Toss that Potato! | By Jennifer De La Cruz | April 22, 2012

 

By Jennifer De La Cruz

 

I love comparing the process of being a conduit of communication to a game of “Hot Potato.” The image in my mind is that of the source language speaker tossing me information in the form of a steaming spud, and my job is to get rid of it as soon as possible, without getting burned, and doing so in a way that the target language speaker is able to capture. A graceful flow of catch-and-toss is my goal. Granted, it’s a simplistic way of explaining the interpreting process, but it can be used to illustrate an essential message: Holding onto information that we’re supposed to be transmitting as the interpreter can make us struggle to avoid getting burned, or may very well end up burning us in the end.

In this, my description of interpreting as a game of “Hot Potato,” if we can’t get that potato (information) out of our hands (interpret it), then we might start to juggle it from hand to hand. This juggling might not only result in an interpretation (tossing the potato) that is incorrect, but also in our becoming flustered and less ready for the next spud to be tossed our way. Even worse, holding onto the information (failing to toss the potato) is essentially failing to perform our duty as an interpreter.

In a nutshell, our constant task is to immediately identify and resolve anything that might make us less able or even incapable of receiving information and interpreting it. In general, we must be ready to receive information, know what to do if we cannot interpret it, and ensure that we have somebody to transmit the information to.

Readiness to Receive: This includes not only checking our environment to make certain we can clearly hear and that distractions are kept to a minimum; but also ensuring our mental clarity in general. Relaxing and being prepared for our task will require us to feel the confidence that we’re prepared for our assignment and know what to do if there are any particularly difficult utterances. By continually assessing the clarity of the messages (speed, audibility, register) we are receiving, and asking for whatever we need to help us better receive the information, we are enhancing our preparedness for the next task of interpreting: transmission of the message. By ensuring the best possible conditions to receive information, we can better perform the task of clearly interpreting the message in observance of ethical standards.

The Toss-Back: We are most likely going to have to hold onto that “hot potato” of information for a moment while we figure out how to best render an interpretation, but what to do if we’re finding we are unable to render? Now what do we do with the potato? We can toss it back by turning to the source language speaker to either request clarification or repetition, or temporarily toss it aside to ask for a moment to consult our language resources. The idea is that rather than continuing to juggle that “hot potato” of information ourselves, which can manifest itself in hesitation utterances, backtracking, hedging and changes in register, additions, omissions and embellishments, we instead look to our lifelines to help solve whatever issue is impeding the interpretation.

Ensuring we have a Receiver: Here is where interpreters can get into trouble. Again looking at the game, we are one of at least three parties, aren’t we? If we find ourselves alone with the Limited English Speaker, for example, we have nobody to toss the information they give us (potato) to! Gonna get burned, aren’t we!? Any information we receive that we have not interpreted has the potential of turning us into witnesses in the legal arena, pulling us from our neutral ground into the highly-undesirable zone of taking a side. Even when we are forced to be alone while briefly speaking to a witness before interpreting for him/her at the stand, which our ethics generally support, we have to be extremely careful to stay away from the “information” category; we must instead limit ourselves to quickly identifying any speech or language issues that might impact the interpreting encounter. This same concept also applies to the medical field, because we could be holding onto information that the provider needs for patient care issues if we are alone with the patient at some point during the encounter and he/she reveals anything important. There is the potential that such information is inadvertently forgotten (by the interpreter or by the patient) once the interpreting encounter is occurring, leaving us holding information once again.

In the end, this illustration of the Hot Potato game is something all interpreters might identify with and want to remember. Whether we are new or seasoned in the profession, it is easy to get caught holding onto information that can impact neutrality, the perception of our transparency, and our performance. Taking just a moment to remember our role as a conduit, and not a keeper of information is not only ethical, it is our duty to the profession and to those we serve. So get professionally ready, get ethically set, and gracefully toss that potato!

 

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Jennifer De La Cruz has taught interpreting courses since 1999 and currently works as a court interpreter in Southern California. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish from California State University at Fullerton, and went on to become a Federally and California Certified Court Interpreter, and an ATA-certified translator (Spanish to English). She has participated on a variety of advisory boards for colleges and statewide organizations seeking to improve provision of interpreter services and education for student interpreters. She most recently served a term on the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel of the Judicial Council of California. Contact: jenilu@msn.com

 

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