Interpreting Numbers, Figures and Amounts

Tips and Guidelines

June 2012

About Numbers, Figures and Amounts

An extremely important part of most interpreted messages. May identify a member; indicate an address; a payment; inform a provider about amounts and a patient about dosages. They can tell an LES how much money they will receive or have to pay. Sometimes numbers are KEY to the session!

Basic Steps When Interpreting Numbers

1. Write it down - Capture the number/s
2. Confirm the number/s you wrote down 3. Convert the confirmed number into the target language 4. Confirm the number/s the other party heard 5. Inform the client you have confirmed the LES has the correct information

Strategies for Success!

1. Note-taking
Have paper and pencil ready. With the clients approval, suggest the LES get paper and pencil before figures or detailed instructions are mentioned. Write down the complete message in the source language as heard, no interruptions. Clarification or confirmation can be done at the next step.

2. Impediments to comprehension
Poor quality of sound Heavily accented speakers Speakers mixing languages Figures being read too fast

3. Pacing and interrupting

Do not interrupt until the speaker has finished, even when there have been errors, false starts and re-starts. Using your notes, verify the information you took down and make corrections on paper as needed. Inform the clients that you are verifying the information.

4. Numbers and phonetic interpretation

If the sequence is given to you one digit at a time, offer it two digits at a time. This lessens the chance for error. If the numbers are accompanied by a name that you cannot make out, just interpret the numbers and repeat the name you heard phonetically..

5. Localization and clarification

Speakers may refer to numbers differently. Some will use the DAY-MONTH-YEAR set up while others will use the Metric or Imperial System. Others may confuse grams with milligrams or not give you any referent at all.

6. Error detection and intervention

When a party makes a mistake referring to a figure you have previously interpreted and registered in your notes, you may want to intervene with and address the client. Example:

The interpreter would like to verify the milligrams of the painkiller: is it 2.5 or 25?

Thank You