I just returned from an interpreting assignment in Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, where - according to the locals - they are capable of everything except High German!
Well, luckily we interpreters are experts at that, too. Because our teachers at uni were very strict when it came to accents and dialects in our mothertongue German, too. Every recording of our renditions was carefully examined and dissected, so that in the end we would, indeed, produce a clear High German interpretation of the original speech.
This particular assignment almost felt like uni again, as the three of us were sitting in a three-person booth which allowed for no privacy whatsoever. Some might find it stressful to have two language (and interpreting) experts listening in on your rendition. But it‘s also great to get feedback (and praise!) from peers to stay professional, keep improving and learn new skills to cope with difficult speakers. It’s what we do, because we can all learn from each other. It‘s all part if our life-long learning process.
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