A simultaneous interpreting feature is in the works as well if not already rolled out to the public!
It cannot be left unsaid that an interpreter must still provide the best quality remote services in a time of distancing and high stress for society as a whole.
Check out these tips from seasoned interpreter Katy Kauffman and other interpretation vets on how to best provide for your clients in these times.
Often as a child I would wonder about how the languages got to be what it is today. I’m sure you did too!
But seriously, it is a thought that can even breed revolutionary ideas in a linguistic field.
Our friends at Phys.org take us on a very brief scientific exploration on the features and characteristics that keep a language from extinction, and the methods that they used to track and measure their hypothesis.
Click below and feed your brain thirst! #ThirstyThursday
There are many caveats to the English language when it comes to translating poetry.
Today we explore how some translators find creative measures in the translation of poetry to English from any other language as well as the necessity of communicating a message using two languages as a reality for some cultures.
Now, imagine having to find creative measures such as these in a live setting while interpreting simultaneously. An interpreter doesn’t have the luxury of pondering on creative accuracy. An interpreter is constantly browsing throughout the mind’s thesaurus to quickly and accurately convey what a client is looking to convey.
Some may insist that it’s impossible to appropriately translate poetry from one language into another, but
«…poet and award-winning literary translator Aaron Coleman tells NPR’s Michel Martin that the impossibility of translation shouldn’t stop us from appreciating the art of the verse.»
This very short and entertaining read (or 4 minute listen) might just be the boost of brain food you need on this hump day.
«A bit over a year ago, I wrote the article “Remote Interpreting: Not Even Remotely as Much Fun.” I focused on the FUN FACTOR involved in the interpreter’s lifestyle and how RSI platforms were the 1984 Terminator cyborg mercilessly killing all the fun. Since the start of the current pandemic, however, RSI platforms became the 1991 Terminator who’s here to save us from complete professional idleness.»
What is your favorite book? Have you seen it published in a language other than your native tongue? Imagine how much manpower is behind the production of the most critically- acclaimed novels and all the different linguistic challenges that were encountered to bring the world’s most influential stories to the hands of bibliophiles all over the globe.
Now imagine that with a series containing al sorts of made- up terms and names like the Harry Potter saga. This video will get you thinking and thanking a translator.
This weekend is set to be a huge moment for international sports. For the first time, the UFC will be hosting a fighting event in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, or better known to UFC fans, Fight Island. Mixed martial artists from all over the globe will clash COVID- free and duke it out to cement their legacy.
My question is this. How will the post- fight interviews be conducted live for non- English speaking fighters while implementing the distance regulations? We have seen fighters be taken to a location separate from the octagon cage, and the commentator/ interviewer appear on split screen in front of the cage. This would be a good time for Dana White to call inLingo for VRI or OPI services!
There have been so many times where an ill- prepared interpreter has dampened moments of glory and difficult moments of defeat during post- fight interviews. At worst, putting interviewers in dangerous situations inadvertently over the misuse of a word or phrase that challenges the fighter’s honor. At best, lulling the audience or paraphrasing the athlete’s message a bit too concisely. We can spend countless hours looking up «interpreter fails» of the sports world, but here is one classic example.
We have seen many moments on live television where an athlete pulls aside a coach or teammate to interpret for them on the spot. Often it turns out well, but in the event nobody in the team speaks the target language (often English), they may have a professional interpreter or two on site, and that’s where we see some fiascos and awkward moments. Undisputed champions are arising from all over the world and with that, so does the need for an adequate interpretation of their powerful and exciting words post- victory.
No matter how many years of experience one may have in the field, an interpreter must always prepare themselves ahead of time for work. They must learn terminology and become as familiar as possible with the structures or cultures of the organizations they will be interpreting for. Imagine being in an arena full of screaming spectators cheering for the victor, and the interviewer goes to ask about a strategy for the win. Are you familiar with the names of techniques the fighter is describing? What about that Bruce Lee quote they just threw out there to get the crowd more excited?
It’s about time the UFC and other international sports organizations hired resident interpreters who are not only familiar, but well- versed or even experienced in that arena. There are so many ways to make that work and raise the quality of the events tenfold! Imagine having a face as familiar in the interpreters as the commentators, announcers, and fighters. Fight fans know all these people by name and follow them on social media. Having a usual in- house Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian interpreter would only add to that quality.
Interpreters largely work as on- call independent contractors, making it a flexible and exciting career. UFC fighters are also independent contractors. Problem solved Dana White. Bring us into the business! We can make Fight Island even more exciting!
When my grandmother was a teenager, on Sundays, she used to have so much fun going to Piazza D’Armi (Torino, Italy) to watch these guys:
And some years later, as an adult, she witnessed this:
Remember when it used to cost an arm and a leg to make an international phone call? It used to be, maybe, a once-a-month event, and all the family on both ends would gather around to be able to say hi to your loved ones at an established day and time.
Then we had Skype. Free calls over the internet. Video, too, if you had a webcam, that is. And still, it had to be at an established day and time agreed upon over email.
Now we can see our loved ones with the touch of a button, anytime, from anywhere, for free.
Is it the same as seeing them in person? Of course not, but thank God, we have this new technology.
Can you imagine going through Covid-19 without the internet? Without WhatsApp, Facebook, Zoom, just to name a few platforms that are keeping us connected every day.
I know many people that cannot stand technology. Some hate social media. I even know of some people who still have a flip phone. Every single thing in life has positive and negative aspects. Nothing is perfect, and each and every one of us has different opinions.
“The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it”. Mark Wiser, Chief Technologist at Xerox PARC in the 1990s.
Think of computers, or, if we step back in time a little, all the appliances we have in our homes, from the refrigerator to washer and dryer, from AC to the microwave oven. Oh, and now we can talk to them, by the way. These are all things that “weaved themselves into the fabric of everyday life” — they are no longer special, they are normal. For our children, a smartphone is not a smartphone, it’s just a phone!
What fascinates me about new technologies is not the new technology itself, but to know that if it was given to the general public, it means that at some levels, it is already considered obsolete.
Why am I talking about all this? Because what we call “Progress” can be seen as good or bad, negative or positive, certainly not perfect, but only one thing is for sure: it’s inevitable!
Whether you like it or not, whether you want to stand your ground and fight to keep things as they are, the future is inevitable. And if you are not open to change (that’s another thing that is a constant in life, ergo, inevitable!), you are going to be left behind.
Please take the time to watch this video. It explains it beautifully.
So we need to “learn to collaborate with the inevitable,” (my mom used to tell me this all the time) which is to say not to become a victim of change but to own it, to take it into your own hands and use it to your advantage, to your progress. Trying to fight it is a waste of time and energy.
5G is yet another thing that has many negative as well as positive aspects, and regardless of how we feel about it, it is here to stay. So, let’s focus on the positive: connectivity issues are about to be a thing of the past.
With all that being said, remote interpreting is the future of our industry. Whether you like it or not.
Here’s another excellent quote “Interpreters will never be replaced by technology, they will be replaced by interpreters who use technology,” Bill Woods (Pioneer of Interpreting technologies).
VRI (Video Remote Interpretation) can now be 3-way or more. RSI (Remote Simultaneous Interpretation) maybe still have a few little technicalities to work around, but this opens the doors to a human-only trait that cannot be replaced: creativity. So with a bit of creativity, remote team interpreting can happen, actually it is happening, even without being in the same booth.
By the way, soon we will all be holograms, so more than likely, there will be a booth in conferences held in Virtual Reality settings.
Instead of driving fellow interpreters to self-sabotage, instead of trying to hang on to the past, today, especially during this crisis, the leaders in our industry have the duty of helping fellow interpreters to lean to collaborate with the inevitable.
The key to it is to either work with direct clients or with agencies ran by us interpreters such as inLingo.
Now my question to you is: Do you still have a flip phone?
Alessandra Campana,
Italian Interpreter, founder of inLingo, a Remote Interpretation company
It is not uncommon to hear that the bilingual brain is an efficiently multitasking brain. It is potentially less common however to observe the bilingual brain as it ages. Would it’s high functioning throughout life wear it out? Or does it make it more resilient in the face of disease and disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s?
The article below gives a brief yet rich insight into studies made regarding this very matter.
We’re helping you get over hump day with some laughter. Watch Camila Cabello and Jimmy Fallon have some fun with Google Translate Karaoke.
One of the most effective ways to learn another language is by singing it. Even better when you know the meaning in that other language. Using search engine translations can sometimes backfire though. Hire an expert! Trust a translator!
