Interpreter’s Waybread #1

This series is set to summarize, channel and spread some words of wisdom and encouragement, but also some instances of humour, for any interpreter, translator or language service provider out there. It’s all about quotes, sentences, remarks, jokes or opinions I have been able to collect in my relatively young career as a freelance interpreter. It’s about things I heard or read which often provided some sort of guidance or help. It’s precisely the latter that every young interpreter will cherish and it’s mainly to those people I dedicate this upcoming series of posts (although even older colleagues might find some interest in it – at least I hope so!).

I’ll call this miniseries Interpreter’s Waybread. Being on a long (interpreting) journey, we tend to turn for help and guidance, mostly in times of exhaustion and desperation. It’s the same on a long hike, when all energy is spent and we turn to our provisions to help us getting back to our feet, and do one more step to where we want to go.

I will leave every quote or sentence uncommented, so that the reader may extract his own conclusions while reading along.

Interpreter’s Waybread #1:

“If you feel small, other people will treat you as a small person” (An older colleauge on the importance of self-esteem in the freelancing world)

“Agressive or rude behaviour is nearly always a product of fear. Someone treats you rudely or aggressively, you know they identified you as a person to be afraid of… That’s way better than being sidelined completely” (an experienced interpreter during a seminar)

“Courage is found in unlikely places” (from the “Lord of the Rings”)

“We want to massage the their ears a little. We do not want to send them to sleep” (from a former interpreting teacher)

“Forget about interpreting from time to time, but completely. Not doing so will make you lose your mind” (a colleague)

“Chuchotage is fun. One feels part of being in a huge conspiration” (a colleague)

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes” (Oscar Wilde)