When Clarification is Appropriate in an Interpreting Session

 A professional interpreter should be speaking in the first person.  When someone says “I went to the hospital”  the interpreter interprets, “I went to the hospital”, not “He went to the store”.  As the Interpreter, we always stay in the first person.  So that brings up the question of how do we  clarify and differentiate ourselves while interpreting in the first person?  The way that we do this is,  let’s say a speaker mumbles and we didn’t understand what they said, simply turn to the other party and say, “As interpreter I need to clarify something”, and then turn back to that party and say, “What did you mean when you said…, what was that word you used?”  Once they clarify, you will go right back to your role as transparent conduit.  “Oh, I said I was late for my  appointment.”  

 

This seems simple enough, but there are 3 big mistakes that interpreters make over and over when it comes to clarification and we’re going to address these mistakes.

 

The first mistake that interpreters often make when clarifying is that they don’t alert every party to the fact that clarification is taking place. Instead of saying “as interpreter, I need to clarify something,”  they may ask, “what did you say? Oh, what does that mean?”  Now someone doesn’t know what is going on, they don’t know the language, and all they see is two people talking back and forth.  This is very frustrating to the excluded party because they’re just sitting and wondering why this isn’t being interpreted for them.  This is why we want to always let them know as the Interpreter, I need clarification.  This puts all parties at ease when everyone is included, no matter which side it is on, that you as the interpreter are seeking clarification.  

 

The second mistake interpreters often make is not returning to the transparent conduit role of an interpreter after they make a clarification.  Sometimes interpreters want to insert themselves in the session and be a participant.  This is not our job or role.  When we’re interpreting, we’re not adding, omitting, or changing.  In some languages it may be required to restructure the sentence for it to make sense in that language, but we are not changing the message.  What I have seen happen is that when the interpreter asks for something to be clarified, they may begin giving their opinion on formulating what the person wants to say.  This is one of the biggest complaints I have heard.  An interpreter gives their opinion and inserts themself in the session.  

 

The third mistake that interpreters often make when clarifying is that they provide unnecessary clarification. Some people clarify way too much.  The only time you should clarify is when you don’t understand a word or the message.  For example, if someone says, “I was late to the medical appointment because my horse broke down on the way.” Here you understand their words.  You don’t know what they are talking about, but you understand their words.  This is not a time to ask for clarification. You stay in a transparent role and you say, “I was late to the medical appointment because my horse broke down on the way” and then it is up to the person listening to the interpretation to ask, “What do you mean your horse broke down on the way?”  The speaker can then explain what they mean.  This may reveal a mental health issue, or maybe there is some explanation.   You don’t clarify here because you understand the words, you are to interpret the words.  For example, if the provider says “We’re going to schedule you for an MGL test.” As the interpreter, you don’t know what an MGL test is, and you can see the patient is confused.  Here, it is appropriate to ask for clarification.  It is also appropriate to ask for clarification when a word or phrase was mumbled and not heard.

 

In conclusion, a proactive interpreter asks for clarification when a word or words are not understood, not when they, as the interpreter, are confused about what is being said.  It is up to the other two parties to ask for clarification.  The proactive interpreter then ensures that their clarification is made clear and then returns to the transparent role immediately and does not unnecessarily  insert themselves into the session