| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Is it nescessary for an interpreter to have a native-like accent? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Heike Kurtz 
Germany
Local time: 15:22
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
| good articulation is a must, though | Mar 28, 2010 |
In my view, they should strive towards having as little accent as possible. It is quite difficult to understand a person who is speaking, say, English with a strong French, Spanish, Indian, German... accent. Some people make the words unrecoginzable...
| | | | | unless you are a spy | Mar 28, 2010 |
Native-like accent is definitely essential for a spy )
| | | | Blanka Salkova
Czech Republic
Local time: 15:22
English to Czech
+ ...
Heike Kurtz wrote:
In my view, they should strive towards having as little accent as possible. It is quite difficult to understand a person who is speaking, say, English with a strong French, Spanish, Indian, German... accent. Some people make the words unrecoginzable...
You have summed up my thoughts on the matter.
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Susanna Martoni
Italy
Local time: 15:22
Member (2009)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
| Interpreters and translator | Mar 28, 2010 |
Sure,
for an interpreter it is essential to have a native-like accent.
On the contrary, this is not a requirement for a translator.
| | | | ilker ingiz
Türkiye
Local time: 16:22
German to Turkish
+ ...
not only interpreters but everyone who says who knows a language must have a native-like accent. That my personal opinion.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 15:22
Spanish to English
+ ...
As long as their utterances in the target language are readily understandable, an interpreter's accent does not need to be "native". I have problems understanding some Geordie or Irish accents at the best of times, and one of the the best and clearest speakers of Engish I ever heard was a Dutch student on an EFL course in UK.
A more apt question would perhaps be - native of where?
[Edited at 2010-03-28 11:12 GMT]
| | | | Wil Hardman (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:22
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Of course not... | Mar 28, 2010 |
All you need is to be clearly understood. Native-like fluency yes, but the accent really doesn't matter; comprehension is the key.
Also what is a native-like accent? Is an American speaking UK English native-like, probably not, but they would be easily understood.
Furthermore, what if an interpreter had a strong regional accent such as Geordie or Scouse for example? These are native accents but may be less widely comprehensible than a non-native English person who speak... See more All you need is to be clearly understood. Native-like fluency yes, but the accent really doesn't matter; comprehension is the key.
Also what is a native-like accent? Is an American speaking UK English native-like, probably not, but they would be easily understood.
Furthermore, what if an interpreter had a strong regional accent such as Geordie or Scouse for example? These are native accents but may be less widely comprehensible than a non-native English person who speaks excellent English with a foreign twang. ▲ Collapse
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Anna Katikhina
United States
Local time: 06:22
English to Russian
+ ...
| good pronunciation - yes. native-like accent - no | Mar 28, 2010 |
And why would I want to have a native accent unless I want to pretend I'm a native speaker? Proper pronunciation is a must, of course. But an accent... if you can have it, why not, but turning it into an obligation would be silly.
| | | | | Depends on the Assignment | Mar 28, 2010 |
This depends entirely upon the requirements of the assignment. A medical interpreter working bilaterally between two speakers may have an accent in his/her second working language. A conference interpreter working only one way should probably be selected to work from his/her second language to native language. A top-flight bilateral negotiation interpreter should sound near-native in both languages; and for special purposes, the national/local in-language accents (British vs. American or New ... See more This depends entirely upon the requirements of the assignment. A medical interpreter working bilaterally between two speakers may have an accent in his/her second working language. A conference interpreter working only one way should probably be selected to work from his/her second language to native language. A top-flight bilateral negotiation interpreter should sound near-native in both languages; and for special purposes, the national/local in-language accents (British vs. American or New Jersey vs. Salt Lake City) accents should be taken into account in both working languages.
This call, along with technical specialties, should be undertaken as part of the service by referring agencies. It should be paid additional fees, accordingly, after charging the client for both the fees and the expert administration that is required.
Especially in oral interpreting, though, we should all be working toward native accent as well as native fluency, in our second languages (I cannot claim to have achieved this, yet). Developing faux accents in other regions for both or all of our languages, as actors do, can also be a long-term goal to improve our product offering to clients. Likewise, diction and public speaking training, along with voice control and other associated skill development, are all part of the specialty, for those who may be interested. This is in addition to possible technical-knowledge development in both (all) languages. If nothing else, it's mental calisthenics for a practice that requires us to think fast, on the fly, and be right when we speak.
There is always room at the top of a profession.
Regards, All! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Native speaker of where? | Mar 28, 2010 |
Yesterday I worked as a certified public interpreter in the civil marriage of a Brazilian man to a British lady (who spoke no Portuguese - otherwise I'd be unnecessary) here in Brazil. It is a legal requirement here for anyone not speaking Portuguese to be assisted by a sworn/certified translator in any act where they will publicly commit to anything.
So I had to interpret PT-EN the fundamental question, as well as her Yes! EN-PT. Th... See more Yesterday I worked as a certified public interpreter in the civil marriage of a Brazilian man to a British lady (who spoke no Portuguese - otherwise I'd be unnecessary) here in Brazil. It is a legal requirement here for anyone not speaking Portuguese to be assisted by a sworn/certified translator in any act where they will publicly commit to anything.
So I had to interpret PT-EN the fundamental question, as well as her Yes! EN-PT. Then I had to sight-translate PT-EN the record before she signed it. I had to sign it too, otherwise she would be able to challenge it later, saying she didn't know what she was entering into.
As it happens, she was (and still is) British, and my accent is unanimously recognized as EN-US, but we understood each other. My worst fear upon having the assignment made over the phone, in Portuguese with the groom, was if she spoke Cockney, which I have a hard time to understand - when I manage. However she spoke clear EN-UK.
Among all those present to the wedding, only three spoke English: the bride (of course!), the groom (who speaks EN-US in spite of living in England), and myself (of course!). One of the groom's aunts was able to utter a few loose words in EN.
So, as long as people understand each other, the accent is not a problem. After all, if the interpreter has such a heavy accent in either language to the extent of defying comprehension, they shouldn't be interpreting.
I'm mostly a translator, working only as a sworn interpreter occasionally on such events. One cannot be a certified translator-only in Brazil, consecutive interpreting and signt translation are included in the exam, and in the assignment as well. Nevertheless I've interpreted for people of varied nationalities, some of them having EN as their second, third, or even fourth language.
So accent is not the issue, as long as the output is understandable for the concerned party. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sebastian Witte
Germany
Local time: 15:22
Member (2004)
English to German
+ ...
| Proper pronunciation and a clear articulation - two different things | Mar 28, 2010 |
Some German interpreters focus on a very clear articulation in either language on the job in order to be understood by everyone around which in my ears oftentimes sounds pretty unnatural, in particular when speaking US English, Latin American Spanish or Portuguese in either variant, be it European or Brazilian.
Even native German (Germany variant) sounds a bit strange when pronounced in too clear a manner, I think, and I am German.
With French, it might be a different... See more Some German interpreters focus on a very clear articulation in either language on the job in order to be understood by everyone around which in my ears oftentimes sounds pretty unnatural, in particular when speaking US English, Latin American Spanish or Portuguese in either variant, be it European or Brazilian.
Even native German (Germany variant) sounds a bit strange when pronounced in too clear a manner, I think, and I am German.
With French, it might be a different thing, because French people mostly have a clear pronunciation. In the case of UK English, it depends. There are not that many German people capable of mimicking those special British accents anyway.
Proper pronunciation is something else, it is indispensable for interpreting (which in by far the majority of cases is bi-directional from what I know) and does play a part for people just working as translators also because sometimes an agency from the country of one of their source languages gives them a call and then the PM on the line could be native in the language of conversation, noticing everything that's flawed.
[Edited at 2010-03-28 14:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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neilmac wrote:
As long as their utterances in the target language are readily understandable, an interpreter's accent does not need to be "native". I have problems understanding some Geordie or Irish accents at the best of times, and one of the the best and clearest speakers of Engish I ever heard was a Dutch student on an EFL course in UK.
A more apt question would perhaps be - native of where?
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Native speaker of where?
The question really says "native-like" which means "resembling" or "similar", so that means if you translate from Spanish to English, it needs to sound like English (doesn't matter the variant), and definitely not to Spanish or to utter words in Spanglish.
| | | | Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 07:22
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
The native part would refer to what is native to the audience one is addressing, obviously not to some regional accent that might belong to their language but that they are not familiar with. Please foks, keep it logical.
At conferences Mexicans have stated to me, "we like your work because you really speak like we do", and Americans the same, because my accent is mainstream native for both. But some accent is acceptable as long as it is slight. A heavy accent is not; it hinders und... See more The native part would refer to what is native to the audience one is addressing, obviously not to some regional accent that might belong to their language but that they are not familiar with. Please foks, keep it logical.
At conferences Mexicans have stated to me, "we like your work because you really speak like we do", and Americans the same, because my accent is mainstream native for both. But some accent is acceptable as long as it is slight. A heavy accent is not; it hinders understanding. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | For Simultaneous Interpreting, Yes | Mar 28, 2010 |
I believe it should be a must that a simultaneous interpreter is a native speaker of the active language. I can never imagine to listen for hours to somebody which speaks my language with an accent and I believe this is not professional. In all the other cases, communication is what counts.
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