“Interpreter… Very Important!” A Presidential Reminder
- Yelena McCafferty
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
This week US President Donald Trump spoke for almost two minutes about… interpreters. Mr Trump is not exactly someone who is often at a loss for words and can talk for hours, but a mention of interpreters by someone who certainly has extensive experience of working with them is notable.
Especially as he makes some very valid points. “Just give me a good interpreter. Interpreter… very important!” he says emphatically.
Even when you do not speak the language (that’s why you need an interpreter, right?), you can sense whether the interpreter is good or not. Whether the interpreter sounds confident, delivers the meaning of the message in full and correctly – all of these are signs that may reassure speakers.
It is not that Trump does not understand that some languages are more economical than others. He even highlights that while differences in language efficiency exist, they cannot account for three quarters of one’s original utterance disappearing.
He also speaks of an occasion when an interpreter disagreed with what the parties were saying and… changed it. Or so Trump’s story goes. He is not bitter or spiteful about it, comparing her to a foreign minister and drawing light laughter from the audience.
“Interpreters are really important.” “People have no idea how valuable a good interpreter is.” He ends his ode to interpreters while delivering the speech at the Shield of the Americas Summit.
This was not the first time President Trump has shown respect for interpreters. After one diplomatic meeting last year he reached out to shake an interpreter’s hand. Small gestures speak volumes.
What a great case of raising awareness about interpreters from the US head of state when you least expect it!
