Key words: Business talks, business meeting, formality, simultaneous interpreting, tabun;
Interpreting Business Talks
Purpose of Business Interpreting Services
Business interpreting becomes a vital tool when you are hosting a meeting or conference that is going to be attended by persons speaking different languages. Interpreting for business meetings will help you facilitate communication. Interpreters ensure that each conference participant can understand what is being presented or discussed in the meeting and ensure that they grasp the true meaning of the speeches being delivered in their own language.
Providing an interpreting service during an international business meeting shows that you care for your participants and colleagues. You understand that they need to comprehend what is going on in the meeting even if you do not speak a common language. Moreover, it shows that you are serious about making the meeting a success.
Things to Do Prior to the Business Meeting
You have to keep in mind that it is better to hire an industry-specific business interpreting service. They understand your industry better. They would be familiar with the industry-specific terminology, so they can provide the right feedback and help ensure accurate delivery of the interpreting services. In some instances, they may need to answer questions from participants or even mediate meeting-related conversations.
After you have found a business interpreting service provider, the first thing you should do is hold a pre-meeting to establish the conditions required for the meeting. This initial meeting will help remove all the miscommunication, misconceptions and untoward expectations.
It will help you to understand the interpreting process and discuss how it can better fit your meeting and meet the needs of the participants. It’s the time to discuss the agenda of the meeting, its structure and the languages required. The translation company can help you plan a better seating arrangement and go over the jargon and phrases that are not easy to interpret or translate.
When discussing the language requirements, it is also important to know the languages of all the delegates or participants. It will greatly help the interpreters if you can also tell them the regions where the participants are coming from, as some languages have specific dialects inherent to a particular region. It will help the translation company find the right interpreter who speaks the language/dialect fluently, ensuring the accuracy of the translation.
Use the initial meeting to discuss the key points of the discussion or presentation. Show them your plan so that they can help you identify some issues that can affect the translation. Give them copies of the prepared speeches so they can study and get familiar with the content and the key messages. It helps the interpreters do their job with better understanding and interpret with conviction.
It is important for the client to understand that they should allocate time to meet with the interpreters. The meeting should not be rushed. You should go over all the points that need to be discussed and make the necessary revisions and alterations, since these could help you and them to plan and prepare for the business meeting better.
Once you have settled all the details with your business interpreting services provider, you can adjust your plans based on what you have discussed with the interpreters.
It is essential to announce that interpreters will be available during the meeting to all participants and other people involved in the meeting. If the business interpreting services will be available in specific languages only, see to it that everyone is informed what languages are available. Some participants may be bilingual and they will have the time to change their presentations into another language.
