Lessons in Translator Services From Prominent German, French and Portuguese Speakers
Over the years, translators and interpreters have viewed public speaking as an important communication tool. It is still ture today what Greek philosopher Pericles said centuries ago: “Those forming a judgment on something they cannot explain may also never have considered the subject. Language translation, as the term suggests, is about passing your ideas to the audience, i.e. distributing them internationally aiming at influencing the listeners. During modern times, many women and men around the globe have spread their ideas and influence to international audiences by means of public speaking. In the United States, the list includes Kennedy, Graham, Chavez, Jordan, Reagan, King, Clinton, and Obama. Famous public speakers worldwide will include former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, South African leader Nelson Mandela, Burmese champion of democracy Aung San Suu Kyi, and Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Prize laureate Wangari Maathai. As you read these names, you may think to yourself, “That’s just wonderful. How great for them. So what does that have to do with me? I don’t want to be a president or a preacher or a crusader for any cause.” However, no matter whether we think translation, interpretation and public speaking are useful or useless sooner or later we will come to them. What would your reaction be in any of these situations?
You are one of eight management assistants in an international distributor of automotive parts and accessories. Only one of you will get a lower-management position that has just become available. An interview with the candidates will be held to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Candidates are assessed on the basis of qualifications, work experience and any other essential managerial skills. They either lack language skills or have little or no public speaking experience. However, you present the certificates obtained in your English to Portuguese Translation and the courses in public speaking. No other candidate can deliver a comprehensible, persuasive and coherent lecture to Portuguese speaking clients. Thus you get the job.
You are a Frenchman, who has been moved to the company’s headquarters in New York. Your child has learning problems. You hear that your local school board has decided, for budget reasons, to eliminate the special teacher who has been helping your child. At an open meeting of the school board, you use your skills developed from one of your previous employers, a French to English Translation company to stand up and deliver a thoughtful, compelling speech on the necessity for keeping the specialized teacher. As a result, they keep the teacher.
You are the assistant manager in the branch office of a global company. The supervisor you work under is retiring and there will be a retirement dinner. All the top-ranked managers from the Berlin headquarters will attend. Being his closest colleague, you are asked to propose a farewell toast at the party. Your German Translation Services skills help you deliver a bilingual moving speech in which you acknowledge your supervisor’s achievements. The speech is applauded enthusiastically with some people shedding a few tears. The next week you are promoted to a managerial position.
All of these situations could occur. What most employers look for in university graduates is communication skills (translation and public speaking) – shows a survey conducted among 480 companies. In another such survey college graduates were asked to outline the most important skill necessary for their career. Guess which one won?
The importance of such skill is true across the board—for accountants and architects, teachers and technicians, scientists and stockbrokers. The importance of such skill in translation and communication is indispensable – for book-keepers and engineers, lawyers and teachers, university professors and business people.
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