NOVEMBER 2007 Vol. 91 Ne ee Gon Jome Weer Col Tomar © Heer 37 PLC LiCl Robs 8 Autenfld Capt Marshew R Crouch 1 S650: | a8 | I aad | | 7a eta week eae) i The Care and Feeding of Your Interpreter Your success hinges on an accurate translation by LtCol Robert E. Lucius | ain’s Charles I once famously quipped that”. . . in my realm the sun never set.” Similaly, the once sprawling empire of Queen Victoria was likewise said to extend from dawn to dusk and back again un- broken. While the days of colonial em- pires such as these are perhaps long gone, at this very moment US. Marines still serve around the globe in every clime and place. Consequently, our ability #0 effectively communicate across both linguistic and cultural di- Vides remains a critical w: abler ther we undersea peril Although Marines usually find tain sensitive sitastions the professional interpreter my ‘o avoid any potentially disastrous mis- anderstandi : times only get one chance to make that first impression, when that time comes you should know how co ef tively use an interpretes During my time as a Marine attaché ipared in hundreds of meetings with foreign government of- ficial scorted dozens of sen ior US. military and civilian leaders, as well as countl'ss ocher delegations of itary officers. Over the course se expe I have learned through my own missteps how to work more effectively with the skilled profe. >LtCol Lucius isthe Marine Attaché and American Legation United States Naval Attaché, US. Defense ‘Attaché Office, Hanoi, Vietnam, {Is the message being conveyed correctly and without being altered by the interpotation (Peto by lich arg) Marine Corps Gazette» November 2007 www mes-marines orggezate 61sional interpreters who labor every day by my side. Td like to share with you some of the lessons gleaned from those experiences, including many of the pit- falls common (o the uniniziated. ‘What Do We Mean? Firs ics impostanc co sate right up front what interpretation is and what it is not. {nterpretation is the means by which the spoken word in one language is accurately rendered —both in content and context—into a different language in order co facilitate communication Although it is a term chat is often used interchangeably with translation, the Iatcer process usually deals with writen text and generally results ina much sore literal product. Neither, however, is a mechanical process, which is why ro one has yet developed really effective computer software that can do the trick, For interpretation in particulac, the accurate rendering from one lan- guage inco another must take int count not only the actual meaning of words being spoken bur also the non= verbal stylistic aspects of the delivery and the emotion conveyed by the speaker. Thus, interpretation is not in- tended to be verbum pro veibo. It should, however, convey accurately the substance and quality of what is being suid 50 that is fully understood by the audience exactly in the manner that was intended by the speaker, warts and al. Incerpretation is gencrally not some thing chat amateurs can pull off wel, no matter how capable a person may ety ered erie cee siastic he may be about giving ita ty. Being able to speak two or more lan- guages fluently does not necessarily ‘mean that one is able to move informa- tion from one to the other flawlessly. Fffective interpretation requires a tremendous range of knowledge, a breadth of skills, and an innate capac- ity that most people lack. If you wane co do a job properly in your garage, youd ger the tight tool. Likewise, if you hhave something to say that is genuinely imporrant, insist chat you have the right tool 10 accurately deliver your message 62 www mes-marines.org'gazote Le ati ditsied cand atauuanadalae) Generally speaking, there are rwo ‘main types of interpretation. In con: secutive interpretation a dialogue will consist of discrete packers of speech, each of which will be followed by pause during which the interpreter will render the conveyed message into an- other language. Most interpreters will take notes while you are speaking, which they will refer to as they relay your message into che target language. While there area few gifted intecpreters who will not require notes, most will and until you are confident of their preparation is key, bus discipline in she execution and taking the time to con- duct a postmeeting review are also c3- sential elements for guaranteeing your probabilicy of success. Premeeting. Your bility co effectindy delve your message in any meeting will al ie ices ee ine cea amount of effore you put inco prepar- ing your interpreter. My own experi ence shows that investing 30 minutes before a meeting will almost always “Its a funny thing; the French call ita couteau, the Ger- skill levels, you should insist chat they rake notes. Acthe very least, these notes will allow you co subsequently verify that the interpreter really understood your intended meaning and that the message was accurately conveyed Simulkancous interpretation occurs when the interpreter senders what is being spoken wil the speaker contin: uucs without pausing. Usually here is Ge desea ar dee ken word of the speaker and thar of the incerpreter. In this sor of sicuation, au- dience members often wear headsets so they can listen to the interpreter in their own language without being distracted by the main spesker. Although this ype of intexpretation tends 10 Fequite less time than consecutive interpretation, it also tends to produce aless precise ren- dion of the message. This ype of translation is useful for conferences where a lot of interpretation is used or for large groups where there are man Oli gee ln oe as in the United Nations General As- sembly or the European Parliament, Regardless of the type of interpreta tion you choose to use, there are some basic rules of che road that you disre- gard at your own risk. AS always, Merine Corps Geze: mans call it a messer, but we call it a knife, which is ifter all what it really is.” _—Richard Jenkyns save you 2 lor of aggravation later on. Review the objectives of the mect- ing with your interpeeter before you st down infront of your audience. If pos sible, provide your interpreter rich your ralking points and background ‘materials in advance so that he can lasify any ambiguities and idencify any potential problems. This is alo 2 good time to ensure hat your interpreter un- derstands the tone that you want to comvey, whether itis friendly or stern, firm or negotiable, direc or indirect. If you have a message co deliver that the ‘other party is not going 10 want to hear, and you wane i¢ delivesed in the most direct and unequivocal terms, make sure your interpreter doesnt try to soften your tone or vice versa Like: wise, if your interpreter is working bidirectional, remind him that you don't need co be shielded from harsh talk, An interpreter must repeat all that is said, even if i seems redundant, ire: evant, or rude, When your ineerpreter knows this in advance, he is much bet- ter able to convey not oaly the sub- stance but also he intangibles of your delivery. Review any specialized terminology; neologisms, acronyms, abbreviations November 2007and initialisms to ensure that your in texpreter knows not only their mean- ings in English but also how to render them accurately into the target lan- that can throw you off your game be fore you've even opened your mouth Tama bit hard of hearingin my left cer so I always make sure my inter: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease!” guage. Purchasing specialized diction- aries on technical subjects or idiomatic Ianguage will help improve your inter preter’ skills, especially if he is rela tively unfamiliar with the copic A lot of people like ro lace their speech with proverbs and idiomatic ex- pressions. While these colloguialisms add color, they are often. misunder stood and can send unintended mes sages. If this is your style and you can’t shake it, ensure that your interpr. understands what these expressions ally mean and how they are used in conversation. There may very well be an cquivalent expression in the target language that ean be employed to con: vey the same message, but you must also ensure that the message being con- veyed is taken the way you intended For example, the English idiomaticex- pression, “the squeaky whe: grease s that he who complains the loudest gets the most at tention and is generally a positively val ued statement. The Vietnamese equivalent, “the nail that hammered down,” meas same thing but has 2 decidedly nega- Discass with your interpreter the culturally bound expectations of your audience, such as how your hosts will wane ro ran the meeting and how yout should respond. Will the meeting begin with obligatory pleasantries over re or coffee, oF will your interlocutor want to begin right away with sub- seance? Are gifts expected to be ex changed, and if so, which kinds are highly esteemed, and which are co be avoided? How will the meeting room be ser up, and how will the attendees be arranged? The objective is to reduce as much 2s possible those litte surprises —American Proverb preter sits on my right so I can hear him clearly. If you face similar limita- tions, make sure that your interpreter knows them so that he can adjust his position accordingly. Thave noticed that in some Asian cultures, it can sometimes take re- peated reminding for an interpreter to sme 2 natural tendency toward speaking in hushed cones. This is even more important if there are a number of other arendees who need to hear vwhar is being said. Be diligent in ensur- ing that your interpreter is sp loudly enough so that everyone can hear clealy T'm from Boston, so 2s far as [ am concemed everyone else has an accent, but [ don't. That being sai, ic is sill wise to sit down with your interpreter and chitchat fora bit, especially if you haven’ worked together previously, so that he can become familiar with what- ever accent you think you may or may not have If for some reason you cannot par- ticipate in an expeced meeting ritual for caleural or medical reasons, whether ic is drinking coffe, roasting with vodka, or river dancing, lec your interpreter know s0 he can discretely explain the situation to your host be- fore it becomes an issue. Also, if your meeting continues through mesltime, uy to strike a fair balance berween en- gaging your host or gues in dialogue and allowing your interpreter to eat a few bites of the meal. His principal task is o facilitate the dialogue, but he also needs to eat if he is to perform up o pat. Finally, if you plan on using humor to disarm your audience, make sure not only that your interpreter will undes- stand it, but also cha ir can be rendered Marine Corps Gazette » November 2007 The best WiMameluke sword in the world. Period. ‘Marlow White/WKC Marine Officer Sword with Stoinless-Steel Scabbard: + Superbly Detailed Castings + Exquisite Acid Exch + Legendary WKC + Incredible Value: $495 + Free ground shipping cellence + Exchange rate may impact price eee) Fed poet ere DCU Lay wormimes-marines.orgigarerte 63he target language without the punch line losing the effecr. Nothing is worse chan the uncomfortable pause tha joke has landed flat in the no-man's land beeween culeures. er a badly interpreted Meeting x you've prepped your interpreter not only on what you will sey, but also on how you plan co deliver is. The lest thing you want to do is trip over your. self ar game time and spend the x your meeting playing earchup. Here are a few suggestions for keeping yourself and avcidlin ou have a message to deliver, and of Speak naturally, clearly your words, and force yourself to use good grammat. Speak slower and pause more often if you have to, bur ry not £0 hts, or indulge in h, This frustrate your interpreter who w ramble, cross thot will only have 64 wanmes-marinesorgigazetis Inadeition to interpreting words, your interpreter has 1 transiate culter. Pity EpIRich Mating) to sor m the chaif $0 as not to confuse your audience. If you are using consecutive interpretation you can afford ro pause momencarily 1 ther your choughts before moving on stakes some discipline and practice but itis absolucely essential. Remembering to pause is often one of the hacdest things to do when y first begin vo work wick but icis critical. Some interpreters will ple of sentences, while others can wait for a dozen or so. The necessary dure tion will ypically be depend intexpreters skill, but if you persist much beyond his threshold, someth svencually ge ost inthe rendicion. Encourage your interpreter to stop and covisic an earlier pare of the conver: lieves that he ini- Wally failed to ic accurately or wich appropriace nuance. The lase thing you want is to find out later on Marine Corps eee that your interlocucor might have said something very different from what you thought he had said. There are enough ambiguities in diplomacy and warfighting without subjecting oneself to the scifinPlicted variety Every culture has language that are normative and others that ate consicesed inapprog Clearly, you should be able to difleren- tiate one from the other before meer- ig your counterparts. I was once in the midst of discussing some fascinat ing nuance of US. foreign policy when locuror decided iz was a good time to perform a matter of routine petsonal hygiene. While this isa fairly common practice in many counties, if you arent anticipating seeing that havior ic can certainly cause some con- stemation. Try to anticipate what could happen and discipline yourself to re strain your impulse to reace negatively especially overtly. Ifyou don't have the pects of body + November 2007‘opportunity to meet with your inter- preter beforehand to discuss these mat- ters, interrogate your nearest foreign area officer to find out the local behav- ioral norr ‘Watch the other party’s body lan- guage while you are speaking and again while your interpreter is speaking. Are there any sudden changes in body po- sicioning or facial expressions that belie his reaction to whatis being said? Is the reaction unexpected or not what you thought or wanted it t0 he? If ie isr’e what you think it should be based on what you just said, chances are there is some miscommunication going on. Dont just let i go. Resolve the anom- aly, and then move on. ‘Although itcan feel quite unnatural to look someone in the eye when you cant understand a word he is saying, try to always look at your interlocutor and not at the interpreter. Tdeally the discussion should progress as ifthe in- terprecer wasnt even in the tom. Ad- ditionally, be careful to refrain from habitual head bobbing or any other ex- pressions or body language that convey surprise, agreement, disagreement, confusion, despair, ete. Although we ‘often use these unconscious actions to fill in the silence, they can be mistak- enly construed as a sincere reaction t0 what is being said even before you have heard the rendition in English! Scrupulously avoid the use of puns, simile, metaphors, euphemisms, dys- phemisms, sarcasm, irony, hyperbole, and any other rhetorical flourishes 2s they will only serve to confuse yourin- terpreter and possibly your audience if conveyed too literally. Keep it simple. “Meetings are rarely open-ended, and you need to pace yourself to ensure that you have enough time wo give your spiel before the buzzer sounds. Pacing yourself also means taking into account how much time your incerpreter needs. Doritstray too far afield lest you come | upshorc on time. If you are not the principal speaker for your side, do not interrupt oF try t0 imerjece yourself into the discussion unless your participation has been ap- proved in advance. Your unsoliciced in- ———— rerjections will serve only to harry the interpreter, confuse the audience, and possibly mucldle the message. Ensure that your interpreter is not providing unsolicited commentary, embellishment, or engaging in pro- teacted sidebar discussions without in- cluding you. Your interpreter works far you and is not there to freelance, even if well intentioned. Keep your inter- preter on a short leash until you are confident enough to let him run free. Finally, make sure you are providing your interpreter with sufficient rest. The interpreters job is wemendously sressful, both physically and mentally. ‘Translators may be able to work out iets dropped in these situations, either intentionally or unintentionally Finally, you can have the most highly skilled interpreter available, but if you havent used his skills effectively, youare wasting his time, as well as your ‘own, Ask your interpreter for construc tive criticism about what you did well and what you ean do bercer next time. Final Thoughts Using an interpreter should neither be an inherently difficult nor daunting task, buc it does take some forethought and discipline to do it well. In a dan- gerous and unfamiliar environment where your message means the differ “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down!” particularly difficult tasks in the com- forc of their own offices at their leisure, bus interpeecers must make split second decisions about words and concepts on the fly and under often very unforgiv- ing conditions, If your meeting cuns ‘more than an hour or so, ensure that he gts time 10 recharge his batteries or ac- curacy will inevitably suffer accordingly. Postmecting Your message is delivered, and you've survived the encounter without causing an intemational incident. Now is the rime to review and plan for the next contact. As soon as you wrap up your meet ing. take a half hour to discuss with your interpreter the audience’ reaction to what you said. You have heard what ‘was verbalized, but what was said be- ‘oween the lines, in what manner was the message conveyed? Can your inter- preter offer any insights that you might have overlooked due to your unfaril iarity with the culture? Additionally, if your counterpart had an interpreter, solicit your own in- terpreter’s opinion about whether or not the English rendition provided was accurate and complete. Youd be amazed at the detail that sometimes Marine Corpe Gazette * Novombor 2007 —Vietnamese Proverb ence berween making a friend or an enemy, your interpreter can quickly be- come your best friend oF your bane. Make no mistake; being an interpreter is one of the most difficult jobs there is, but his success is your success. Inter- preters are the bridge between us and those whom we wish 10 calm, ajole, castigate, entice, or bully, and although they may occasionally make mistakes, they do know both the target languages and the cultural milieu better than ei- ther you or me, or we wouldnt require their services in the first place. So r=- spect the contributions thae they make a skilled professionals and invest in pation as vital members of osdree vewmimes-marinssorgigasete 65