I recently read a blog by a student in an interpreter training program that really interested me. She talks about the differences in the way men and women speak and express themselves. Men tend to be more straight-forward, and women are bit softer and sometimes passive. If the interpreter is not taking this into account, he or she can misrepresent a client who is of the opposite gender. It made me think that you can't JUST interpret the concepts, you have to REPRESENT the entire package - the concept as well as the communication of it and the nuances of how a person expresses their ideas.
This blogger normally has really long posts, but this one was so interesting that I actually read the whole thing! Disclaimer for crass language in the first couple paragraphs, but the message was great - If My Hands Could Speak: Gender and Interpreting
"I know how to be a woman in the world, but in order to be a good interpreter I should also learn about being a man in the world as best I can. If I don’t learn more about gender dynamics and how men operate, I can potentially hurt a client by misrepresenting him. I mean, best case scenario – he sounds silly. Worst case scenario – he misses out on a promotion because he’s perceived as weak."
grt
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