What is Liaison Interpreting? Top 4 Practical Applications

Why is Liaison interpreting a bridge to seamless cross-cultural communication? Let’s discover its power below with Thao & Co.!

1. ● What is Liaison Interpreting?
2. ● When to use it?
3. ● Pros and Cons
4. ● Credible services at Thao & Company

What is Liaison Interpreting?

Liaison interpreting is a common form of interpretation often utilized in small group negotiations and meetings. What makes this type of interpretation unique is that it requires only a single interpreter.

This interpreter conducts translations for both directions of a language pair, ensuring flexible conversion to facilitate a smooth conversation. Hence, liaison interpreting is also known as Bilateral Interpreting.

When Do We Use Liaison Interpreting?

Liaison Interpreting is often used in situations that require precise linguistic connection, thus creating a friendly environment for all stakeholders.

Negotiation meetings:

1. ● This is where representatives from various firms negotiate and make decisions.
2. ● Bilateral interpreters help achieve agreements.

Visits and site inspections:

1. ● Visits to factories, plants, or site inspections of infrastructure and construction areas.
2. ● Liaison interpreters can enhance the effectiveness of inspection activities.

Talkshows:

1. ● An event where celebrities, public figures, or experts are involved in discussions with each other or with the audience.
2. ● Bilateral interpreting acts as a cultural bridge, promoting mutual understanding and empathy among multinational audiences.

Fan meetings:

1. ● This is where fans meet and directly interact with artists or celebrities.
2. ● Interpreters convey emotions and underlying messages of the speaker(s).

Liaison Interpreting Advantages and Disadvantages

1. Advantages

1. ● Effective communication: Liaison interpreting is a powerful tool to bridge the language gap among stakeholders.
2. ● Flexibility: A liaison interpreter can flexibly convert between languages, even under unexpected circumstances.
3. ● Fostering harmonious connections: Creating a friendly and effective communication environment. Harmony helps nurture a positive atmosphere, especially in business negotiations.

2. Disadvantages

1. ● Liability to errors: Constant language-switching can lead to occasional mistakes, potentially causing major misunderstandings.
2. ● High requirements for experience and skills: Liaison interpreters need deep expertise, exceptional language proficiency and a firm grasp of the cultural and contextual nuances.

Liaison Interpreting Practical Examples

In an interpreting project for a wine-tasting event at Thao & Co., our interpreters needed to:

1. ● Perform English-Vietnamese liaison interpretation.
2. ● Facilitate clear and effective communication between guests and wine company representatives.
3. ● Seamlessly switch between two languages.
4. ● Maintain discretion and professional conduct suiting the formal nature of the event. 

Let’s dive in to the wine-tasting event video below for a closer look at the experience!

Professional Interpreting Services at Thao & Co.

If you are seeking expert, quality interpreting services, Thao & Co. can serve as your trusted partner.

High-Quality Team of Expert Interpreters

1. ● A team of qualified native-speaker interpreters.
2. ● Specialized liaison interpreting services customized for all industries, like commerce, arts, healthcare, or banking sectors, etc.

Diverse Suite of Services

1. ● Various interpretation formats including simultaneous interpretation, escort interpretation, remote interpretation, and bilingual hosting/moderating.
2. ● Quality translation services for documents and other multilingual content needs.

Reliable Partner for Events and Projects

1. ● From global conferences to prestigious symposiums, arts events or business negotiations.

With Thao & Co., you gain not only expert interpreting services but also comprehensive B2B Translation Solutions, enabling your entry into new markets.

Check out our Case Studies to see more about the premier translation and interpreting services.

Please contact Thao & Co.’s Get a Quote page for additional information and a complimentary consultation.