Working with speech language therapists almost always means a completely different type of interpreting. Why? Because normal interpreting does not serve the purpose of an assessment. Speech language therapists what to establish how patient’s speech develops, so if during your assignment you have to say “I’m sorry, the client is mumbling” or “Interpreter is unable to understand him/her ” – this type of comment has little value to people who hired you.
You have to learn about the purpose of the assessment. This methodical approach helps to prevent errors. For instance: a therapist wants to know if a client (child) is able to communicate using at least two words - if there is one word in the source language which translates into two words in the target language (e.g., upadł – he felt), you should tell about this. It is always quite tricky to do your job well.
Usually, during a pre-session, I’m instructed to deliver the correct pronunciation in my native language by repeating the client’s words – in this way a therapist can hear how vowels and other sounds are pronounced and they are able to investigate the matter correctly.
Another frequent task could be having a conversation in your native language with the client and then answering specific questions asked by the therapist.
Obviously, as an interpreter you’re not allowed to give advice, but if you are asked specifically about language matters, in my view, you should do so by informing the other party about e.g., the length of sentences, grammar etc. Because each language has a different pronunciation, the age of a child in terms of particular sounds development varies. Often therapists will ask you if it is normal for the child to mispronounce those words. Please refrain from answering that question if you’re paid for interpreting only.
No comments:
Post a Comment