Cross- cultural Communication This page intentionally left blank

The use of interpreters and translators
As discussed in Chapter 8, in international meetings it may be necessary 
to use interpreters and translators. It is essential to use individuals who 
are well qualified, with experience in similar negotiations, particularly if 
the subject matter is highly technical. In all cases, the interpreters should 
be fully briefed in advance of the actual negotiations and given sufficient 
background information to help them ‘read into the situation’. They should 
understand the business culture and, in particular, the corporate culture 
of the organization with which they are working. In addition, they must 
fully respect commercial confidentiality. Both interpreters and translators 
should also be fully familiar with regional dialects if they are used. In all 
cases when using interpreters, speakers should always address counterparts 
directly (that is, face to face) rather than the interpreter. Failure to do so 
shows disrespect.
When using interpreters, there is always the danger of mistranslation and 
loss of personal impact, particularly when the speaker has a high standard of 
rhetoric and personal charisma. Victor (1992: 141) cautions that as interpreta-
tion is often hard work, speakers should do all they can to lessen the burden 
on the interpreter by having frequent breaks in the proceedings, keeping the 
dialogue as simple as possible and injecting pauses at appropriate intervals.
•
•
•
•
•

---

168 Cross-Cultural Communication
Interpreters should also be available during both informal and formal 
social gatherings. Translators will be required as part of the negotiation’s 
secretariat to prepare translations at key points during the negotiations, 
either as summaries of action taken at various points or to translate extracts 
from legal documents and technical data if this has not been done in 
advance. Cohen (1999) stresses the problems, both linguistic and cultural, 
that can arise when translating from one language to another, in particular 
in the case of subtle cultural nuances.