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Professional Conference Speaker

o Interacting with simultaneous interpretation services
o Successfully communicate with your audience

o Guidelines to successfully communicate your message

Interacting with simultaneous interpretation services

If you are a Professional Conference Speaker that requires the assistance of simultaneous interpretation during your presentation, with all due respect we would like to make you the following recommendations:

Successfully Communicate with Your Audience

The sole purpose of your presentation is to successfully communicate a message to your audience. The quality, seriousness and experience of the simultaneous interpretation services involved are essential to achieve it.

In cases in which the audience does not speak your language, not only a language barrier is established between you and your listeners, but usually also a cultural one. Simultaneous interpreters attempt to overcome both barriers, however the collaboration of the professional conference speaker is essential.

Recommendations For Speakers

Try not to make jokes or tell stories in which the meaning is linked to play on words... they are usually impossible to translate.

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Limit your examples to cases of internationally renown companies or at least offer a brief introduction to them.

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Do not automatically assume that the audience is familiar with the characteristics and circumstances of your country of origin.

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Request in advance to your local contact some data on the national reality of the country that you are visiting. Your audience will appreciate your interest.

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Try to meet in advance your simultaneous interpreters and explain them your work method. The audience can tell the difference between good or bad communication between the speaker and his/her simultaneous interpreters.

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A salutation in the language of your audience may help you break the ice, however, many professional conference speakers use this resource. An anecdote related to your experience in their country may be more refreshing and personal.

Guidelines to Succesfully Communicate your Message

For a professional conference speaker, no precaution is excessive when it comes to successfully communicating a message. A standing ovation from your audience depends a lot from the performance of the simultaneous interpretation.

Avoid using acronyms or at least explain their meaning the first time you use them, even better if you include them in the presentation projected on the screen.

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Whenever the presentation you are projecting on the screen is not in the language spoken by the audience, remember that the interpreters usually do not have enough time to explain their content.

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Some languages demand more words to communicate the same message. The rhythm of your speech has a direct impact on the quality of the interpretation, both if it is too slow as well as it is too fast.

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A good simultaneous interpreter does not only translate words from one language to another, he/she interprets entire ideas. Avoid jumping into a new idea without having fully concluded the previous.

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Remember to look once in while at the interpretation table or translation booth. It is possible that the interpreters wish to inform you of a technical or coordination problem. You should find out before your audience does!

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If you plan to read your conference or speech, hand out in advance a copy to the interpreters. A written text tends to use a more complex grammatical structure. Also, in general, the rhythm of the presentation tends to be faster, which makes the work of the interpreters more difficult.

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Try to give a copy of your slides to the interpreters (either in print or digital form). The simultaneous interpreters are often located far from the projection screen and it can be difficult to read the text.

Enjoy Yourself!

But most important of all... think about having fun and enjoying the interaction with your audience! We will transmit your cheerfulness with a smile in our voices.