@CIOL_Linguists
AUTUMN 2024 The Linguist 23
FEATURES
as PowerPoints, maps of the site, information
about the products being manufactured, and
relevant machinery and tools. Also essential
are details about who will be present at the
visit (both visitors and factory representatives),
especially each person's role and status in
their respective companies. Good places to
start are the company's website and the
LinkedIn profiles of anyone likely to attend
(if available).
Regarding any machinery and products
which may be seen on the visit, interpreters
can do a lot worse than looking at diagrams
and videos to familiarise ourselves with their
external appearance and gain some
knowledge of how they work. It is almost
guaranteed that at least one of the visitors
will ask technical questions. If the interpreter
hasn't got a clue about what a particular tool
is used for, or which materials have been
used to produce the end product, it will be
very hard to give a professional rendition on
the fly.
The terminology in this area is highly
technical and these aren't the sorts of
assignment that can be done on a wing and
a prayer. What needs to be borne in mind is
that the purpose of the visit may be (and
probably is) a sales pitch, and no interpreter
wants to be blamed by their client for less
than impressive marketing which results in
few or zero sales!
Insurance concerns
Most professional interpreters will have
professional indemnity insurance to cover
them in the event of potential disputes with
clients about the quality of their work, as well
as for any equipment that they take to jobs,
such as phones and laptops. Unlike most
on-site interpreting venues, factories are
potentially dangerous places and interpreters
working in them should check that their
clients have adequate public liability cover in
the event of a trip, slip or similar on the
factory floor.
Interpreters should also be wary of attempts
by officials to delegate their responsibilities. It
is not uncommon to be asked by officials to
'represent' them on tours of the factory floor
when they are too busy to attend themselves.
From the outset, we need to be very clear
with clients about our role and any potential
difficulties which could arise if we are left alone
with visitors. This might include negative
comments about the factory or the personnel
working there, or worse still, requests for inside
information about the production process or
the company directors. Likewise, we should
be firm with visitors who see us as some sort
of tour guide and ask us for recommendations
for restaurants and tourist attractions.
Factory visits demand a challenging and
fascinating mix of the interpreter's business,
linguistic and social skills. We are literally
thinking on our feet as we move around
factory premises with a group of visitors who
may or may not be able to hang on to our
every word, depending on noise levels.
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PEXELS
