Business meetings, international level discussions, scientific conferences, and political talks are situations where there is often a need for communication between people speaking different languages. One solution that allows the different parties to understand each other in such a case is the presence of a consecutive interpreter, who translates what the speaker is saying from one language to another. This format is especially popular in meetings with a multilingual audience, where questions can be asked.
Consecutive interpretation, also known as follow-up interpretation, alongside simultaneous interpretation, is one of the two basic forms of interpreting. The speaker divides their statement into smaller or larger parts, and the interpreting is performed during each pause. In practice, this means that the interpreter stands or sits next to the speaker – listens to them, and simultaneously makes notes, in order to later reproduce the content of the lecture as faithfully as possible. The advantage of this type of service is the opportunity for interaction – such a form of interpretation provides enough time for interjections or questions from the audience. This type of interpreting is also cheaper than simultaneous interpreting.
Several months ago, we started working with a company closely associated with a foreign contractor in the government, defence, and commercial sector. Although the customer’s needs are limited to interpreting services within two language combinations, the subject matter contains very specialised terminology.
Our customer participated in the 31st MSPO International Defence Industry Exhibition as one of the delegates, and asked us for support in the form of consecutive interpreting during speeches and business meetings.
The challenge of selecting an interpreter was based not only on the subject matter but also on the customer’s poor experiences with previous interpreters and the services that they had provided. We were aware that, in this case, the issue of their trust in the interpreter was crucial, and we had to find and match the right provider to fully meet the requirements set by the customer. The interpreter was required to be familiar with industry-specific knowledge and vocabulary used during the event under the patronage of the Polish Armaments Group.
Thanks to the fully professional approach of the project manager, after prior consultation with the client advisor, agreements were made to select several candidates from our pool of interpreters who met all the requirements and had experience in similar events. We organised a short meeting with each of them to make the most appropriate choice, which proved to be a success. The provider we selected had been attending the MSPO fairs for many years, so they were familiar with the subject matter, the prevailing atmosphere, and the etiquette. They ensured that they would be fully prepared to provide support during the time required by the customer, even though the agenda of the meetings was to be created on an ongoing basis.
We verified the quality of each interpreting job after it had been completed, and received an extremely positive review from the customer, who mentioned that our interpreter demonstrated exceptional personal culture, professionalism, and openness. The satisfaction of our customers is very important to us – such situations are very gratifying and motivate us to provide our services at an increasingly higher level.
During our almost 30 years in the market, we have carried out thousands of interpreting services. They have taken place in person, over the phone, and, particularly in recent years, online. There have been situations when it was not possible to use the sound amplification system, and only thanks to the interpreter’s experience in working with their voice all the guests could hear the interpretation. There have also been events, such as training sessions, when the interpreting had to be conveyed in a whisper.
We are able to find a solution for everyone, and our actions are underpinned by the principles related to information security and data confidentiality.
