The ten commandments of working with translators and interpreters

The ten commandments of
working with translators and
interpreters
Wales Interpretation and Translation Service, Gwent Police, 5th June 2013
Trinidad Clares Flores MA MITI MCIL DPSI NRPSI

Introduction
Why are we doing this?

• Help you use our services in the best
way by giving you insight into how the
industry works!
• Help you provide a better service to
your end clients by being able to explain
our needs
• By helping you know what to
expect, we’ll also make our life easier!

1
Thou shalt not ask a translator to
interpret or an interpreter to
translate

What they have in common
 Transfer of message between languages
 Knowledge of languages
 Knowledge of relevant techniques to transfer
the message between languages
 Knowledge of the subject matter

Interpreters
 Deal with spoken word
 Communication is immediate
 Must have active language knowledge
 Work in both directions* (A<>B, C<>A)
 Strong cultural knowledge
 Strong listening skills
 Good communication skills
 Quick reaction
 Good public-speaking skills
 Intellectual capacity to transfer idioms, colloquialisms
& culture-specific elements on the spot

Translators
 Have plenty of time to research the text
 Ability to understand the source language
 Ability to render
the text in the
target language
in the clearest
and most accurate
way possible
 Ability to research a
topic thoroughly
 Only work into their
native language

Please bear in mind
• Interpreting qualifications don’t equal
translation skill and vice versa
• Check that the interpreter is happy translating
as well (and vice versa)
• Don’t use an interpreter for a translation if
you can use a qualified and specialised
translator (there are plenty around!)

2
Thou shalt not ask a translator to
translate out of their native
language

A few myths
• Translators are completely bilingual
• Bilingual people speak both languages perfectly
• If they speak both languages, they can translate
in both directions, can’t they?

Reality
• There are very few truly bilingual people
• Most bilingual people have a “dominant”
language
• Even bilingual people can rarely express
themselves in a given topic equally well in two
languages
• Most translators have a very good passive
knowledge of their source language
• You can always tell when a text has been written
by a non-native language person

Examples
“My child is molesting me”
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ITI’s Code of Professional Conduct
4. STANDARDS OF WORK
4.1 Translation
4.1.1 Subject to 4.4 and 4.5 below, members shall
translate only into a language which is either (i) their
mother tongue or language of habitual use, or (ii) one
in which they have satisfied the Institute that they have
equal competence. They shall translate only from those
languages in which they can demonstrate they have the
requisite skills.
http://www.iti.org.uk/attachments/article/154/Code%20
of%20Conduct%20-%20individual.pdf

NRPSI’s Code of Professional Conduct
Translation
6.1 Practitioners who are carrying out work as translators shall only carry out
work which they believe is within their linguistic and relevant specialist
competence, or which is to be checked by someone with the relevant
knowledge or competence.
6.2 Practitioners shall, other than in exceptional circumstances, only translate
between the languages for which they are registered with NRPSI.
6.3 Notwithstanding the provisions of 6.2, if a Principal requests that the
Practitioner translate out of a language in which the Practitioner is
competent at the required level but which is not registered as in 6.2, or if
a Principal requests that the Practitioner translate out of his or her
language of habitual use (as may occur if the Principal believes that a
mother-tongue translator will have a better understanding of the
text), the Practitioner may proceed provided that the conditions of 6.1
are satisfied and that the Principal has been made aware of the potential
disadvantages of proceeding in disregard of the principle expressed in
6.2.

Exceptions
• People who have lived for a long time in the
country of their source language and have
changed “language of habitual use”
• Languages where it’s customary to translate in
both directions because there aren’t many native
English speakers who are fluent in it
• If the translator is an expert in the field and the
translation can be reviewed by a native speaker
• If the client has been informed of the
consequences and they accept it

Review/revise/proofreading/editing
o Proofreading: reading printer proofs marking
any errors (typographical
errors, grammar, spelling, punctuation)
o Reviewing/revising: checking a translation for
accuracy and style going through the text
sentence by sentence and comparing SL and
TL.
o Editing: more creative work than revision
where you have the freedom to make
improvements in the text for readability

Why do we need them?
• Essential if the translation is going to be used
for anything other than internal
communication
• We are all humans and make mistakes
• Contrary to popular belief, spellcheckers don’t
always pick up all the mistakes
• Make sure the reviewer is a native language
speaker

What about interpreters?
International Organisations (UN, EU)
B, C > A (native/dominant language)
Commercial setting
B>A, A>B, C>A
A: native language
B: full active command
C: full passive command
Working languages by AIIC:
http://aiic.net/node/6/working-languages/lang/1

3
Thou shalt always provide
reference material

Why is reference material important
• Complexity of the subject matter
– Tax issues
– Medical report
– Judgment
• Ambiguous wording
– Puerta: door, gate, shutter
– ‘Counterfeit watches, mobile phones and
Walkmans were seized’
Context is king!

So what are we talking about here?
• Previous documents relating to the same case
– Letter of request, statements, photographs, other
court documents, previously translated letters of
request, etc.
– Medical reports, hospital records, hospital
letters, drawings, etc.
– Interpreting: any information relating to the
condition the patient is suffering or details of the
alleged offence (if it’s a police job)

Remember!
• Translators who ask for reference material are
thorough professionals who take their job
seriously
• If several translators are working on the same
project, make sure they all know what the
others are doing and are in contact re.
terminology and queries
• Having reference material improves the
chances of obtaining a good quality
translation

4
Thou shalt take into account the
translator/interpreter’s
specialisation

Why?
• Specialisation is the key to quality
• The more a translator/interpreter knows
about a subject, the easier it will be to render
texts/speech accurately or to spot errors
• Being an expert in law doesn’t make you an
expert in medicine!

What do we mean by specialisation?
Basic level of knowledge that enables us to:
 understand underlying principles
 do the research necessary to figure out what
we don’t understand and
 find the right term in the target language

So…
• Always assign jobs to translators/interpreters
specialising in the particular field (if possible)
• Don’t take it badly if translators/interpreters
say no to assignments they don’t feel
knowledgeable enough to do
• Don’t make it more difficult by offering us jobs
for fields we don’t specialise in

5
Thou shalt recognise
translation and interpreting
qualifications

The importance of qualifications
3.2 “The competent authorities’ obligations are not limited to
the appointment of an interpreter but may extend to a degree
of subsequent control over the adequacy of the
interpretation provided. The judge in particular is required to
treat the defendant’s interests with “scrupulous care”.”
NATIONAL AGREEMENT ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE USE OF
INTERPRETERS, TRANSLATORS AND LANGUAGE SERVICE ROFESSIONALS
IN INVESTIGATIONS AND PROCEEDINGS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM, AS REVISED 2007

Interpreters for CJS
1. NRPSI – full status registrant (Law)
2. NRPSI – interim status registrant (A or B)
3. APCI*
4. NRPSI Rare Language registrant (no DPSI
available for the language)
5. ITI Court and Police member (MITI, FITI)*
6. NRPSI - full status (Health/local gov)
7. NRPSI - interim status (Health/local gov)
8. DPSI holder
*Equivalent to NRPSI

Interpreters for CJS
9. NRPSI – limited assessment category
10. CIoL- Find a Linguist
11. AIT assessment*1 (only for certain areas)
12. IND assessment*2 (only oral)
13. DPSI oral only
*1 Asylum & Immigration Tribunal: Equivalent to NRPSI limited assessment
category
*2 Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office

Translators
“Holders of the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI)
option Law have been assessed as being competent to
translate short straightforward texts into both their working
languages. Unless the DPSI holder possesses additional
qualifications in translation, longer and more complex texts
should be referred to a professional translator.”
NATIONAL AGREEMENT ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE USE OF
INTERPRETERS, TRANSLATORS AND LANGUAGE SERVICE ROFESSIONALS IN
INVESTIGATIONS AND PROCEEDINGS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AS
REVISED 2007

Where do I look?
1. Institute of Translation and Interpreting: FITI
& MITI (relevant qualification +
test+references+code of conduct)
2. Chartered Institute of Linguists: MCIL
(graduate level qualification),
Diploma in Translation (DipTrans) holders*
3. Relevant country qualification:
-Degree in translation
-Degree in English studies/philology
*Law option

What if it needs to be certified?

http://www.iti.org.uk/attachments/category/5
4/GIR_english.pdf
http://www.iti.org.uk/attachments/c
ategory/54/BANC_english.pdf

7
Thou shalt not ask an
interpreter/translator to work in
a language for which they
haven’t been assessed

ITI’s Code of Professional Conduct
4.3 Competence
Subject to 4.5 below, members shall refuse work
which they know to be beyond their
competence, either linguistically or because of lack
of specialised knowledge, unless the work is to be
subcontracted to another translator or interpreter
who has the necessary competence, in which case
the provisions of this Code and in particular section
3.3 shall apply.

The ten commandments of working with translators and interpreters

8
Thou shalt keep translators and
interpreters informed of your
processes

WITS
• Have you sent your translators/interpreters WITS’
code of conduct?
• Have you informed your translators/interpreters
of your new claim form?
• Have you informed your translators/interpreters
of your invoicing cut-off dates?
• How many of your translators/interpreters are
sending their claim forms to the wrong address?
• Do you acknowledge receipt of completed
assignments/general messages?

Translators & interpreters
• Do your translators/interpreters ask to see
WITS’ code of conduct?
• Do translators/interpreters ask for your claim
form and preferred invoicing processes?
• Do translators/interpreters inform you of their
holiday/unavailable times?
• Do translators/interpreters acknowledge
receipt of assignments?

Good communication is the key
to success!

9
Thou shalt pay translators and
interpreters fair rates

To sum up
• Translators and interpreters are professionals
• Professionals charge according to their
qualifications and experience (and supply and
demand)
• Rates vary enormously for different
languages, specialisms and location
• Translators are not restricted to the local market
• If rates on offer are not fair, they will find
alternative commercial work (as evidenced by the
failed MoJ FWA)

10
Thou shalt take into consideration
interpreters’ working conditions

Things to bear in mind
• Time to research topic
• Reference materials
• Number of hours working on your own
• Actual physical conditions (hearing, line of
vision, possibility to sit down, etc.)
• Not to be left on your own with
suspect/patient

Welsh Court Interpreters
Interpreters
9. When any individual chooses to testify in Welsh any questions, put in English, must be
translated into Welsh for his benefit. When there is a need for translation into English and
Welsh, it is essential to have two interpreters present. Even in those cases, when the case
only requires translation into one language (e.g. when both counsel speak Welsh), two
interpreters are required for any hearing when the interpreter would have to translate for
any length of time so that the interpreters have regular and frequent breaks without
delaying or extending the length of the hearing unnecessarily.
10. Only interpreters on the approved list may be used. They should be selected, wherever
possible, on a rotation basis, so as to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to gain
experience and maintain their courtroom skills. In certain exceptional cases when there are
child witnesses or issues of unusual complexity for example, and it would be desirable to
have especially skilled and experienced interpreters, Margaret Davies or one of the Liaison
Judges should be consulted as to the choice of interpreters.
11. The interpreters should be given every assistance in preparing for the hearing and allowed
access to, or be given copies of, the witness statements and copies of the indictment before
the hearing to allow them time to prepare and to note any unusual or specialist
terminology which may be used during the hearing.
*Practice Direction by the Welsh Language Service for Magistrates Courts and Tribunals

The ten commandments of working with translators and interpreters

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