Plan the live language work before the interview. The person helping the conversation and the person preparing a publishable language version may have different assignments.
Agree the language roles
Confirm the customer's preferred language, the interviewer's language and the languages needed in the final output. Ask the interpreter to recommend a suitable working arrangement for the session.
For a small interview, consecutive interpretation may fit: the speaker finishes a manageable section, then the interpreter renders it. The European Commission's explanation of consecutive interpreting describes this mode. It is different from having two people speak over one another throughout a recording.
Allow time for the interpretation, clarification and breaks. Do not promise the customer a normal thirty-minute interview and then quietly use an hour.
Prepare a short, useful brief
Fictional example:
| Field | Agreed plan |
|---|---|
| Story question | How did the customer test its new onboarding checklist? |
| Session languages | Customer speaks French; interviewer asks in English |
| Language arrangement | Interpreter handles both directions in agreed turns |
| Preparation | Approved project summary, names, role titles and a short terminology list |
| Unfamiliar term | Ask the customer what “validation” means in this workflow |
| Final output | English written story; French source retained for meaning checks |
| Recording | Explain which voices/tracks are captured and the agreed review access |
Share relevant materials through the agreed secure route. The interpreter needs context, not a folder of unnecessary customer records.
Keep the interview a conversation
Address the customer directly. Ask one clear question, then allow the interpretation and answer to finish. Avoid adding several follow-up questions before the interpreter has had a turn.
The Commission's tips for speakers recommend a manageable pace and clear delivery of names, numbers and acronyms. In an interview, this also gives you a chance to catch an unfamiliar project term before it enters the story.
If the answer is unclear, ask a neutral clarification. Do not ask the interpreter to improve the customer's sentiment or turn a tentative statement into a confident endorsement.
Make the source traceable for the editor
Agree how the recording and notes will distinguish the customer's words from the interpreter's rendering. If you need separate audio, confirm the actual recording setup can capture it before the session.
Record the question and the location of important answers. A note such as “French answer begins at 14:20; English interpretation follows at 15:05” helps a language reviewer check the source. Those times are an illustrative example, not a recording receipt.
Do not publish an interpreter's voice as though it were the customer's recorded speech. Decide the appropriate quotation, subtitles or narration treatment with the production and language specialists.
Commission the final language review
An interpretation that helps a live conversation is not automatically finished publication copy. Give the writer or translator the original context, proposed wording and questions that remain unresolved.
Use a translator handoff when preparing the later written version. Confirm the actual customer's meaning and the agreed publication approval; a fluent English sentence alone cannot establish either.