Saturday, February 7, 2015

What To Look For In A Spanish Interpreting Service

By Beryl Dalton


With globalization, there will be times when you need to communicate with people who don't speak any English at all or whose English is not good enough for them to express complicated ideas. Especially people from the Latin American countries don't often speak English since their language is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world too. This is why it's important to choose the best Spanish interpreting service for your communication needs.

In certain parts of the USA you'll even need to be able to communicate in Spanish with local communities. The country's Hispanic population is huge and especially new immigrants often know only very basic English at most. In Miami FL, for instance, Spanish is fast becoming the most widely spoken language and in some parts of the city you need to be bilingual or you need an interpreter simply to do the shopping.

An interpreter is not the same as a translator. A translator changes a text from one language to another, using resources such as dictionaries to provide a detailed translation. An interpreter doesn't have the time to consult dictionaries but needs to change the text into the target language immediately. Instead of providing a faithful translation, he or she focuses on the ideas or concepts to convey.

Governmental institutions often make use of the services of good interpreters, for example in court cases or in social services. However, more and more private institutions now also need interpreters, especially in places with a large Hispanic community. These institutions can vary from large hospitals to banks or even small businesses. Moreover, anyone who does business in Spain or Latin America will need an interpreter too.

When you want to employ an interpreter, the first thing you need to do is to check that the person is suitably qualified. Interpreters who work in courts or hospitals usually need specific formal certificates. For more general interpreting jobs, you can choose someone who doesn't necessarily have a formal qualification but who has experience in the field and good references from other clients.

It's also important to choose the right interpreter for the job. A court interpreter may not know business jargon or medical terms, for instance. Find someone who has experience in your particular field. Also check that they have experience in the type of interpreting that you need, such as conference calls or as an escort for a delegation.

It's a good idea to match the interpreter's own cultural background with that of the people you need to communicate with. Spanish has many different dialects and someone from El Salvador may not easily understand the accent of someone from Argentina, for instance. If you're dealing with people from Cuba, an interpreter who has a Cuban background will also understand the aspects unique to that country.

The Yellow Pages or other local listings are good places to start when looking for interpreters. Many agencies also have websites. Otherwise, contact a professional association for advice and recommendations. In Florida, the organization to contact is ATIF, the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Florida.




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