Surely you don’t need to know that much detail!

You phone to book an interpreter, and all you really want to do is get it organised. Why is it that you’re then besieged by requests for more information? Surely all the interpreter has to do is turn up and then interpret at the time. Aren’t they experts in swapping between languages? Besides, this is confidential stuff - what right have you to pass it on to someone else?

Let’s look at a couple of those things in a bit more detail. Interpreters are very skilled, but even they need to prepare for a job. Consider a comparable work situation you might find yourself in. Your boss asks you to attend a meeting with some other colleagues and a couple of outsiders. She doesn’t tell you what it’s about and gives you no agenda, just tells you that you should turn up at 10:30 am on Wednesday. You know the names of the other attendees - and that may give you some clues - but no concrete detail. What will your contribution be like? How switched on will you be? You are also no doubt very skilled in your work, but in this case you have read no documents, looked up no past history and you are mentally unprepared for what might come up. Equally, an interpreter who knows nothing about the subject matter of an assignment will not have looked up relevant vocabulary in either English or their other working language. They will cope, but the process will not run as smoothly, and your meeting is likely to be frequently interrupted with requests for repetition or clarification. This is especially the case if it involves unusual or little-known technical, legal or medical terms.

The need for information increases as the complexity of the assignment increases. For example, when presentations need interpreting, it’s best that you provide the interpreter in advance with either notes or PowerPoint slides. If you’re expecting to explain anything in depth to a client and have notes or diagrams, then providing them in advance will also make the experience much smoother. In Court, there are multiple complexities, ranging from legal terms to complex business arrangements under examination.

What about confidentiality, then? Providers generally ask for the non-English speaker’s name in the first instance, and this is so that neither you, nor your client, nor the interpreter find when they get to the appointment that they’re good friends or extended family of the client. But what about providing the content, the topic or the theme of the appointment? Be assured that the information will not go anywhere other than to the interpreter - and then only when the interpreter for that particular job has been confirmed. Quality Interpreting providers make sure that interpreters are bound by a confidentiality clause in their contract as part of the interpreter code of ethics. Office staff are also bound by confidentiality agreements, adhered to rigorously.

Language services providers don’t seek to make your life difficult by asking for details - the aim is to make your interpreting experience as accurate, smooth and transparent as it can be. We appreciate your help in making this happen, and you can expect us to continue to ask for it. If you have information to hand before you book, that’s even better.