Interpreting FAQs
If you’re thinking of investing in a conference interpreter or translator, you probably have lots of questions. I’ll answer many of them here!
If you’d like, I’m also happy to chat in depth in a free discovery call.
FAQ: Dolmetschauftrag
What language combinations do you offer?
As a qualified conference interpreter, I usually work in the following language combinations: German ↔ Italian and English → Italian. For liaison interpreting, I also provide Italian → English services.
If you require other language combinations, I’m happy to recommend experienced interpreters from my large professional network.
If desired, I can put together multilingual teams for you, too. All experts with whom I collaborate have gained academic qualifications in conference interpreting as well as several years of practical work experience.
In which subject areas are you most experienced?
Please find a complete list of my areas of expertise and specific topics here.
How much are your interpreting services?
That depends on your event type (e.g. duration, language combinations, and subject areas). I need to know the following before I’m able to send you a tailored quote:
- Who needs the interpreting services?
- How large is the delegation?
- Where will the event(s) take place?
- When are the event dates?
- Do you already have documents, agendas, glossaries, or any other event information you can share?
Please book a free discovery call with me to chat about these and any other questions you may have.
What is conference interpreting?
Conference interpreting is the oral translation of spoken messages at multilingual events or international meetings, so participants can understand each other without any issues.
Attendees may include politicians or representatives of international organisations. It’s essential to hire qualified professional interpreters like me to convey the correct meaning in a culturally appropriate way. The main interpretation types used are consecutive, simultaneous, or whispered interpreting (see below).
What types of interpreting services do you offer?
I offer a variety of interpreting services:
- Remote interpreting is used in online meetings and other virtual events. (I’m a qualified remote interpreter).
- Consecutive interpreting has been proven to work well for group visits,
bilateral talks, short speeches, lectures, and receptions. All content is conveyed after a short delay. - Simultaneous interpreting (also called ‘simultaneous translation’) can be used at multilingual events and is suitable for group visits, too. Here, the content is interpreted without any delays.
- Liaison interpreting (also called ‘bilateral interpreting’ or ‘accompanying interpreting’) is used for negotiations.
- Less frequently, I offer whispered interpreting (‘chuchotage’). This is suitable for very short events, usually with only one conversation partner.
Find out more about these types of interpreting services here.
Do I still need a human interpreter? There are AI tools now, aren’t there?
So far, attempts to use AI interpreting tools at conferences and bigger events haven’t been very successful: AI-generated voices often sound monotonous, so they are strenuous to listen to. Sometimes, AI also has problems recognising who is talking. Mishaps can happen in formal speeches or classroom-style teaching settings, too. Although this technology is developing fast, it’s currently more suitable for private use (e.g. for small talk during a holiday).
And interpreting is, of course, never a literal translation of words or sentences! A human interpreter like me will not only understand your target audience and specialist terminology, but also translate your content in a culturally sensitive way. Slip of the tongue? No problem. I’ll correct this quickly and discreetly when interpreting.
Do you use AI for your interpreting services?
AI can be helpful when preparing for an interpreting assignment, including for terminology research.
For example, it may help me learn about relevant production processes before a group visit to a factory.
However, at the moment I don’t use AI tools when interpreting at conferences or other events. If this should change, I’d always inform my clients beforehand.
Can you organise technical equipment (e.g. interpreting booth, mobile tour guide system) and/or project management services for the interpreting assignment?
Yes, I can. I’d be delighted to advise you further on this in a discovery call.
What do you need to prepare for an interpreting project?
I always have to familiarise myself with your topic and terminology first to prepare myself adequately.
That’s why it’s important to send me any relevant information, glossaries, and documents as soon as possible (e.g. presentations, drafts of your speech, programmes, agendas).
What interpreting qualifications do you have?
Having passed my diploma-level translation and interpreting studies degree (specialising in conference interpreting) at universities in Bologna and Heidelberg, I’ve been working as a qualified interpreter for many years (German ↔ Italian and English → Italian).
I’m also a qualified remote interpreter, an active member of the renowned International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), and a member of the Association of Translators and Interpreters (TradInFo).
As a senior member of the German Association of Conference Interpreters (VKD), I’ve completed over 200 full conference days of interpreting at prestigious conferences and other events.
Read more about my linguistic training, expertise, and continuing professional education here.
FAQs: Translation services
What language combinations do you offer for translations?
II work in the following language combinations: German → Italian* and English → Italian. (* For certain text types, I also provide Italian → German translation services. All translations into German will be proofread by qualified and experienced native speakers.)
You need other language combinations (including Italian → English)? I’m happy to recommend experienced colleagues from my large professional network who are native speakers.
In which subject areas are you most experienced?
Please find a complete list of topics in which I have specialised here.
Do you offer certified translations?
I’m afraid I don’t. However, if you need an official document proving a translation’s correctness for use in, for example, a German public authority, I’m delighted to recommend experts from my professional network.
How much is a translation? And how long will it take?
That depends on your original text and your deadlines. After I’ve seen your copy, I’ll be happy to send you a free quote. Of course, I’ll treat all documents confidentially. I’d recommend booking in good time, even if it’s a short translation.
Do you offer proofreading services?
Yes, I do. In addition to creating and checking translations, I also correct audio and video transcriptions as well as subtitles.
Any translations I create are then proofread by another experienced linguist. This peer review system is advisable when dealing with copy that could pose a liability risk, or with any text that’s going to be published. After I’ve viewed your original copy, I’ll be happy to send you a quote.
Do you work with AI? Are human translators really still necessary?
I only use AI tools with caution and will check with my clients before doing so. There always must be a good reason why AI should be considered and it’s crucial that its use doesn’t conflict with data protection legislation. Therefore, I check the original copy very carefully.
AI tools work better with some text types than others. I find them useful to increase efficiency: they can be helpful for pre-translation purposes and for assisting with first drafts. For example, AI might be used for a first translation of long lists of words, such as geographical terms or plant names. A quick AI translation can show which sections are really important, too, so a human expert like me can focus on translating these.
For creative copy, AI tools aren’t a very good choice because translations must sound natural and idiomatic. To achieve this, copy often needs to be completely rewritten or certain text components have to be moved around. That’s where AI still falls down. It could perhaps be used more successfully for standardised copy such as T&Cs or contracts. However, it’s not at all clear who would be liable if errors occurred in these cases.
Some AI tools are more suitable for translations than others, though their quality depends a lot on the relevant language combinations.
This is why I strongly advise against the use of AI without the necessary language skills and expert knowledge. Unfortunately, mistakes and omissions are still common when using these tools
Why is it relatively expensive to proofread AI-generated translations?
AI isn’t always reliable and sometimes has issues recognising context and humour. It’s also prone to deliver ‘hallucinations’, i.e. “false or fictional answers”. That’s why I need to translate many sentence structures completely from scratch. Hence, proofreading AI copy is often more complex and more expensive. Please also note that many AI tools aren’t compliant with common data protection laws.
In short, human translations are more suitable for confidential documents and specialised texts.
Do you offer transcreations?
Yes, I do. After I’ve viewed your original copy and have chatted with you about your requirements in a discovery call, I’ll be happy to send you a free quote..
What translation qualifications do you have?
Having passed my diploma-level translation studies degree at universities in Bologna and Heidelberg, I’ve been working as a qualified translator
(German / English → Italian) since 2006. Read more about my translation training, expertise, and continuing professional education here.
Would you like to find out more?
Great! Then book an informal discovery call with me. Of course, I’ll keep all information and documents you may share completely confidential..