Always Include One Certified Translator in Your Network
I had a phone call this morning, a shy female voice on the other end.
She was calling upon P.’s recommendation. P. is a fellow conference interpreter with whom I worked for the first time in December.
She was looking for someone to translate a marriage contract, I could tell by the tone of her voice that there was a problem somewhere. But I am not qualified to do certified legal translations.
I had to tell her that I couldn’t help her, but I never say ‘No’ to a client, in particular to this kind of customer, without offering a replacement. She might have been in deep trouble for what I knew. So I gave her the name of another translator who is an expert in legal affairs and whom I have used for personal business.
She didn’t seem too happy with that either. The translator was too far, she didn’t want to mail the documents, she didn’t have any form of transportation, she didn’t have access to a scanner, I’m not sure she had a computer to send the documents via e-mail anyway. I gave her the name and the telephone number and told her to call and make arrangements if possible. If this failed, the other translator would surely know someone closer to her. I hope she did.
At the time, I thought this was the best solution. But I could also have instructed her to go to the town hall and ask for the name of a local translator. In every Mairie, there is a list of all expert translators, for every language. Why didn’t I do it? Because I knew a professional and I know that personal recommendations work often better with a busy professional. The reason why I recommend this professional is because she, when I urgently needed to have similar documents translated, worked fast, and very well.
I don’t know what happened in the end, but I called my fellow interpreter later on, and she is going to find out. The lady’s distress was palpable, and now I’m feeling guilty.
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