Miscellanea

Don't bring billions in speech when the client is an English speaker from Europe, outside the UK. Translating figures between Japanese and English (and French too), when bigger than 10K and reaching for the sky is a torture. I have my chart ready but billions were a mystery to my clients. Now I have revised it starting for 1,000 millions, and more.

"I have to inform you that the Japanese party will come with an additional 4 people." Do you have to worry more because more people are coming to that meeting?

What do you do when the opposite side spends way too much time talking to each other? My clients rightly asked me what they were talking about, when at least 4 people were talking among each other. on the other side I knew I could not manage the mess. I requested the opposite side to talk to my client in priority rather than speak among themselves for so long time "as I am supposed to translate anything". My being a Westerner, that is a cheeky lad, allowed me to do so. You know what? It did miracle and greased the meeting's dynamics.

Sometimes, you are a stand-by interpreter, listening intently, taking notes, but leaving the exchange happen in English. But you are ready to jump to the rescue whenever something get wrong, or weird, and intervene when you think, or better, plainly see that they are no longer on the same bandwidth. These situations are getting familiar these days. Why then would the client hire me? Exactly for the above mentioned. Being ready to jump in when things get awry.

I know someone in some embassy who is bored with excellent but mechanical interpreters. Good news.