Facilitating Interpreters

Facilitating Interpreters

This is a new term that is being used by interpreter agencies. The following description is taken from the website of London Translations (www.london-translations.co.uk).

“Facilitating Interpreting covers a range of activities. Typically many people talk and many people listen alternately. Facilitating Interpreting is the term used to describe work which is less structured than consecutive or simultaneous assignments.

“Sometimes you just need someone bilingual on hand who can help out with ad-hoc requirements during an event. Facilitating Interpreters are often hired to attend international corporate hospitality events and team building sessions. They are a great help in making your clients and staff feel comfortable and can help avoid misunderstandings and consequent embarrassment.

“Facilitating Interpreters are often used when some group members have a smattering of both (or all) the languages involved and require someone bilingual to clarify points of confusion by saying it 'in other words'.

What should interest us is that London Translation specifies 5 years “Minimum experience required” from its simultaneous interpreters, 3 years from its consecutive and telephone interpreters, but “No minimum” from its facilitating interpreters.

This strongly suggests that facilitating interpreting can be done without training, and implies therefore that facilitating interpreters are typically Native Translators.