[口譯工作筆記] Sometimes all they need is an insurance!

I could not sleep well nor eat well in the past week since I was offered to facilitate smooth cross-cultural communication in the one-on-one investment interview today. Biotech+Finance+ten last-minute slides=Pressure*Pressure.

Pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, channels, hemolyasis centers, IVD, liposome, monoclonal antibody, CRAM, GMP, cGMP, FDA, SFDA-- and then balance sheet, income statement, industry trend, currency impact, China market, stock prices, and so on. Ah, and it's all in CI, no place to hide.

But I didn't speak a sentence at all. AT ALL.

The speakers came in with their presentation and talked in fluent English, average English, Chingish, or simply lousy English. These speakers represent their companies to be interviewed by two analysts from a top 5 global asset management company, and sometimes the P, VP, CEO, CFO would show up too.

One of the interviewers only speak English-- and that's why I was asked to be there in the first place.

But since they all talked in English, silence would be the best policy for me as an interpreter. I don't want to interrupt, let alone embarrasing them.

I sat quite, listening attentively with reassuring smiles. Fetch water, find booklets, lend my computer to those who insisted they need slides in the computer screen to talk with.

Around noon, one of the analysts politely told me they really don't need interpreter and suggested me to confirm with the organizer (who paid me). My contact said "but the last two speakers did ask for interpreter," and so I was kept.

It turned out that the last two speakers spoke in ok English. Dah.

According to the organizer, representatives from local companies did request interpreting service because they were not confident and needed to make sure there'd be someone helping. And the two asset management company people said they actually prefer an interpreter sitting with them instead of someone from the broker.

Bottom line-- I got paid. Paid well. Maybe for them it's like buying an insurance. Should interpretation is needed, I could be of help. If no one needed me, that's even better-- they communicated well!