How to Work with A Corporate Interpreter During a Business Meeting
English may be the world’s lingua franca, but not all business professionals can speak it. If you’re holding a business meeting with colleagues from around the world, you’ll likely need a corporate interpreter to help you communicate. However, to ensure that your meeting runs smoothly, you need to prepare. Here’s an overview of the steps you should take.
Choosing a Corporate Interpreter
First, you’ll want to ask participants which language(s) they need. Even if someone speaks English well, they may still prefer the assistance of an interpreter. This will also help you prevent confusion and misunderstanding during the meeting.
Next, you’ll need to choose the dialect. This ensures the interpreter uses the correct vocabulary and understands the business and cultural norms in the region. For example, say you’re doing business with a Brazilian company. A European Portuguese interpreter may use terms that have a different meaning in Brazil, and they may not understand the norms in South America.
If possible, you should choose an industry-specific interpreter. An interpreter who knows your industry will understand the terminology and protocols, and will likely provide a more accurate interpretation.
Preparing Your Corporate Interpreter
After you’ve hired an interpreter, hold a pre-meeting with them as far in advance as you can. This will give them time to prepare and do any necessary research.
Your pre-meeting should include an overview of the purpose of the meeting and what you plan to discuss. If you you’re giving a presentation, send them a copy to review. And be sure to cover any concepts or terms that the interpreter isn’t familiar with.
Preparing Your Participants
Interpreting takes time. That means participants should plan to block out additional time in their schedules to prevent have any conflicts. This is especially true when you use video remote interpreting due to audio, video, or internet connectivity issues that can arise.
If participants are working from home, encourage them to take the meeting in a quiet space and use headphones to block out noise. Ask them to do their best to keep spouses, children, and pets from entering the room. Interpreters need to maintain their focus, and distractions make it more difficult to do their job.
Choosing an Interpreting Platform
Unless you plan to have an interpreter come onsite for an in-person meeting, you’ll need to choose an interpreting platform. Although platforms like Skype and Zoom work well for business meetings, they weren’t designed with interpreters’ needs in mind.
Fortunately, Boostlingo 4.1 includes features such as Zoom integration and four-way video conference scheduling to meet the needs of both business professionals and interpreters. It’s easy-to-use, secure, and GDRP compliant. You’ll also gain access to our Boost Professional Interpreter Network of linguists who speak over 200 languages.
Want to try it for yourself? Contact us to start your free trial today!
