Interpreters and translators

What makes a great interpreter? It seems like a simple question, but is there a simple answer? We asked two of our most experienced linguists, Manuela Heise and Freddy Macha, for their views.

It is no exaggeration to say that Manuela Heise and Freddy Macha share a gift for languages: between them, they know a total of 17. It is also no exaggeration to say that their backgrounds could hardly be more different.

33-year-old Manuela grew up behind the iron curtain in East Germany. Her early travels were limited to countries within the eastern block, and the first languages she learned were Hungarian and Polish. The world - literally - opened up for her when Germany was reunified in 1990: she moved to the UK, gained a BA in Russian and Law from London University and an MA in Translating and Interpreting from Bradford University, and began work as a professional freelance linguist.

Freddy was born in 1955 on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. A colourful career as a journalist, writer, musician and dancer has taken him all over the globe, and given him an eclectic mix of languages. These include Chagga, his native tribal language, and Portuñol, a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish spoken in South America. For the past ten years he has lived in London, which is one of the few places in the world where he can use all of his languages on a regular basis.

As two of our most highly regarded linguists, what do Manuela and Freddy think makes a great interpreter?

Qualifications are important, says Manuela, but there is a limit to what they can assess. She gives the example of interpreting in criminal trials. "In court, you have to be alert and switched on for a very long time. You can't allow any mistakes, because there's no chance to go back and correct anything. And you're always aware that someone's liberty may be at stake. You can't recreate that kind of pressure in an exam room."

Manuela believes it is essential for interpreters to spend time living in other countries. "You have to understand the culture as well as the language. Most of my skills and understanding have come from travelling."

Cultural insight is a key requirement for interpreters, agrees Freddy. "Some people are very good at Spanish, but don't really know anything about Spain or Latin America. For each country, you need to read the tabloids, eat the food, watch the films and dance to the music.

"A lot of Portuguese interpreters don't know anything about the long conflict in Angola [a former Portuguese colony]. An entire generation of Angolans grew up in complete bloodshed. You have to understand people's backgrounds before you can start interpreting for them."