By Jennifer Nielsen
Marie Kondo’s new series on Netflix, Tidying Up, has been a huge hit and brought up many interesting discussions about not only our collective pack-rat tendencies and consumer society, but also about cultural and linguistic issues near to the hearts of interpreters, translators, and language professionals.
I, for one, will confess that though I enjoy watching how people’s lives are transformed through decluttering and organization, I don’t—and might never—have the desire to be that organized. But I do very much love watching this show, if only to see her highly-skilled interpreter in action.
As an interpreter who has worked in a variety of both formal and informal situations, it is clear that Kondo’s interpreter, Marie Iida, is a master of her craft.
Here are five things both new and seasoned interpreters, and the general public, can learn about the profession, and why I love watching her in action.
She ALWAYS speaks in the first person
This is one of the first rules of interpreting, which many times confuses people who have never worked with one. An interpreter should never say “she/he said” when rendering their interpretation.
Her demeanor is perfect
She is personable and confident, yet never acts in a way that draws attention away from the person she is interpreting for.
Her renditions of Kondo’s bubbly demeanor are on-point
Marie Iida perfectly conveys Kondo’s original, tone, emotion, and meaning without exaggerating or—again—drawing undue attention to herself, which is a very fine line for interpreters. I’ve worked with well-meaning colleagues who, in their desire to convey the enthusiasm of the speaker’s message, lose finesse and make themselves the focus of the conversation.
She doesn’t over-interpret
She doesn’t try to interpret the sounds and squeaks of delight Kondo makes—again reflecting her ability to perfectly convey the original message, yet still remain in the background.
She wears a black blazer
For those who don’t know, this is the unofficial uniform for interpreters. This was one of the first things I learned as an interpreter, and though it’s not often discussed, it’s another way for us to be discreet, remaining in the background, thereby allowing the protagonists of the conversation to—if we’re lucky and do our job like Marie Iida—almost forget that we are there.
Jennifer Nielsen is a translation manager, copywriter and language consultant living and working between Denver, Colorado and Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, Mexico. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter
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