How to Work with a Telephone Interpreter

By Sarah-Claire Jordan

Many people, depending on their job or other factors, will have to use a telephone interpretation service at some point in their lives. It’s a good option for communicating important information back and forth between two parties who do not share a common language. It is especially useful when the party who has difficulty with English speaks a language that is not common in the area, like Chuukese or French Creole. In that case, you really only have two options sometimes: find an English-speaking relative or call up a telephone interpretation service.

If you’ve never worked with a telephone interpreter before, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First of all, make sure you introduce the interpreter to your client or get the interpreter to do so. Once the interpretation starts keep in mind that the style of interpretation done is consecutive, meaning the interpreter will wait until whoever is speaking is finished speaking before interpreting. Don’t be alarmed if there is a pause on the interpreter’s end, it just means they are thinking of the best way to relay the message.

Knowing that the interpreter will interpret several sentences at a time, try to say only one or two sentences at a time, and then pause. Speaking as clearly as possible is very important as well. If you are using specific terminology, be prepared to explain terms to the interpreter. Sometimes, a medical, financial, or other term doesn’t have a translation in another language, so the interpreter may have to figure out another way to explain it.

Remember, the interpreter you have called is a professional and knows what they are doing. Use them as a way to communicate with the other person, and speak to them in the same way you would your client or patient if they understood English. This means saying things like “How are you feeling today?” instead of “Ask them how they are feeling today”. It will make things go a lot smoother if you keep that in mind.

In order to make sure that everything was interpreted correctly, you can ask the interpreter questions to check if they understood what you wanted to communicate. You can also use the interpreter to ask if the client has understood everything and if they have any questions or doubts. This is a very important step, as things do get lost in translation once in a while. This will also make your client feel that they have received the best possible service and that you care that they understood everything.

The idea behind telephone interpretation is to provide a convenient and precise way for you to communicate with your client or another party that is limited in their English. It is much cheaper than hiring an interpreter to work with face-to-face, and no matter what language you need interpreted, you are guaranteed to find an interpreter. Good telephone interpretation services only use professional and certified interpreters, so you know you will be getting the most accurate interpretation possible.

For an overview of our translation expertise, visit our telephone interpreting service page

Category: Translation Services