Interpreting

An interpreter is needed when two people must understand each other at the same moment and what they say has consequences: the signing of a deed before a notary, testimony at a hearing, a wedding at the town hall, a negotiation with a foreign supplier, a training course for staff. Since 1995 the firm has provided professional interpreters in the main European and non-European languages, for assignments at its office, at the client’s premises or by video call, and chooses for each occasion the suitable technique: liaison, consecutive, simultaneous or whispered interpreting.

The sworn interpreter for notarial deeds, hearings and weddings

It is the most frequent assignment for a firm that works with judicial and notarial documents. When a party does not know Italian, the notarial law requires the deed to be received with the assistance of an interpreter, who takes an oath before the notary and signs the deed together with the parties: property sales, powers of attorney, incorporation of companies, wills, marriage agreements. The same happens in civil and criminal proceedings, where the judge appoints an interpreter for the examination of a party or witness who does not speak Italian, and in civil weddings, when one of the spouses or a witness is foreign and the civil status officer requires the presence of an interpreter who swears to perform the task faithfully.

In these cases the interpreter brings an identity document and, if the notary or the office requires it, proof of registration in the register of court experts or in the roll of experts of the Chamber of Commerce. Before the appointment the interpreter receives the draft of the deed or the agenda, to prepare the terminology and to check that the particulars of the parties match their documents. If the notarial deed must be accompanied by a written translation, the firm prepares it in advance with the same professional, so that the text read at the signing and the one attached coincide. The page on sworn translations explains when the attachment must be sworn before the court.

The techniques and when to use them

Liaison interpreting is the simplest form and the most used in meetings between a few people: the interpreter sits at the table, translates in both directions sentence by sentence and steps in to clarify a term or a cultural reference. It suits business meetings, company visits, professional consultations, appointments at public offices, meetings between lawyers and foreign clients. It needs no equipment, and one interpreter covers a working day with ordinary breaks.

Consecutive interpreting is used when a speaker addresses an audience in blocks of a few minutes: presentations, institutional speeches, press conferences, hearings, training courses. The interpreter takes notes with a technique of his or her own and renders the speech in the target language, with an extension of the timing that the programme must allow for. Simultaneous interpreting removes that wait: the interpreter works in a soundproof booth, or with a portable system for small groups, and the audience listens through headsets while the speaker talks. It requires two interpreters per language, who alternate every twenty or thirty minutes, and a technical service for the equipment, which the firm organises together with the assignment. Whispered interpreting, or chuchotage, is simultaneous interpreting whispered to one or two people, without equipment, suited to those who follow a meeting or a ceremony in which everyone else speaks Italian.

Interpreting by video call

Many assignments now take place remotely: meetings with clients abroad, board meetings, hearings and examinations admitted by video link, job interviews, consultations with foreign professionals. The interpreter joins the platform chosen by the client and works in liaison or consecutive mode, or in simultaneous mode when the platform provides a separate audio channel. The firm checks the connection in advance, agrees how turns of speech will be managed and, if the meeting must be documented, prepares the minutes or the transcription of the recording with the translation of the relevant passages.

Languages, fields and preparation

The firm’s interpreters work in English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Serbian and the other languages of the list published on the page on working languages, with cover for combinations between two foreign languages when the meeting does not involve Italian. The most frequent fields are legal and notarial, corporate and financial, medical and industrial. For each assignment the firm asks the client for the programme, the names of the participants, the documents that will be discussed and the company glossary, if one exists: preparation is the part of the work that is not seen and that decides the quality of the result. For assignments outside Rome, travel expenses and, where needed, accommodation are added to the fee.

To book an interpreter, state the date, the time and the expected duration, the venue or the platform, the languages and the type of meeting. The firm replies within one working day with the proposed technique, the name of the professional and the written quote, with the option of paying by card online on confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

Must the interpreter for a notarial deed be entered in a register?

The notarial law does not require it: it requires the interpreter to be chosen by the parties, to have the qualities required of witnesses and to take an oath before the notary. Many notaries prefer an interpreter entered in the register of court experts or in the roll of the Chamber of Commerce, and the firm provides the proof of registration when it is requested.

How far in advance should an interpreter be booked?

For liaison interpreting and notarial deeds in the most common languages two or three working days are usually enough. For simultaneous interpreting, which requires two interpreters and the equipment, and for less common languages it is advisable to book at least one or two weeks ahead. Urgent assignments are assessed case by case.

Why does simultaneous interpreting require two interpreters?

Simultaneous interpreting demands a level of concentration that cannot be kept up beyond twenty or thirty consecutive minutes. The interpreters alternate in the booth, and the one who is not at the microphone still follows the speech to help the colleague with figures, names and terms. For a single speech of less than an hour an assignment with one interpreter is considered.

Can the interpreter also sign the written translation of the deed?

Yes. When a party does not know Italian, the notarial deed is as a rule accompanied by its translation into that party’s language, drawn up and signed by the interpreter and attached to the deed. The firm prepares the translation before the appointment, so that the notary and the parties can read it at leisure.

How is an interpreter’s fee calculated?

By half day or full day for assignments in person, by the hour for notarial deeds and short video calls. The quote states the fee, any travel expenses and, for simultaneous interpreting, the cost of the equipment and of the technical service. The time spent preparing on the documents supplied by the client is included.

Is the interpreter bound to confidentiality about what he or she hears?

Yes. The firm’s interpreters are bound by professional secrecy on the content of the meetings and sign, when the client requests it, a specific confidentiality agreement before the assignment. The documents received for preparation are returned or deleted at the end of the work.