When I started providing telephone interpreting as a side gig and a way stretching my linguistic muscles in 2017, I never expected for it to become a backbone of my working life in the strange days of the pandemic. It came and went.
We slowly started to crawl back to normality, our eyes bleary from staring at screens for months, our shirts hopelessly crinkled from perfunctory ironing (thank you, low resolution of laptop cameras).
Then, quite unexpectedly, this July, I suffered the worst injury of my life (not counting depriving myself of the use of my left thumb for a quarter of a decade – but that’s a whole different story.)
Back to the exclusive TI and VRI I went, once again getting used to donning my headsets for hours on end.
One of my missions as a linguist is to share my lessons and mistakes with colleagues, to hopefully help and support them. In this series, I will discuss how to provide TI in a professional and effective manner.
2017 was the beginning. Thousands of hours of TI later, I bring you Part 1 my ‘A to Z of Telephone Interpreting.
A is for Availability. Working at home or living at work? Track down the busiest times for calls and casual TI (otherwise known as ‘on-demand’) or block out the periods when you tend to get the most appointments. Don’t let your job take over your life.
B is for Boundaries. Nobody deserves abuse and like any public service professional, you are entitled to respect. Sadly, the reality is that you will have to face challenging situations. Prepare a plan of action of dealing with them and rehearse it. Always protect yourself. In extreme situations, consider ending the call.
C is for Customer service. ‘I love the voice of an utterly fed up, gum-chewing customer representative in the morning’ – said no one ever. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and always strive for a pleasant and polite tone. Pro tip: record your opening statement and practice saying it clearly and at a reasonable pace.
D is for Distractions. If you think that Telephone Interpreting can be carried while sitting at a kitchen table, with construction noise or a dog barking in the background, think again. Quiet office, noise-cancelling headset and zero distractions are a must.
E is for Estimated length of the call. ‘How long is a piece of string?’ – your call could be booked for 30 minutes but last two hours. If that is the case, ask for a comfort break. Do not try and power through, the quality of your work will suffer. A good rule of thumb is a break every hour but it will vary from colleague to colleague.
F is for Fatigue. Back to my broken leg – sitting at the desk for long periods of time has been a necessity since I went back to work at the beginning of September. TI may seem like a comfortable, low-energy activity but it really isn't. Sitting in one position is very tiring and you need to make sure you hydrate regularly, have breaks and do some light exercise every so often.
G is for Growth. TI is a great place to start your interpreting journey, albeit, this statement comes with a few caveats. You will need a solid system of note-taking. TI can do many things for you – one of them is an opportunity to try your hand at different topics and see what you enjoy the most. It can do wonders to your confidence and teach you a lot about customer service.
H is for Headset. Forget your cat-bitten iPhone headphones. In TI, your headset is your lifeline. Decent ones aren’t expensive, either – you can pick up a very good Sennheiser corded headset with a microphone from as little as £30. I’d steer clear from non-branded or very cheap equipment, as it offers no guarantee of sound quality. A good pair of headphones will last you years and make your work as comfortable as it can be.
I is for Intervention. Many times, you will have to step up. Some possible scenarios include: bad sound quality, wrong language, issues with the delivery (too quick/too quiet/too much) or the professional addressing the service user as ‘she/he’ instead of ‘you’, especially in situations where it might cause confusion due to the presence of other people of the same gender. Make sure you practice stepping in politely and professionally.
Do you have any tips? Be sure to share them in the comments!
Brought to you Mark Tomkins from Aubergine and presented by Small Business Saturday as a Facebook Live.
A website is a cost-effective and climate-neutral way of doing business during our uncertain times, there are ways in which you can use it drive your sales and visibility, so, without further ado…let’s go!
1. Mobile-friendliness – more than 70% of traffic to your website is directed through the users of mobiles so crash-test the mobile version of your website – all the pages, all the forms and tabs, especially when there might be an update approaching. Ask friends and family about their UX (User Experience) and fix any bugs.
2. Focus on content (that’s words and images) – don’t try to trick Google by saturating you page with keywords or locations. Write content for other humans. Google is powerful and knows exactly how long people spend on reading. Use clear, concise and plain English. Moreover, research suggests that 10% of any community has users with access needs so it is vital to use Alt Texts for Images on your page. Little reminder – Google images aren’t free so be sure to purchase stock images for your own use. Always please the user, not the algorithm.
3. Hosting – think of your host as of your neighbourhood. Your hosting location has an effect on your website’s reputation and Google is all about reputation and trust. It is recommended to use UK-based hosting if you’re a UK – based business. There is no point in going for an EU or a US host. Find a reputable hosting company, preferably a small and local one so that you can always get assistance if you need it. As far as the cost is concerned, you should spend £200-£300 on hosting per year for a quality service.
4. Tracking your digital assets – make sure you know your domain name and where your website is hosted (the two might not be in the same place) and keep your logins secure. If you’re not using it already, try Google My Business – it’s one of the most powerful tools available and it’s still free.
5. Review – if you’re a small and local business, include reviews from your clients as a part of your marketing strategy. Request them on a regular basis, rather than all at once – othwerwise Google might find it suspicious. Don’t be afraid to respond to negative reviews, especially if they were written by one of your sneaky competitors. Be patient when sending links with requests for reviews – you might only get one for every 10 sent. And remember….
….. a small business is a person selling to a person and people love it!
Stop me if you heard this one before. You’re insanely busy doing your absolute best to support EAL pupils and new arrivals. A new Polish (or Slovakian, Russian, Pakistani) family arrives in your school requiring support. Immediately, you gather the troops and set up a meeting with the dedicated Y1 teacher, the TA and a school nurse (a small miracle). All cramped at the tiny green table, you are waiting for the mum.
Is she definitely coming? You think that's what she saild. You invited mum to come to a meeting about helping her children in school. You were speaking slowly and clearly. She seemed to understand a little English. A hurried reply: ‘Yes, ok, no problem’ put you somewhat at ease. She barraged you with apologies when she was finishing her lunch break and couldn't talk on the phone.
Back in year 1 classroom you sit and wait. The clock is merciless. Five past. Ten past. Nervous smiles turn into twiddling thumbs. Is she coming at all? You mention booking an interpreter. She is here, wearing a tasteful jacket. She smiles at you and frantically counts every second – if mum does turn up, it will be a nightmare to get to the next job on time. You can almost hear everyone’s manic thoughts.
The TA offers a weak ‘She still might come’. It cuts through the silence like a knife. No joy. Mum seemed lovely but you cannot help feeling frustrated and disappointed. It took you so much time to plan this meeting. Your delicate balancing of logistics makes air traffic controllers pale in comparison. Mind is working in overdrive – how much will this cost? How much time was wasted? You understand the need for a trained and professional linguist for meetings like the present one but it is so disheartening that the service wasn't used.
How do I know this? I was this interpreter so many times. Not just in schools. It happens in local authorities, hospitals, you name it. The cost of non-attendance is enormous. It's the cost of missed opportunities. Affected trust. Safeguarding issues not addressed in time. I have some good news – it can be prevented. The tips below will help you with your initial and day-to-day communication with parents and carers with limited English. They will assist you in striking up a positive rapport with the families you support. Most importantly, though, they will save you and everyone else a lot of headache.
- Send a text message as a first port of call. A snappy, direct message is an easy way to invite to a meeting, inform about an award, Star of the Day or snow day. Workplaces (especially industrial) often have a policy against employees using phones. My Polish parents say that a text message can be deciphered using Google Translate or by asking someone. A text message, even in English, is a lot less anxiety-inducing than a missed call. In truth, some people downright refuse to answer calls from withheld numbers or even any calls at all, saying that if they cannot speak English, why answer!
- Use keywords to cut through the noise – think of a keyword relevant to a situation. Ask your amazing Bilingual Assistant for help or use Google translate to convert it and paste it into the message to convey that the message is not to be missed, e.g school closure, award, well done, bumped head, sickness, contact school. We are used to receiving and ignoring many spam messages so a non-English speaker will pay more attention to words in their native language.
- Use very simple and clear language. People usually understand more of the foreign language that they can express. If you employ short and to-the-point language, there is a bigger chance that either they or the person helping them will understand. Employ ‘bossy verbs’ liberally, as well as chunks of sentences, eg. ‘Milk money for tomorrow please’, ‘Wash PE kit’. It might go against the grain of our adherence to politeness but carers won’t mind the communication being terse and to the point.
- Include a call to action- place a specific request in the text message to make it clear that parents or carers have to answer and confirm, e.g. call, attend, consent, not consent, give time. This will galvanise them into action and help save time and confusion – eg. ‘Can you come tomorrow – YES/NO’ ‘Give a date and time for a meeting’. Obvious as it may sound, it's not always clear that a message needs confirmation.
- Class Dojo – useful for less urgent communication. Two points to consider here - first, not everyone will have the account set up at any given time, especially if children are newly arrived. It's worth making sure that the carers have installed and set up the app with a login and password and know how to use it. Secondly, we should tread carefully when using Class Dojo’s translation engine. As tempting as it may be to paste and translate a large letter, take it from a professional translator – it really doesn’t work. Using it as a translation tool is a recipe for giggles at best and disaster at the worst.
- Translation apps – no matter how glorious are the promises of the brave new technology, translation apps aren’t reliable when it comes to complex issues or sometimes even everyday matters. Such apps perform best when used with caution and only for very simple sentences and single words.
- Facebook – great for global communications, announcements and making everyone feel included. It will be impossible to cater for all the languages used – one of the schools I supported had over 22 languages– but communication can be greatly improved by making the English as simple and clear as possible.
- Phone call. If the matter is absolutely urgent and the carer’s mobile doesn’t answer, calling their workplace is a sure bet. Employers are usually quite understanding in the matters concerning children and should promptly get the person on the phone. Not just that - there might be other speakers of the same language around to help.
- Letters to take home – Controversial as it may sound, lucid and simple English works a lot better than Google Translate, where even one mistranslated word can affect the entire message. However, a letter in simple, unambiguous English is easier to understand. A free translating tool is incredibly tempting to use but remember – if you don’t speak the language that the parents do, you won’t be able to verify if it makes sense!
I hope those tips will make communication with your parents a doddle!
Exactly 10 years passed since my first professional interpreting assignment. Here are some lessons I'd like to share:
1. Never guess – always ask. We don’t have the complete knowledge of our own language or access to all the facts. Our perception is very subjective and we are prone to unconscious bias. It’s always safe to make sure you have complete understanding of what you’re about to interpret.
2. Always double-check the booking info. Familiarise yourself with the venue, the commute, parking details, accessibility and refreshment facilities beforehand. Use traffic aps to receive alerts about the traffic ahead.
3. Wait for the professional to arrive before entering a service user’s house. The consequences of not following this rule can range from breaching confidentiality to putting your own life at risk.
4. It is absolutely fine to say no to requests that make you uncomfortable. You are an interpreter, not a chauffeur, a chaperone or a befriender. Everyone has the right to have their boundaries respected.
5. Never - and I cannot stress this enough – never, never stay by yourself with the service user if you can help it. By that I mean staying in a closed room, a closed off space or a curtained off cubicle. You are risking being subjected to uncomfortable questions, challenges to your ethical conduct or even assault.
6. Don’t assume that the professional and the service user understand your role. Explain your duties in a pre-session. Lay down the housekeeping rules – interpreting in the first person, confidentiality, taking notes and what is going to happen with your notes afterwards.
7. If you have any doubts about your ability to carry out the assignment, consider withdrawing from it. A successful interpreter is one that the professional and the service user can trust and feel at ease with. If there’s any risk of a conflict of interest, pass on the offer.
8. Always look after yourself – make sure you can use the restroom, drink enough fluids, have some headspace after a particularly taxing or upsetting assignment. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for a comfort break. I found that some interpreters want to appear 'stronger' or 'better' by refusing breaks when offered. This is incredibly harmful.
9. Join a professional association and create a network of colleagues you can recommend, newcomers you can support and successful colleagues you can learn from. There is so much we can learn from one another.
10. Never stop learning and make if fun for yourself. Webinars, conferences, books, workshops, translation slams, online challenges, courses, podcasts – the list is endless. The more attractive the format, the more you will benefit from the learning.
As a civilisation, we’ve come a long way in our quest to immortalise our ideas in the form of markings on a surface but as strange as it may sound, we’ve come closer to the good, old clay table covered with wax than ever before. It doesn’t mean that you should lug one with you to court or a business meeting, but the idea of a wipeable writing surface is a great one indeed.
But what’s wrong with the trusty detective’s notebook? How about the Moleskine, with its elegant black cover and the esteemed pedigree of being the tool of choice for Picasso, van Gogh and Hemingway?
The cost of living is skyrocketing so it’s a big question – can you justify spending the better part of a £1000 on a device where a £1 writing pad from Wilko would do just as well?
There is another consideration - how to find balance between using less paper and relying on the electronic devices too much? Can we even embrace a completely paper-free business model? For someone like myself, who works in public services, the use of paper is sometimes a necessity.
I have been experimenting with different solutions, both WFH (working from home) and F2F (onsite). From making notes in pencil and laboriously wiping them off with a rubber to using e-ink, here’s my journey to being (at least partially) paper-free.
At a glance: Paper vs electronics
Paper:
+ Pros - you can easily recycle it.
- Cons – it requires a continuous use of resources and though probably insignificant in the grand scheme of thing, it’s a constant expense. Also, it continually creates waste.
Electronics:
+ Pros - reusable and long-lasting.
- Cons – can be very expensive, come with a high environmental cost and their production is fraught with issues, including heavy reliance on non-renewable resources such as rare metals.
In the order of cost, here’s my breakdown on paper-less note taking devices. A little caveat here – by ‘taking notes’ I mean both in consecutive note-taking during assignments but I also touch on using them for projects of articles, to-do lists, article and post ideas.
1.1.LCD tabs are a low-tech but handy and cheap solution. After ditching paper, I briefly tried using portable whiteboards with marker pens but it’s a very messy solution, probably even worse for someone who is left-handed. Then one of my colleagues told me about a Boogie Board, which is essentially a glorified MagnaDoodle. It’s a writing pad with a stylus, has no internal memory, wipes clean with a press of a button and has a ‘Lock’ function, where accidental erasing is prevented. I have three of those devices labelled with numbers so that I can use them in sequence. If you accidentally lose them on a train or court, there won’t be much issue, of course as long as you wipe them beforehand. I find them to be the best solution for courtrooms and police stations since they’re light and don’t take much space.
Pros – cheap, light, portable, don’t need a power source.
Cons – only a limited space for taking notes, having to press to wipe might be annoying. No internal storage.
Usability for public service interpreters – YES
Usability for conference and business interpreters – Limited to the size of the pad and the number of devices.
Cost - £6 onwards. Here's where you can find one: https://amzn.to/3HrZe7J
2. A tablet with a stylus. This is where we are starting to cook with gas. Functionality of tablets as tools for note-taking is vast. You can experiment with the format, writing tools, highlighting, colour and type of stroke. You can have the sight of your reference materials and glossaries and I don’t think I have to tell anyone just have invaluable they are part of an RSI home rig. With multiple windows and views, a tablet can be a powerful tool for your assignment.
Pros – unlimited writing space, storage for your reference materials, glossaries and aids, internet functionality.
Cons – expensive, heavy, power source is required, issues with confidentiality and the notes remaining on the device.
Usability for public service interpreters – YES
Usability for conference and business interpreters – YES
Cost - varied, can be purchased as part of a mobile phone contract in the UK. You can find more information here: https://bit.ly/3MaDtg2
3. A Boox or reMarkable device is the absolute workhorse of tablets for professional use if you are primarily working with texts, notes and are happy to confine using the internet to browsing websites.
Before I start gushing just how awesome the device is, let’s address the elephant in the room – the price. A brand new device can set you back between £300 and a whopping £700. I bought mine second-hand on Ebay and indeed, there are plenty of deals which might soften the blow. There are multiple brands available apart from the ones I’ve mentioned, such as
Now the question – is it worth it? flashy gadget but I don’t go anywhere without mine. It’s a lot lighter than a tablet and it has limited functionality – no catching up on ‘Inventing Anna’ on your train journey. It means that I can’t just use it for mindless entertainment. It's business use only.
Pros – lovely feel of writing by hand, astounding functionality, very extensive customisation, impressive battery life, the ability to back up your notes with an Onyx account, multiple file formats supported.
Cons – the price.
Usability for public service interpreters – YES
Usability for conference and business interpreters – YES
Cost - Prices start at £300 for new devices. There are deals available on Ebay:
So there you have it – my little breakdown of paperless tools Part 1. I hope you will be inspired to learn more about them and maybe try using one in your professional life.
Thank you for reading 😊
Do you recall, dear colleagues, how and when you added a new service to your portfolio? I remember the beginning of my TI adventure like it was yesterday.
It was a bleak autumn of 2017. At the time I was working as a Bilingual Outreach Assistant and my role was to support achievement and language learning of Polish children in schools. Although in theory my role was mostly classroom-based, it involved a lot more. I would welcome newly arrived Polish families and provide commercial-level translation and interpretation. The scope of my work was so wide that at one point I had to, somewhat reluctantly, dip my toes into the world of banking.
I was assisting a Polish family in obtaining a certain financial product. Think ‘indispensable’. Think ‘something you can’t do without’.
It was a tricky situation. On the one hand, the family was desperate because the first bank of their choice blankly refused to provide a face-to-face interpreter and the family’s livelihood depended on opening a bank account. On the other hand, I couldn’t just accompany them to the bank and interpret (confidentiality and impartiality being just one of the many considerations). As a council employee, I was expressly forbidden to become so closely involved with service users.
Then someone mentioned using a telephone interpreter. It was a revelation – why didn’t I think of that?
With the family’s permission, I promptly contacted a bank which uses TI. An appointment for a three-way call was booked and hey presto, everything went without a hitch.
All done and dusted, I realised that not only do I love the idea of working from home, but fitting TI around my day job would be a doddle.
I shot several email enquiries to the TI division of one of my agencies and upon receiving a confirmation of my active status, I armed myself with a notepad and set off on a rollercoaster-like ride of providing Telephone Interpreting for various public services.
However, it's not always a smooth ride. TI (or OPI – over-the-phone-interpretation, as our friends across the pond call it) isn’t suitable for all types of interpretation assignments. However, when used for the right purposes, it’s convenient for the end user and easily obtainable. Sometimes, it can even save lives. It can also benefit the interpreters themselves as it can greatly enhance your skill set. For me, it was an invaluable learning opportunity.
So I am very excited to share with you my 10 lessons learned during the last 4 years of providing TI, which will hopefully give you some idea of what to expect.
1. Level up! TI is a great opportunity to up your consecutive interpretation game. Quick and effective note-taking is the very backbone of TI. Not only that - effective listening and processing information require razor-sharp focus, undivided attention and zero distractions. So browsing social media or doing your tax returns on the sly is a big no-no 😉
2. ‘Be prepared’ – say the Scouts. Here, it means that you should always be emotionally prepared. No two calls are the same. A challenging call will be followed by a sedated Universal Credit application, topped off by a mother frantically attempting to call an ambulance for her child. You will have your patience and understanding tested more than once but I believe it’s an advantage. TI can help you develop an unwavering professional stance. It gives you a chance to develop that extra layer of skin you need for effective public interpreting.
3. Quiet room all to yourself and a good headset – not only mandatory if you want to register with many good TI agencies but a bare necessity. If you’re like me and the ice-cream van season (shudder) gives you nightmares, invest in a set of noise-cancelling, comfortable headphones. Whether you’re working using a desk phone, a softphone (web-based portals) or a mobile (you might need an adapter), invest in decent gear and you will be able to spend long hours handling the calls.
4. Is TI hard? A few of my colleagues find TI to be more difficult than face-to-face assignments. Indeed, no visual input can be daunting. However, sometimes it’s easier to have just the isolated sound. Let’s not forget that accents and dialects can be a challenge so it might be worth refreshing your knowledge of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and do some research on the accents you don’t encounter regularly. You can do that by watching regional TV broadcasts, soaps and videos on YouTube. TI comes with its unique set of challenges and spelling names and places is one of them. Make sure you have the NATO Phonetic Alphabet down pat! You can find it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet
5. Less is more – some service users (or LEPs – customers with Limited English Proficiency) can find the presence of an interpreter intimidating. This can be especially true if they had already built a rapport with a support worker and aren’t comfortable with different interpreters showing up for FTF appointments. In addition, it can be less awkward to discuss sensitive issues on the phone – especially if it’s a 3-way-call. Bear in mind that first impressions count - you have one chance to convey being focused, professional and trustworthy.
6. Customer service skills are everything – polite, warm and pleasant manner is a must. Ensuring that the call goes smoothly and orderly is just as important as your top linguistic skills. Without body language and facial expressions to fall back on, you always have to clarify ambiguities, keep a handle on the flow of the call and make sure that everyone is on the same page. Always remember - the success of the call largely depends on you.
7. Say hello to my little friend – the mute button. Keeping hydrated is essential when you’re working and if you desperately need to have a sip of water, the mute button is there to make sure than nobody is subjected to the unappealing sounds of your bodily functions. This also applies to coughing, sneezing, burping – you get the gist. Although eating is not recommended when working, it’s best to always remember where the mute button is when you are absolutely desperate.
8. Workin’ 9 to 5 – or should we? I schedule my TI sessions like I you would do with any other job, even though the setting can be informal (with voice only, trousers are optional – I won’t tell if you don’t). Set out your availability and make sure there are no interruptions. There is nothing worse than being interrupted mid-sentence by a buzz from your mobile or a knock on the door.
Last year, when I was sitting my Diploma in Police Interpretation exam at home, I stuck a notice to the front door asking the delivery people not to knock on the door and put my parcels in the bin or leave a card instead. It worked like a charm. If you have an especially sensitive conference call scheduled, consider doing the same.
9. Remember, time is money - not all logging in sessions were created the same and paradoxically, being constantly available doesn’t translate to higher earnings. Sometimes calls can come thick and fast. Other times, there could be barely a peep for an hour. You will learn to get the feel of peak times in your language so you can make the best out of your availability. The great thing about TI is that you can work in many time zones so that, depending on whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, your work fits around you.
10. Now comes the hardest bit. Have you ever tried to have an argument with someone on the phone? If you cherish your sanity, you’ll try to avoid it like a plague. I mentioned customer service before but in the context of TI, your customer is always right. What if you feel strongly about something? What if you disagree with the advisor? Dr Phil Muriel makes a great point about impartiality in interpretation – we do not have any ownership of the conversation, we’re there to help relay the message. Offering advice, own explanation or interpretation of facts is a huge no-no.
However, there is one important caveat here – from the point of view of safeguarding, all Public Service Interpreters are mandatory reporters so if you notice any possible signs of child or elderly abuse, threats or references to hurting someone, you must always report it immediately, even if it means breaking confidentiality.
Also, know when to pass on a call. In reality, not all calls can be handled successfully or indeed at all. If the language is incorrect or the connection is too poor, you should appropriately disconnect or pass the call onto a customer agent. Make sure you have practiced carrying out a smooth handover and know all the appropriate codes. There is nothing worse than cutting the parties off while transferring them.
What do you think of my tips? Have you got any of your own you’d like to share? Please let me know in the comments.
Let’s face it – right now, we talk more than ever. Conferences and meetings are putting a great deal of strain on our voices so let's take a moment to focus on your vocal wellbeing.
Stop me if this sounds familiar. You wake up eager to get on with work – be it a conference call or in my case, an interpreting assignment. To your utter horror you realise that overnight someone lined your throat with fresh cactus. It hurts when you talk. It hurts when you swallow. Your voice is a painful, croaky mess.
You start sweating. Awash with panic, you ask yourself,: ‘How am I going to tackle 6 hours of talking?’ The horrible truth dawns on you. The most precious tool of your trade - your voice - is out of commission. You pushed yourself too far.
Worry not, there are steps you can take right now to prevent this. A little maintenance goes a long way and if you start as soon as you’ve finished reading this article, you will be able to make a real difference for yourself. Please bear in mind that these tips are for advice purposes only and cannot replace medical attention.
To bring you these, I teamed up with my fantastic colleague, Anna Maria Ciepiaszuk, an interpreter and a singer with plenty of experience in voice care and used advice of my amazing singing teachers, Teri Birtwistle and Danny Finn.
1. Breathe through your diaphragm. One of the most important aspects of voice care is mastering the skill of speaking and breathing through your diaphragm. Clear as mud? Pay attention to how you take breaths. If you raise your arms, that’s not the right way, as it should only be your abdomen that moves in and out. Still with me? Inhale - your abdomen is pushed out, exhale - goes back in. Look up some ‘belly breathing exercises’ and try to do them every day. It’s not immediately easy but the more you practice, the easier it gets. It does wonders for your wellbeing and relaxation, too.
2. Be gentle with your voice. When you have something in your throat, grunting, coughing or clearing it is a huge no-no. Since it tenses up the small muscles in your larynx (the voice box) and prevents it from being properly closed, in the longer run it can lead to a sore throat and even the emergence of polyps and vocal lumps. As gross as it may seem, you should always swallow the discharge in your throat, instead of trying to cough it up. After work, stay silent or try whispering without moving your voice box. Also, never scream, shout or raise your voice.
3. Channel your inner pop diva. Céline Dion famously refrains from speaking for a week before a performance and Mariah Carey keeps 20 humidifiers in her bedroom. I am not asking you to do the same but if you can, avoid talking before noon and look after the humidity levels of your workplace. Also, you can to give your voice some extra hydration by steaming.
To make an impromptu steam bath, pour some hot water (be careful!) into a bowl and add a few drops of Olbas oil. Place a towel over your head and the bowl and gently breathe in the steam. If you don’t feel like faffing about with a bowl (or are accident prone, like yours truly) you can also buy cheap inhalers. I have a simple one which looks like a cup with an attachment to put my nose in and a squeezable bottom to generate steam.
4. Hydration, hydration, hydration. Do drink at least two litres of water every day. Your body must be well hydrated at all times. This is important because your voice box becomes dehydrated first if your water intake isn’t sufficient.
Don’t like water? Try these:
* fenugreek tea
* sage and linden tree teas – make sure they are well steeped and cooled down
* throat teas (be very careful if you have any cardiac issues - they often contain liquorice)
* hot chocolate with marshmallows and glycerine
* a tincture of marshmallow root, which is a tad involved. Marshmallow root is available online and looks like glorified sawdust. Soak some (the quantities are usually stated on the packaging) in water overnight, put through a sieve and drink. It tastes particularly nice with honey, gently warmed in a microwave.
Avoid drinks with citric acid as they irritate the throat. Coffee (yeah, I know) can also cause irritation. If you do need that java for survival, consider having it black, since milk and dairy can cause excessive production of mucous which is also something you want to avoid.
5. In case of an emergency … Anna swears by the flaxseed jelly. It helped her to withstand 3-4- hour long performances and she would always have it on hand. Boil 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds (you can buy it in health shops) in 1 cup of water until it becomes thick. Strain and add some honey to flavour. You can also make it more palatable by preparing it on the basis of mint tea. The cooled down flaxseed gloop is not nice, but it helps to restore your voice if your vocal folds have taken a severe beating. Fenugreek (see point 4) and flaxseed contain aseptic vitamin B and proteins resembling those found in the mucous membranes of our speech organs and they act like moisturisers for the vocal folds. Also, make sure you always keep some throat lozenges (I use Vocalzone) at hand.
6. Do you stretch before exercise? Make sure you're properly warmed up before talking. Do some light whole-body exercises of your choice to get that blood flow going, then warm up your speech organs (mouth and tongue aerobics). Follow them by by warming up your diaphragm (breathing exercises - panting like a dog, whistling, blowing out a candle) and lastly, your actual voice (humming, articulation exercises). There are plenty of free exercises available on YouTube. You might also want to book a few classes with a singing teacher to look at your breathing, articulation and projection, even if you don’t sing. It will do wonders for your performance, I promise.
7. Keep it cool but not too cool. Avoid eating very hot foods, as well as cold, frozen or iced drinks. They cause the mucous membrane to dry up in the larynx, which can cause your vocal folds to overheat or overcool and lead infections. Drinking lukewarm drinks and eating cooled down meals is the key to breezing through periods of increased exertion of your voice.
That’s all from me, I hope you have a great week and my tips will help you get through those busy days. Stay tuned for more great tips for interpreters.
