An exciting offer came via my website this month: interpreting for an Italian footballing superstar, as he begins a promotional tour in the UK next month.
I’ll be interpreting for him on stage at an in-person event in London, as well as some additional media interviews.
I can’t share his name just yet, but let’s just say he’s a national hero in Italy – and if you’re a soccer fan, you’ll understand why I’m so excited to work with him!
I’m currently immersing myself in his life story, in preparation to interpret for him. This is particularly important in interviews, as the questions can go anywhere and the answers will be shared far and wide. I need to have all the facts filed away in my memory – names, places, dates, key events – so that I can interpret fluently and accurately. It means I don’t waste precious milliseconds trying to work out what a reference means while I’m also searching for the perfect phrasing.
It also helps me understand him as a person – or at least the public persona he chooses to share. Is he light-hearted, self-deprecating, or more flamboyant in the way he speaks? Having a sense of that in advance makes it much easier to convey his personality and voice faithfully, while still adapting to shifts in tone throughout the interview.
For me, this preparation is one of the joys of interpreting. Not only do I get to meet truly extraordinary people, but I get to delve deep into the most unexpected and eclectic range of subjects, which I might otherwise never have explored.