Common In-Person Interpretation Mistakes

TL;DR

When working with in person interpretation services, make sure you avoid these mistakes:

• Failing to hire certified interpreters: Certification guarantees accurate communication, ethical standards, and professional responsibility.
• Leaving the interpreter unprepared: Provide agendas, terminology lists, and background materials in advance.
• Choosing the wrong type of interpretation: Consecutive and simultaneous interpreting serve two different purposes.
• Underestimating the time needed: Build in extra time to allow for unexpected delays and interpreter rest breaks.
• Ignorance of cultural mediation: Choose interpreters trained in cultural competence, not just language skills.
• Failing to test equipment in advance: Check equipment, acoustics, and setup before your event.
• Confusing interpreting with translating: They’re distinct services requiring different specialists.

Everyone understands how crucial effective communication is when stakes are high, whether it’s a negotiation, consultation (business, medical, etc.), lawsuit, or large international event. And in multi-lingual settings, that clarity relies on skilled interpretation.

When in-person interpretation is precise and culturally sensitive, it builds trust and makes sure everyone understands each other. But what if it goes wrong? The consequences can be serious: misunderstandings, failure to comply, and even legal liability.

Even organizations with the best intentions can make missteps when working with onsite interpreters, usually because they underestimate the skill, preparation, and professionalism required of in person interpretation. So how can you avoid these mistakes, and protect both your organization and the people you serve?

1. Failing to Hire Certified Interpreters

One of the most common misconceptions is that anyone who can speak two languages can interpret. In fact, being a professional interpreter means getting special training in ethics, cultural knowledge, technical vocabulary, and interpretation technique. Certified interpreters pass thorough testing and are bound by ethical standards of confidentiality, impartiality, and accuracy.

These standards can’t be compromised, particularly in high-stakes situations such as court appearances, hospital meetings, or legal consultations. A single error in interpretation can cause serious financial or legal consequences, and any bias or lack of neutrality can affect accuracy.

Best practice: Always make sure interpreters have appropriate training and certification for the environment in which they’ll work.

2. Leaving the Interpreter Unprepared

Even the most experienced multilingual interpreters will provide better service if they have the materials needed to prepare.

Make sure you offer agendas, presentation slides, technical documents, and other background materials in advance so the interpreter can familiarize themselves with the topic. This is particularly true in conference interpreting and at events where there is technical or industry-specific content. Make you provide any acronyms and insider terminology, the names of the speaking participants. and any bits of jargon that could be used.

Best practice: Provide these materials well in advance, as soon as you have them, especially for business meeting interpreters or when hiring an ASL interpreter for events. Even a short briefing will help the interpreter be more accurate.

3. Choosing the Wrong Type of Interpretation

Not all types of interpretation work the same way.

Consecutive interpreting means that the interpreter speaks after each statement. This is best for situations such as interviews, depositions, or medical consultations where there will be a lot of back-and-forth conversation.

Simultaneous interpreting means that the interpreter begins to speak before the original speaker finishes. This is the type of interpretation you need for conference interpreting and multilingual event interpreting where pauses and resumptions would ruin the flow of a presentation.

Best practice: Discuss the objectives with the interpreter in advance so they can recommend the best type of interpreting for your situation. A qualified professional like those at Kaplan Interpreting Services will be able to suggest what would make sense for the environment.

4. Underestimating the Time Needed

In consecutive interpreting, the meeting will take twice as long because the speaker has to stop regularly to allow for interpretation. Even in simultaneous interpreting, when speakers rush through their speeches without stopping, it’s hard for the interpreter to maintain accuracy.

Also, most people overlook the fact that interpreting is mentally exhausting.  In-person interpreters need to take breaks to keep up their own quality of work. If they don’t, their fatigue could lead to errors.

Best practice: Allow more time than you think you’ll need. If you’re using on-site interpreting services with back-to-back assignments, plan for relief periods. It might seem inconvenient, but it will ensure interpretation accuracy.

5. Ignorance of Cultural Mediation

Multilingual interpreters don’t just translate one language to another, they interpret with context. Their knowledge of social customs, gestures, and inflections allow them to really understand the conversation. Without that, messages can come across as rude, abrupt, or just confusing.

Best practice: Use multilingual  interpreters who have had ethical or cultural mediation training rather than just language accuracy training.

6. Failing to Test Equipment in Advance

Even the best-planned event can be ruined by technical failures. Equipment malfunctions, poor acoustics, inadequate testing, any of these can make interpretation useless, especially for events requiring simultaneous interpretation.

Best practice: Run technology tests before the event starts. Check microphones, earphones, and interpretation booths. Check the venue’s acoustics. Be sure that onsite interpreters can hear and understand the speaker clearly. Always have backup equipment handy and make sure you involve your interpretation team in the setup process. They know what can go wrong and can help you catch issues before they become big problems.

7. Confusing Interpreting with Translating

Interpretation and translation aren’t the same thing. Interpreting deals with spoken language in real time, whereas translation involves written text and allows time for research and revision. They require different skills, different timelines, and often different specialities.

If your event requires both in-person interpretation services and translation services for international clients, such as interpreting a conference while also translating printed materials, you need to make that clear at the planning stage. Many professional agencies offer both, but they need to know in advance so they can provide the right staff.

Best practice: Understand the distinction so you request the right services.

Communication Is Key

In person interpretation is more than logistics: it’s a professional safeguard. Avoiding these mistakes protects your organization and the people you serve.

At Kaplan Interpreting Services, our certified interpreters uphold the highest standards of accuracy, cultural sensitivity, and confidentiality. Whether you need support for legal proceedings, healthcare situations, or global business communications, we provide onsite interpreting services that ensure understanding when it matters most.

If you’re interested in more information, feel free to contact us so we can get you a quote as soon as possible.