A Guide to Maintaining High Interpretation Quality Over Time

It's not enough to get it right the first time. Maintaining high interpretation quality is an ongoing process that involves constant improvement, cultural adaptation, and attention to technological advancements. Whether you're an interpreter working in the legal, medical, or business fields, keeping your skills sharp and your quality consistent over time can set you apart. 

Let's explore essential strategies for ensuring you deliver exceptional interpretation for the long haul.

Why we need to maintain high interpretation quality

It's really important to make sure that the interpretation is of a high quality for a number of reasons, especially in industries where communication is key to getting the right result. Having accurate interpretation can make or break legal proceedings, influence medical diagnoses, or seal international business deals. Here's why maintaining high-quality interpretation is essential:

Accuracy and Trust: If you get your message across right, you'll build trust with clients, stakeholders, or legal authorities. Misinterpretations can lead to confusion, legal trouble, or even lost business.

Compliance with Professional Standards: A lot of industries, especially the legal and medical fields, have pretty strict standards for interpretation. If you don't meet these standards, you could end up not complying, facing legal issues, or even being accused of malpractice.

Business Growth and Client Retention: The quality of interpretation has a big impact on customer satisfaction and retention. Clients are more likely to come back to interpreters or agencies that consistently deliver precise and culturally appropriate translations.

In fact, a significant percentage of businesses see improved client relations and smoother operations when high-quality service is consistently provided. According to Zendesk, two-thirds of the customers become repeat customers when they feel that the business values their emotions. 

If you keep the quality of your interpretations up, you're protecting your clients from risks. You are also enhancing your own professional reputation, which is a great way to ensure long-term success.

The core characteristics of a good interpreter

The key to providing high-quality interpretation is having the right skills and qualities. Aside from being fluent in several languages, an interpreter should also be able to:

Cultural Sensitivity: Knowing the ins and outs of different cultures can make or break the accuracy of interpretation. For example, legal terms like "good faith" can mean different things in different countries, so it's important to adapt to the cultural context.

Adaptability: In fast-paced environments, interpreters need to be able to think on their feet, whether they're interpreting in real-time or adjusting to an unexpected subject change mid-session.

Strong Memory and Listening Skills: These are essential for accurately conveying messages without omitting details, particularly in simultaneous interpreting settings.

A great interpreter has these qualities and works hard to keep improving them through practice, client feedback, and staying up to date on industry trends.

Essential skills for sustaining interpretation quality

If you want to be a successful interpreter, you've got to develop and maintain those critical interpreting skills over time. Some key skills to have include:

Active Listening: This involves more than just hearing the words—it’s about understanding the context, intention, and nuances behind them.

Neutrality and Accuracy: It's important to stay neutral and maintain accuracy, whether you're interpreting for a high-stakes legal proceeding or a medical diagnosis.

Cognitive Agility: Real-time interpretation is all about being able to make sense of what's going on in the moment means processing information quickly, often while you're speaking. This requires a high level of cognitive flexibility.

Feedback loops and performance reviews can help interpreters brush up on these skills. Regular evaluations help us spot mistakes and fix them before they become habits.

Mastering time management and long-term monitoring

Time management is a big part of the job for interpreters, especially when you're trying to fit in preparation, delivery, and reflection.

Before the Assignment: Good interpreters get ready by making glossaries, going over the material, or using translation management systems (TMS) to organize documents.

During the Assignment: Efficient interpreters manage their time well, switching between languages easily without losing quality.

After the Assignment: After the event, it's important to give feedback and reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Quality assurance techniques like blind testing and error analysis can help identify areas for growth.

Despite their importance, only a small percentage of interpreters regularly evaluate their events, missing out on valuable opportunities to improve.

Leveraging technology to enhance interpretation quality

Technology is an interpreter's best friend in the digital world today. From real-time translation software to advanced terminology management systems, technology helps reduce errors and improve consistency.

Terminology Management Systems: These tools keep track of specialized terms across multiple assignments, making sure everyone's using them the same way. That's especially important in technical or medical interpreting.

Real-Time Interpretation Platforms: These platforms make communication smooth, so interpreters can adjust their output in high-pressure situations. 

Speech Recognition and Transcription Tools: AI-powered tools are becoming more and more popular for turning speech into text. This makes it easier for interpreters and helps them get it right more often.

Interpreters who use these tools say that clients are happier with the service they get. Technology helps them avoid mistakes and makes the whole process quicker and easier.

Maintaining cultural competence over time

Cultural competence is about more than just knowing a language. It's about understanding the context and norms of the audience. It's important for interpreters to stay up to date on cultural trends, especially as societies evolve.

Cultural Training: It's important to keep interpreters in the loop about changing social and cultural norms. This is particularly crucial in legal or healthcare settings, where a misinterpreted cultural nuance can have serious consequences.

Culturally Relevant Materials: Having access to updated glossaries and cultural references ensures interpreters are delivering content that resonates with the target audience.

If interpreters stay culturally competent, they can avoid the pitfalls that come from cultural misunderstandings. This means their interpretations will be not only accurate but also contextually appropriate.

Collaboration and feedback for continuous improvement

To make sure we're all on the same page and constantly improving, we need to work together and give each other feedback.

Pre-Event Preparation: Clear communication with clients about expectations and goals is crucial to align interpretations with the desired outcomes.

Post-Event Debriefing: Gathering feedback after an event allows interpreters to reflect and identify areas for improvement. Consistent feedback loops ensure interpreters continue evolving and refining their craft.

Adding a structured feedback system to the process helps us get it right and keep our clients happy. Interpreters who actively look for feedback keep getting better over time.

Conclusion

Maintaining high interpreting quality requires a combination of ongoing skill development, effective use of technology, and a focus on cultural sensitivity. By investing in these areas, interpreters can ensure that their services remain top-notch over time, benefiting both themselves and their clients.

Ready to take your service to the next level? Get in touch with us at Tomedes for professional interpreters and translation solutions that are backed by rigorous quality control and cutting-edge technology.