Interpreter Services
Poorly translated messages can prove to be disastrous whether in professional or personal fields. If an interviewer fails to interpret an athlete’s message properly, there is a huge risk of sending out the wrong message for all audiences. In a professional environment, making the tiniest mistake in a commercial contract can make or break the whole company and its relations with its clients. Loss of capital, loss of jobs, and even lawsuits can bring the company down.
As such, culturally sensitive interpreter services are critical. Not all words mean the same in all languages—what may be harmless to one culture may be offensive to another. There is a myriad of nuances and peculiarities for each country, but even with local dealings, a proper interpreter is still essential to ensure stress-free proceedings as in the Ministry of Justice (court hearings, legal documents, and the like) or the Ministry of Public Health (medical documents, health records, and so on).
Afreno can facilitate all of these transactions accurately and promptly, all with high-quality interpreter services you can rely on no matter what the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I hire professional interpreter services?
Professional interpreters are less prone to errors than non-pros. It’s essential to reduce errors as much as possible especially in a professional environment.
What can an interpreter do for me?
Interpreters are needed in all kinds of professional and personal situations, like commercial dealings, financial transactions, court hearings, government requirements, personal interviews, and even in the entertainment industry.
What are commercial interpretations?
These refer to commercial transactions like contracts and client dealings.
What are medical interpretations?
These refer to translations in the medical field such as health records, reports, and patient-to-doctor conversations in different languages.
Why is culturally sensitive interpretation important?
Different languages have different nuances. What may be harmless for one may be offensive to another.
What could go wrong with interpretations?
Low-quality interpreters may omit necessary information to get any message across. They may not be culturally sensitive, or may mistake one word for another.
What should I look for in an interpreter?
Make sure they are fluent in both languages in a professional setting as well as knowledgeable in cultural nuances.
What makes Afreno different from others?
We offer professional and accurate interpretation for a wide range of fields at value-for-money rates.
I don’t work with foreign co-workers. Do I still need professional interpreters?
Professional interpreters can help you communicate not just at work but with personal dealings with embassies, government bodies, medical fields, and even in the entertainment industry.
What interpretation services do you offer?
We offer Commercial & Medical Interpretation, Conference Interpretation, Consecutive Interpretation, Liaison Interpretation, Whispered Interpretation, and Phone Interpretation.
01
Embassies, Ministries & Government Departments
When dealing with the relevant authorities, it’s essential to have professional interpreters act as liaisons between parties. With non-pro interpreters, errors like substitution and editorialization can cost you not just financially but time-wise and effort-wise.
For instance, substitution means that an amateur interpreter may find the closest possible word to fit the context when translating a message. Unfortunately, synonyms simply don’t have exactly the same definitions in all cultures. If you’re dealing with the Ministry of Finance, you can’t easily substitute one financial term for another.
With the Qatar News Agency, as an example, editorialization can significantly alter the meaning of messages as an amateur interpreter may add his or her own opinions into the news piece, influencing decisions with the extra details that otherwise shouldn’t have been there.
Dealing with the bodies of authority in the government should be left to the pros. Afreno has an extensive list of the departments we deal with expertly on a daily basis.
02
Commercial & Medical Interpretation
Commercial interpretations require a solid knowledge not just in business matters but also in varying languages. Hundreds of business transactions are made every day especially as companies move to a more global scale, requiring foreign counterparts to communicate every hour. As an example, we work with the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Qatar Free Zones Authority regularly to help individuals with relevant interpretations.
Medical interpretation provides invaluable support for the whole healthcare industry. The simple act of interpreting what a doctor is saying to a patient can impact an individual in monumental ways. We also work with the Ministry of Public Health and the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners regularly.
Afreno takes pride in its extensive experience with all kinds of commercial and medical translations, especially with in-person interpretation in both private establishments and public organizations. We ensure that all interpretations are accurate and value-for-money to eliminate any adverse effects from miscommunications in the professional and medical field.
03
Conference Interpretation
Conferences all over the world often have multiple people speaking different languages. With a professional conference interpreter, you can rest assured that messages are properly communicated even when languages are spoken at the same time. Simultaneous interpretation may be used to translate messages between delegates into multiple languages.
Via some form of electronic equipment, an interpreter may speak at the same time as the speaker does in simultaneous interpretation. This task is highly demanding and incredibly important. Conferences or other types of meetings rely on the proper understanding from one party to the next. The nature of the conference itself demands that the topics discussed are properly understood. Without professional conference interpretation, problems arise in all fields of expertise.
This may include miscommunication for finances, commerce, businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, import and export authorities like the Customs & Port General Authority, and so on.
04
Consecutive Interpretation
Similar but still different from simultaneous interpretations, consecutive interpretation can be particularly effective for smaller discussion groups. This can also be useful in business negotiations and other meetings where interactions must be done face-to-face—although remote applications are no less effective.
With consecutive interpretation, the translation happens soon after the speaker talks. Unlike with simultaneous interpretation, there are breaks between sentences when an interpreter listens and then speaks. This can happen either in person or over telephone and video remote interactions.
This can be especially helpful for meetings between clients, attorney meetings, doctor’s appointments, and even parent-teacher conferences or dealings with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. It can also be used for Human Resources training or any meeting in a company. It is important for an interpreter to convey the message organically despite the breaks in speech so as to provide a seamless experience for both speaker and listener.
05
Liaison Interpretation
Whenever delegations pay various countries a visit, they can use liaison interpreting to ensure good communications across the board. These can also be used during small business meetings. During delegation visits, the interpreter normally tags along and does the interpretation when needed.
Liaison interpretation is important during business negotiations with foreign partners. The interpreter sits at the same table so that he or she can interpret on-the-fly. If there are less than three participants, the liaison interpreter can use whisper interpretation. For larger groups, consecutive or simultaneous interpretation can be more useful.
Liaison interpretation can be used for various government activities and dealings as well, such as interactions with the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics, or when planning sports events with the Ministry of Culture and Sports. It can be useful for discussing foreign matters or other concerns with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, or when going over best practices with the Qatar Tourism Authority.
06
Whispered Interpretation
Whispered interpretation is a form of simultaneous interpretation. Here, the interpreter sits beside the listener and whispers the interpretation to his or her ear as the speaker is talking. There are limits to whispered interpretation, as it can only be effective when seating arrangements are ideal. It should also be assumed that none of the participants will be distracted or disturbed by the interpreter’s whispering.
There is no special equipment required for this type of interpretation. However, because this is a highly demanding task, there may be two or more interpreters alternating throughout the whole meeting, especially if the negotiations take longer.
It can also be referred to by its French name “chuchotage”. You will likely witness this during international conferences, or during dealings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This can also be useful when liaising with the Civil Aviation Authority, Communications Regulatory Authority, General Authority of Customs, or the General Tax Authority among others.
07
Phone Interpretation
Also another form of consecutive interpreting, phone interpretation can help facilitate communication between parties over the phone. Initially, this began in Australia in 1973, where it addressed the concerns of its growing multilingual immigrant communities. From then on, it became one of the most widely used forms of interpretation with various applications ranging from public safety to healthcare.
The phone interpreter listens to the speaker then relays the interpreted message to the recipient. This can also be done via VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) capability, or if a phone has two receivers or a dual handset. A speakerphone can also be useful, but the interpreter must be careful not to mishear words as speakerphone quality may sometimes not be too optimal. It’s also important to eliminate background noise when using a speakerphone.
This form of interpretation can be used in all embassies, government ministries, and institutions in all fields, whether you’re liaising with the Qatar Development Bank or the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.