Questions to Ask Julia...#1

If you are one of the enlightened business people who think about the language component of your work at any time before the need arises, you most probably think that a bilingual with a degree in your field will interpret or translate better than I could.

But is this the best approach?

Expertise helps

It’s true, the subject matter expert will already understand the underlying concepts, and will already have an extensive knowledge of the vocabulary – both areas that I as a specialist in interpreting would have to prepare ahead of time to interpret your job properly.

And this expert is probably already a member of your staff, so someone who can help with any communications with your foreign language partners at any time, without adding to the costs of the project.

But is that true?

Hidden costs

In fact, aren’t there hidden costs in diverting your expert’s resources to communicating? 

For that period of time they are translating a message or interpreting a call, they aren’t focusing on the job that they were originally hired to do.  And if they are supposed to take time for these additional tasks, they will need more time to get back into the flow of the work that they usually do.  So you are paying something for that service – if not in money, then in lost time for their main work.

Two hats

Plus, if your expert is involved in the project that you want them to help you interpret for, they will be playing two roles:  that of the subject matter expert, and that of the interpreter. 

I have been involved in many negotiations where someone brought a member of their staff to interpret, and it was always unclear to the partners which hat the expert was wearing – were they speaking as an interpreter, in which case transmitting exactly what the other side was saying, or were they speaking as an expert, in which case ignoring what was said and saying what they thought was more appropriate. 

If only for clarity’s sake, it’s better if everyone at a meeting has a set role that is easy to understand.

Experts in what?

There is one more reason to hire me, someone who specializes in interpreting and communicating rather than the subject matter – experts know their field extremely well, but that may be all they know.  To do my job, I have to have a wide-ranging knowledge of the two languages and two cultures – both high and popular culture. 

After all, how many meetings have you been to that only ever talk about the matter at hand, and don’t digress into the latest film, or football match, or jokes and allusions to things that are well known in their culture?

I remember a meeting at one international organization where they mentioned Tom Hanks in “You’ve Got Mail” (actually quoting “The Godfather”).  And other meetings where people refer to television shows or books, or quote from poetry – when we were discussing press conferences, attitudes towards the military, or how to build a garbage dump using geotextiles. 

If you haven’t been reading/listening/watching the books/podcasts/shows that everyone else has been watching – in both cultures – how can you hope to keep up?

I am a subject matter expert – in interpreting and communicating. 

I am a highly specialized, highly trained professional, and part of that training taught me how to become expert in your field very quickly. 

I know exactly what to research and how to get up to speed enough to follow you in your discussions. 

Beyond the hours I spend preparing for your meeting, I have spent years in becoming familiar with the cultures of my working languages.

And in some cases, I am also a subject matter experts - in my own life I have experience with different fields. I may have interpreted certain topics for various clients over the course of years. But I also have been trained to transmit your message faithfully, whether it be about the subject or last night’s football match.

Confusion leads to no sales

Don’t make the mistake of having your partners becoming confused because they don’t know if your expert is actually saying what you are saying, or because your expert doesn’t understand the cultural background to your question.

You should hire an expert in communicating across the language barrier. I am an expert at what I do – interpreting – and I understand my role in your meeting clearly.

If you liked this article, please connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliapoger/ - and we can continue the conversation!