Fuel up, charge your phone, and know where you’re going!

Tips on preparing to interpret

Those of you who have seen Sarah Tapia in action during a work day can appreciate the chaotic nature of her schedule. Many of your schedules probably look like hers (that is, packed full, and subject to last-minute changes).

Luckily for us, Sarah, Spanish Interpreter and head of the SWITS Translations Department, has developed some tried-and-true methods for keeping it together despite a busy interpreting schedule. I will share some of them here, for your consideration and potential implementation.

When you accept an appointment, make sure you glean some information from your scheduler about the subject matter involved. If it is an area unfamiliar to you, spend a little bit of time learning terminology you will potentially have to use. Even a small amount of research can greatly improve the quality of your interpreting.

The night before you have an appointment, check your schedule to find out where you need to go the next day and how to get there safely and on time. Don’t forget to factor weather and traffic into your travel time, and double-check to see whether you will have enough time to get from one appointment to another. The further away the location, the more cushion time you should give yourself, especially if you have never been there before. Make sure you have enough gas in your car, and cash for tolls if necessary!

On the day of the appointment, remember to take your SWITS badge (and any other badges you might need), something to take notes with, and your logs. Sarah keeps a binder in her interpreting bag, with all the logs she could ever need (even for customers she has never interpreter for before, just in case). She leaves her used logs there until she needs to turn them in.

It’s also a good idea to have a car-charger or extra wall charger for your phone when you interpret. If you use your phone for GPS, to look up vocabulary in a pinch, or to communicate with schedulers, this is particularly important. If you don’t have a smartphone, a bilingual dictionary or medical/legal dictionary can come in handy. It’s also a great idea to carry something to keep you busy during down-time, such as interpreter training materials or industry magazines.

Always remember to take care of yourself while you are interpreting. Everybody has their own ways of doing that, but some basics include making sure you have had something to eat, and drink coffee if that is part of your routine. Use the bathroom before you begin and consider taking water with you to drink during an appointment (a mouth can get dry after talking for a long time!). Sarah suggests keeping non-perishable snacks in your car, such as nuts or energy bars.

With additional suggestions for interpreters on the job, or if you are interested in contributing to future blog posts, please contact me at interpretercoach@swits.us.