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Poll: Do you work as an interpreter? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you work as an interpreter?".
View the poll results »
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Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:57
German to English
+ ...
I voted 'no, I am primarily a translator' in the assumption that what it actually meant was 'no, I am exclusively a translator'. I do not do interpreting at all. Much too much like hard work and means getting dressed and leaving the house!
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:57
Hebrew to English
| Other - No, I am ONLY a translator | Sep 20, 2012 |
Voted other because I didn't think the "No" option included this possibility.
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| Only primarily a translator | Sep 20, 2012 |
because I also do some copywriting and editing.
The idea of interpreting scares me!
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Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 06:57
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| No thank you! | Sep 20, 2012 |
Tried it once. Harrowing experience! 
In spite of the linguistic overlap, I think that interpreters and translators are entirely different animals with entirely different skills.
I'm happy striving for perfection in my own way in front of a computer. 
[Edited at 2012-09-20 23:31 GMT]
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Helen Hagon
Local time: 22:57
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
| Only a translator | Sep 20, 2012 |
Interpreting requires some very different skills - which I don't have. Interpreters have to think quickly and have excellent aural and oral skills. They don't get to stop and look in the dictionary, google an unfamiliar term, or go back and change their minds about something.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:57
Spanish to English
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| Yes, but rarely | Sep 20, 2012 |
I have never been comfortable with it since one German client, visiting a Spanish company with a view to a takeover, turned round to me after the company accountant had presented their turnover and performance figures and said "do you think he is telling the truth?"
I think I prefer to keep my clients at a respectable distance ...
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Sonia Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:57
Italian to English
Mary Worby wrote: I voted 'no, I am primarily a translator' in the assumption that what it actually meant was 'no, I am exclusively a translator'. I do not do interpreting at all. Much too much like hard work and means getting dressed and leaving the house!
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Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 22:57
I do not have, and am unlikely to have the ability to develop, the skills required of an interpreter.
While I no longer get tongue-tied "interpreting" PtEn in informal situations, I have to think twice, look hard at the person, think to myself, "Oh, yes, you're the English one" or similar, before anything passing for intelligible comes from my mouth. Very tiring!
Interpreters have my complete admiration!
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| No, thank you! | Sep 20, 2012 |
Interpreting is quite a different kettle of fish! I am exclusively a translator.
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Alison Sparks (X)
Local time: 23:57
French to English
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| Yes on occasion | Sep 20, 2012 |
and would like to do more. I thoroughly enjoy consecutive interpreting and find it very stimulating mentally. Don't like simultaneous much though, but then my experience of that was in a crowded room full of people chatting and with no booth or means to shut out the extraneous noise.
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Andrey Lisov
Russian Federation
Local time: 00:57
English to Russian
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I've been in the industry over 12 years mostly involved in the interpreting assignments.
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Tatty
Local time: 23:57
Spanish to English
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| My preference | Sep 20, 2012 |
I would love to work primarily as an interpreter, and not have to translate so much. This week I have interpreted exclusively. But I must admit that, although I enjoy it, if I only interpret I feel like I don't have a real job. Translating seems to be a more anchored activity to me. It's probably just a question of changing my mindset, since I've always seen interpreting as more of a hobby.
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| definitely not | Sep 20, 2012 |
Between mild hearing loss and moderate ADHD, interpreting is certainly not for me! I sometimes have a hard time hearing and/or staying focused on conversations in my native language. If you say a 10-digit phone number to me in English and ask me to repeat it back immediately in the same language, or utter a 10-20 word sentence and ask me to write it down verbatim, chances are I will fail. If you want to think of it in computer terms, my "working memory" buffer is quite small.
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Alison Sabedoria (X)
United Kingdom
French to English
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Just often enough to remind me of why it's not a good idea! Like Kathryn, I can have "working memory"problems, especially with figures, always worse under stressful conditions.
Although I enjoy interpreting in informal settings, I take my hat off to those who can do it as a job. For me, it's as demanding, tiring and stressful as performing on stage, but without the fat fee, applause and big bouquet - in my book, that's what a good interpreter deserves!
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