Working around the clock

The good thing about being a freelance interpreter or translator is that you can choose (in theory) when you want to work and when you want to be free. The bad thing is that sometimes your clients need you to interpret until the wee small hours of the morning or sometimes you have to work on a translation over the weekend.
Today I'm in the "graveyard shift" for the plenary session of the European Parliament. We start at 9PM and we shouldn't work longer than until midnight. Even though I have not had any serious assignments in the morning, it's only natural that my brain still works less efficiently in the evening.
I find it helps to have a stimulating conversation with friends before I go to work so that my mood is up, even if the sun goes down. I do not read a book or anything serious requiring my full concentration before a night assignment. I prefer to browse the internet for some light reading, just to keep my brain "warmed up".
I always make sure to have some snacks in the booth, to keep the sugar levels up and my mood above zero. It also helps to set a lower temperature in the booth if it were too warm and cosy it would be more difficult to fight fatigue.
We also take turns more frequently. During daytime, I prefer to have longer stints, if the language combination we have in the booth allows that. But in the nighttime we may switch even after each speaker. Especially during the so called "one minute speeches". Yes it is as bad as it sounds, every member of parliament has exactly one minute to mention an issue close to his or her heart. So it sometimes feels like a speed-reading competition and it is very tiring.
No matter what we do, we will be tired and yet revved-up at the same time. I guess it will take my brain at least an hour after I come home to "shut down" ... like a very old windows computer.

Interview with a linguist

I'm certainly not a celebrity so the chances that I will in fact be interviewed are rather slim. But who says, I cannot give a fictional interview just to introduce myself to my readers? So here it comes:
Q: Who are you and why do you think we should be interested?
A: I'm a freelance translator and interpreter with over 16 years of experience in the language industry. In these 16 years I have encountered many interesting people, worked on interesting subjects, and in I like to share my stories.
Q: What is actually the difference between a translator and an interpreter isn't it just the same?
A: No, it's not the same. As a matter of fact it's two quite different activities. A translator is someone who works with written text. They might be translating books or scientific articles, contracts, marketing materials ... you name it. They can and do use dictionaries, they have the possibility to consult with their clients, search the internet to check the terminology. They have the time to do it, whereas an interpreter is someone who "translates" orally - in a meeting, conference, at the doctor's and in many other situations. There is no time to look up a word in a dictionary, or search the world wide web. It's instant communication. It can be very stressful, but also very rewarding as you have direct contact with the people you work for.
Q: But you can be both a translator and an interpreter?
A: Yes, you can, but there are people who specialise in either translation or interpreting. It takes a different skill to be a good translator or to be a good interpreter.
Q: So what are the basic skills you need?
A: I'd start with the perfect command of your mother tongue, something which is often overlooked. But as "communicators" we have a responsibility towards language, sometimes we create new words or word combinations and the way we speak or write can influence language. Just as much as journalists or politicians do. When there is a word that has no equivalent in our mother tongue, it's up to us to find the best possible solution.
Of course you have to have an excellent command of the foreign language as well. It goes without saying that you have to avoid grammar mistakes . Also, you have to use the correct language register, sometimes the source language may need to be more formal than the target language. There are many more factors that need to be taken into account.
You have to understand the subtleties, read "between the lines" , the cultural context, because translating or interpreting is not about words. It's mediating between two cultures, something that is perfectly acceptable in one culture may be taboo in another culture.
Q: Nowadays it seems like everybody speaks English, it is widely used on the Internet, at conferences, in companies ... why should we consider using interpreters or translators?
A: Let's say you want to sign a contract with your foreign business partner. It's worth €100.000 but there are "general terms and conditions" several pages long in small print, stipulating all possibilities you could think of. Now, how do you feel about reading "legalese" in your own language. If you're not a lawyer, you probably don't feel very comfortable, because legal texts are difficult to understand. And now imagine the same in a foreign language, even if it's the widely used English language. I would rather understand everything perfectly before I sign it, wouldn't you?
And as for interpretation: again, imagine you're discussing the delivery of the goods you're manufacturing, setting up a contract, every word counts. You have to focus on your negotiating strategy and on a foreign language. Unless you use that language on a fairly regular basis, you might be at a disadvantage compared with your counterpart who's a native speaker. Wouldn't it be nice to take some pressure off and gain some thinking time, while the professional interpreter is at work?
Of course if English is your mother tongue, the situation turns around. You want to make sure that your counterpart really understood what you meant, you want to sell your products and don't want to put off your customers by using a language that is foreign to them.
Interpreters and translators can be useful in many situations. Just make sure, you pick the right ones.