Chinese-English interpreter (in construction site)

[Benjud]

I want to know some information about the Chinese-English interpreter (if possible in the construction field):

 

1. What are the daily tasks and activities that an interpreter should do ?
2. (From a point of view of a beginner in this job), is it enough to master the vocabulary related to the construction industry to be able to communicate/to interpret with ease ? otherwise, what are the knowledge / skills needed ?
3. What are the things (Apps, tools, ...) that could help the Chinese-English interpreter during his/her work ?

 

Any other information is most welcome

 

Thank you

[abcdefg]

Which direction will you mainly be translating? C-E or E-C? 

[Lu]

The client might say the job will be easy, that they will just discuss some general things, nothing specialised. This will not be true. It will be specialised.

 

So make sure you prepare yourself well. Prepare as much as you possibly can, especially if the job is in a field you're not yet familiar with. Ask what the person is going to say, ask for the exact schedule, their notes, the speech, the building plans... anything you could possibly need. Then sit down with all that and learn all the vocab for everything. If you can find any videos of the speaker(s) online, find those, get used to the speaker's accnent and way of speaking, and practice interpreting the videos. Or practice on videos by other speakers on the same subject.

 

Knowing the vocabulary is important, but perhaps even more important is concentration. Do not just listen, but commit what the speaker is saying to memory and/or to paper. Keep your attention at what is being said.

 

Many interpreters make their notes in shorthand, to be able to keep up with the speakers. If you want, you can take a course in that shorthand. You can also develop your own. For some gigs, I prefer to just listen with my full attention and remember the 'path' of the story, not the exact words, and then reproduce that.

 

Be clear on your role: you are not part of the conversation, you are the facilitator. You are one of the lowest-statue people in the room; who you are is not important. Of course, people should be baseline polite, but don't take it personally if you are not treated as a distinguished guest but more as a waiter. You're not there as a person with a full and interesting personality, you're there as a worker. You can be your full person again once the job is finished.

 

Agree beforehand on your rate, the hours and other relevant things. Will there be travel from one location to the other? Will you need to stay somewhere overnight? What about meals? If the job is on a building site, is there any physical danger? Do you need a helmet or something like that, and will the client arrange for it?

 

That's all for now. Search the forums a bit, this has been discussed before, you might find more good info. Good luck!

[Benjud]

On 12/16/2022 at 3:51 AM, abcdefg said:

Which direction will you mainly be translating? C-E or E-C? 

Both, between the Chinese engineers and English engineers & employees

[Kamille16]

Hi,

 

Chinese-English Interpreter in the Construction Field:

 

Daily Tasks:
- Translating construction documents.
- Assisting communication on-site and during meetings.
- Continuously updating industry knowledge.

 

Skills Needed:
- Beyond vocabulary, understanding context, tone, and cultural nuances is essential.
- Basic knowledge of construction processes.
- Effective listening and note-taking skills.
- Ability to handle stress.

 

Useful Tools:
- Electronic dictionaries like Pleco.
- Translation apps such as Google Translate.
- Note-taking apps like Evernote.
- Voice recording apps for reviewing conversations.
- Industry-specific publications for updates.

 

To excel as an interpreter in the construction field, one needs a mix of linguistic skills, cultural awareness, and industry knowledge.

 

Hope this helps.