Life as an Interpreter – Funny quotes and awkward situations

Hearing stuff you don't want to hear - Kidman in the Interpreter

Hearing stuff you don't want to hear - Kidman in the Interpreter © Universal Pictures

 

We all experience some awkwards moments in our life. In a past life as a French Chinese interpreter, I must say I encountered countless weird situations.

The Best Of…

  • From a lot of people : “What do you do?” “I am a french/chinese interpreter ” “Waw! And, do you speak chinese?” I honestly don’t know how many times I had to answer that one.
  • In France with a Chinese politic delegation – I was 23. The head of international relations of TV stations(probably thinking I was the hostess) “Can you go get the interpreter so we can get started?” “I am the interpreter”. The look on his face through the meeting was priceless.
  • In Jinan, Shandong province, with French acupuncters in a Chinese hospital. “Can you ask him if he knows where is the Spleen Meridian?” I still don’t have the slightest idea what is a Spleen Meridian.
  • From a town councillor during a cocktail in the honor of a Korean delegation  : “As you speak Chinese, you understand Korean too?” Minutes later, by the museum director. “As you speak Chinese, you understand Korean too?” I couldn’t resist “Yes naturally.Just like you : as a French, I assume you are fluent in Russian?”
  • In a theatre full of people while interpreting for a famous film director, a skinny guy from Taiwan right after I spoke :”No he didn’t say that. He said…” Basically just repeating the same with an awful accent. Thanks man..In the same theatre, a young French art student (the type with big hair) : “I have 3 questions”. Each of them lasted 5 minutes.
  • From another French interpreter : “I don’t know how to take it, but this lady just told me I look like a turtle. Do you think it’s some kind of compliment and a symbol of wiseness in China?” Surprised, I asked the Chinese lady “Why did you call her a turtle?” The Chinese lady (after much concentration) “I never called her a turtle. I called her a doll” The sound is not even close in Chinese…
  • Right before a live TV set, the director checking me out : “So, you want to be in the back or on set?”  Me (obviously not thinking) “As you like as long but I don’t do simultaneous”  ”Ok. Go on set” Have you ever seen an interpreter on a TV set? Well I did it…
  • From a French lady somewhere in the south of China :  “Can you ask where is the most remote village so we can go there and meet real peasants?”  As if the dudes we were seeing on the road weren’t real enough..Me (after carefully evaluating the situation) “Well there is one about 4 hrs walking but as it’s 11am and 40°C, I suggest we go to the nearest one. Only 1 hour walking through the mountain, okay?”
  • From a politician : “Don’t translate what I’m going to say. You are beautiful”.
  • From a Chinese business man during private oil negotiation where I was hired by the French side : “Don’t translate what I’m going to say. Do you want to work with us?” 
  • “So you speak Asian now?”

If you have some stories, please share xx

August 22, 2009 | BuzzandtheCity | Tags: , , | 4 Comments »

Life as an Interpreter – Insights

geek

 

When I was a child, I wanted to be an interpreter. It was all very clear in my mind. So at some point I grew up – but not quite, and became an interpreter.

Actually I celebrated my 20th birthday on my first assignment on a trip to Shandong province. From then, during 5/6 years in parallel of my studies/jobs I worked on different missions as a consecutive interpreter. I did it all: medicine & acupuncture, business & trade, crisis management, culture, tourism, books, travel, antiques, shopping, cinema, politics..This taught me a lot about China and I experienced amazing situations.

It is such an exciting job to do : never the same, always challenging. It taught me to work for very long hours with a high level of focus and pressure. I loved it. But (there is always a but) despite meeting interesting people, having access to a lot of information and doing a very much respected – and sometimes well-paid –  job, well an interpreter is constantly sleep deprived, under pressure and cannot eat at lunch/dinner because that’s the time people keep on talking and talking. Although I was always speaking, I never was speaking my mind : nobody wants the opinion of the interpreter and it is not your job anyway. So at some point, I moved to a different direction : media, but that’s another story.

As an interpreter in a past life, I feel entitle to share a few insights with those hiring translators and interpreters

  • Please consider this job is exhausting. Think about how tired you are at the end of the day. Multiply by 3 and you’re not even close to the level of exhaustion of an interpreter
  • An interpreter is not a machine nor a robot.
  • Briefs are very much welcomed if not mandatory. I once had a client saying “We’ll talk about environment”. Turned out the topic was oil trading. This is just annoying.
  • Don’t be cheap. I had clients who said “What?? But somebody just asked me for 10$”. 10$ job gives you 10$ performance.Period.
  • Make sure you hire the right person for the right job : don’t expect simultaneous interpreting with a student.
  • Simultaneous can only be made by professionals who had a special training (2 years at least).
  • Interpreting (oral) and translating (writing) are different jobs. One translator cannot necessarily interpret and vice versa.
  • Just because someone is fluent in a language doesn’t mean this person is able to interpret.

 

My best to all interpreters in the world xx

August 10, 2009 | BuzzandtheCity | Tags: , , , | No Comments »