Cowboy interpreters Thread poster: Shereen Whiten, BA.
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I have worked with a so-called interpreter (Arabic) in one of the projects. he had a poor mastery of Arabic and English languages. he did not have any interpreting qualification apart from being bilingual ... unfortunately the quality of his service was very poor due to inaccuracy in delivery of the meaning, incompetency of both source and target languages in terms of grammar, vocabulary, sentence composition and comprehension etc which resulted in clients' compliant on interpreting service prov... See more I have worked with a so-called interpreter (Arabic) in one of the projects. he had a poor mastery of Arabic and English languages. he did not have any interpreting qualification apart from being bilingual ... unfortunately the quality of his service was very poor due to inaccuracy in delivery of the meaning, incompetency of both source and target languages in terms of grammar, vocabulary, sentence composition and comprehension etc which resulted in clients' compliant on interpreting service provided by him.
his tactics to cover such weakness were as follows:
a) acting as a joker
b) acting as a grass and stabbing other interpreters in their backs to cover his flaws and raise on their expenses..
for his bad luck acting doesn't last forever as it was proved later that he was a poor performer.. i cant say interpreter as I think it is an insult to consider him as one due to his poor linguistic and professional qualities.
important points to highlight:
1) being bilingual doesn't qualify you to interpret! Interpreting is not a hobby, it is a skill you develop and gain through university qualification, training courses, intensive study and training in all types of interpreting, situations, subjects and also written translation.
2) Translating agencies shall not recruit individuals without assessing their interpreting abilities, translation abilities, face-to-face interview, professional references, disclosure, etc.
3)cowboy interpreters provide bad interpreting or translating service as such scammers aim for money only without providing an honest and accurate service to the client even in serious situations where accuracy in meaning and delivery are highlighted.
4) Qualified interpreters shall report such scammers to concerned bodies, agencies, etc to stop them from working in interpreting profession as they provide poor service which may result into serious consequences for all parties.
please share your ideas, suggestions, etc in this matter.
Thanks before hand ▲ Collapse
| | | | Shai Navé 
Israel
Local time: 10:15
English to Hebrew
+ ...
| Nothing new, unfortunately | Jun 16, 2013 |
1) being bilingual doesn't qualify you to interpret! Interpreting is not a hobby, it is a skill you develop and gain through university qualification, training courses, intensive study and training in all types of interpreting, situations, subjects and also written translation.
Of course not, and the same is true for translation. I would also add that in specialty fields (legal, medical including sub-specialties), an in depth knowledge and experience in the relevant field is not less important from the linguistic skills. Actually, I would go as so far as saying that in most "commercial" translations/interpreting good linguistic skills are just a prerequisite and not a qualification.
2) Translating agencies shall not recruit individuals without assessing their interpreting abilities, translation abilities, face-to-face interview, professional references, disclosure, etc.
There are as much so-called "cowboys" agencies (which are actually resellers/brokers of translation services) as there are translators/interpreters of the same kind.
3)cowboy interpreters provide bad interpreting or translating service as such scammers aim for money only without providing an honest and accurate service to the client even in serious situations where accuracy in meaning and delivery are highlighted.
Very true, but the marketplace if riddled with them.
4) Qualified interpreters shall report such scammers to concerned bodies, agencies, etc to stop them from working in interpreting profession as they provide poor service which may result into serious consequences for all parties.
Actually, not all interpreters/translators know each other or collaborate on projects in way that enables them to be aware of the quality of service rendered by specific individuals. The ones how are in a much better position to report these fraudulent and/or low quality translators/interpreters and/or agencies are the clients. although they might lack the required skills. Also, due to the unregulated and highly fragmented and inefficient nature of the marketplace, one doesn't really have any official authority to report these people to (well, there kinda are, but they are pretty much powerless in practice). As to the agencies, usually those who provide this quality of service don't care much about the quality themselves. This is why they have hired the services of the cheapest service provider that they could get their hands on (sometimes while pocketing more profit).
The bottom line is that the marketplace is flooded with incompetent, fraudulent and scamming service providers that do a lot of damage to professionals and clients alike. The current inefficient structure of the marketplace helps them flourish in a lot of ways. I don't have any easy solution for that, but I think that professional translators/interpreters and agencies should start cooperating in developing parallel communication channels. They should start working on detaching themselves from the low-quality infested "marketplace" and establish a more clear professional identity, that relevant clients will be able to find more easily.
[Edited at 2013-06-16 00:40 GMT]
| | | | | It's true of almost all self-employable professions | Jun 16, 2013 |
You could replace the words "translator/interpreter" with many others such as electrician, carpenter, plumber, landscaper, etc. and what you wrote would apply almost as fully to those professions as well. I remember how often a carpenter I used to work with would say, "Calling yourself a 'professional' just means that you charge for your services. It doesn't mean that you have any idea what you are doing."
Anyone can pick up a hammer and call themselves a carpenter. If they can find... See more You could replace the words "translator/interpreter" with many others such as electrician, carpenter, plumber, landscaper, etc. and what you wrote would apply almost as fully to those professions as well. I remember how often a carpenter I used to work with would say, "Calling yourself a 'professional' just means that you charge for your services. It doesn't mean that you have any idea what you are doing."
Anyone can pick up a hammer and call themselves a carpenter. If they can find someone who is willing to pay them for carpentry work, they can even call themselves a professional carpenter. The truth however will come out in the finished product, just as it does in translation and interpreting. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I absolutely agree with you, Shereen. | Jun 16, 2013 |
Interpreting is one of the most difficult professions which requires not only bilingualism (or a language level very close to it), but also years of training and practice, acting skills, media type of skills, or PR, very good memory and concentration, and many other things.
It is sad, however, that sometimes when there are no professional top quality interpreters, some clients employ just basically anybody who speaks the languages to some extent. This usually does not end too well f... See more Interpreting is one of the most difficult professions which requires not only bilingualism (or a language level very close to it), but also years of training and practice, acting skills, media type of skills, or PR, very good memory and concentration, and many other things.
It is sad, however, that sometimes when there are no professional top quality interpreters, some clients employ just basically anybody who speaks the languages to some extent. This usually does not end too well for anybody, but it happens. This is why any type of tenders, or low bidding policies make absolutely no sense in the world of translation and interpreting. The best should always get the jobs.
And I disagree that it is the same as with any profession. Yes, to some degree, but it is definitely easier to train someone how to lay bricks properly in three weeks, than to teach someone translation or interpreting, because to be a good translator, or even more so an interpreter, is not just about being taught something.
[Edited at 2013-06-16 10:46 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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I think clients / translation agencies shall emphasis on testing interpreters/translators before hiring them to avoid such problem or such scammers.
they shall not only look at CVs and references as they may be full of lies and fabrications.
| | | | | There are some similarities | Jun 16, 2013 |
LilianBNekipelo wrote:
And I disagree that it is the same as with any profession. Yes, to some degree, but it is definitely easier to train someone how to lay bricks properly in three weeks, than to teach someone translation or interpreting, because to be a good translator, or even more so an interpreter, is not just about being taught something.
[Edited at 2013-06-16 10:46 GMT]
I agree with you (and the OP), of course there are some major differences between all professions, but one thing that I haven't noticed being all that different is the amount of shoddy work and exaggeration about abilities, skills, etc. that is prevalent in all of them. Especially ones that don't require any kind of certification to legally work in them. That's all I was trying to say.
And I don't know about brick-laying (only done it about half a dozen times, personally - not enough to pass any judgments), but there is no way you can teach someone to be a (self-sufficient) carpenter in three weeks, let alone an electrician. Just like translation/interpreting, those professions take years of real experience in addition to education/training/instruction to get to the point where you can really call yourself a 'professional' (at least using the definition of the word that I like to consider best). Not to mention, in those professions one mistake can often kill or seriously injure you or someone else, which at least is not a likely outcome of Trans/Int !
| | | | | request for information | Jun 16, 2013 |
Does anyone know how to report such unqualified interpreters/translators in order to stop their poor practise?
| | | | | Most agencies, do it, Shereen | Jun 16, 2013 |
if they don't have a really qualified interpreter especially in rare languages, or they don't want to pay $80/hr. I don't think there would be any use reporting them. Finally the clients usually realize what they are getting.
[Edited at 2013-06-16 19:05 GMT]
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Unfortunately, the client is not aware of such bad service unless he/she is working with the said scammer for a period of time where mistakes can be spotted easily.
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Shall other interpreters point out such poor practice or not?
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Shereen Whiten, BA wrote:
Shall other interpreters point out such poor practice or not?
You mean "should"
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I mean for the future, shall we point out such poor practice or not? what do you think?
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