International Translation Day - Not So Happy For Interpreters

To all my fellow translators out there, happy International Translation Day! And to all my fellow interpreters - who don't have their own international day of celebration and mistakenly get called "translators" all the time (often by people who should know better) - I truly feel your pain.

And...to those of you who don't know the difference or think this distinction is silly...PLEASE READ ON.

Some of you might think "Hey, let's not nitpick at labels - does it really matter what people call you?" Or maybe you're in the "We can't change the way people refer to our profession" camp. Well, I beg to differ on both accounts.

In order to illustrate this, let me tell you a true story.

Last year I was hired to interpret for a week of intellectual property depositions where a Japanese electronic music instrument manufacturer was defending several of its patents. It was a complex deposition between Japanese and English, requiring someone with technical and language skills and some knowledge of digital instruments. When I walked in, I noticed that everyone looked me up and down - they all appeared to be pretty nervous. I though it was because I don't look even remotely Japanese (I get that a lot). I just chuckled, introduced myself, and then prepared to get to work.

But before we started, the client asked for a moment to speak to me. They pulled me aside and asked: "Wait, you ARE an interpreter NOT a translator, right?" I was quite surprised by this question. I don't think I had ever been asked that before! I assured them that I was indeed an interpreter and that I knew a bit about the technologies in their their patents because I'm also a musician and I repair my own instruments on occasion. They looked quite relieved.

I then asked them if there was any particular reason for their question. They confided that this was their second attempt to hold a deposition of these 3 key witnesses - All three had previously flown into Florida to be deposed several weeks earlier. But on the first day of that deposition, the other party hadn't arranged for anyone to help the deponents communicate in English. So they frantically scrambled, calling every local language services agency they could find, asking for someone to help "translate". They lost a whole day, but finally found someone who was willing and available.

The next day, the "translator" they had found - through an agency - showed up and introduced themselves as "So and so, a Japanese Translator". No one thought twice about it. They gave her instructions on where to sit and asked her to "translate" the deposition in consecutive mode. She looked nervous in response, but didn't say anything. The deposition started. The very first line was "so Mr. XXX, please tell us where you work and that your position is there". The "translator" looked at the attorneys, looked at the witness, looked at the court report and stood up. "Wait. I was told you needed a Japanese "translator" to work onsite. What you need is an 'interpreter'. I'm a translator, not an interpreter. I can't do this". She walked out and that was that.

It took them another day to find an actual "interpreter" and by that time the witnesses were scheduled to fly back to Japan, which is why they scheduled another week of depositions, this time in Los Angeles. I guess I should be thrilled that someone made such a mistake, giving me a chance to step up? It really couldn't have been a more perfect fit for me!

Of course, this debacle was not just the slip of one person. The agency and the translator should also have known better. But that's besides the point. Believe it or not, this is not a rare occurrence in the US or Latin America - people are not distinguishing between the two professions and many are still unaware that they are not the same thing.

Let's change this.

One first step might be getting LinkedIn to actually list "interpreter" as a profession (see my most-liked LinkedIn post ever from a few weeks ago). Another big step involves each of us taking the opportunity to educate, online and off, whenever someone doesn't understand the difference. I find "International Translation Day" to be a great opportunity to do so.

Please, my beloved LinkedIn network of colleagues, clients and friends: Be part of the solution, not part of the problem! We still need globalization and we will need more and more translators and interpreters as we leverage its benefits to build the lives and careers we want. Both professions are important for our future as a planet, but they are not the same thing.

Happy International Translation Day!!

"Friends don't let friends call translators interpreters" - ダビデ/David H.