In this interview, Russian interpreter Anastassiya Feber reflects on her journey into the profession, sharing her experiences and insight for those considering a career in interpreting.
How long have you worked as an interpreter?
I have been working as an interpreter since 2022, when I joined thebigword. However, I had previously worked as an in-house translator at various companies, where interpreting made up 30% of my workload.
How do you maintain fluency and accuracy across your languages?
I do memory exercises regularly to remember words, facts and numbers better. I read a lot, both in Russian and in English. When I interpret into Russian I question myself: “How would it sound in Russian”? When I interpret into English, I focus on following English word order, and not allowing Russian word order to pop up. There’s one more trick that helps me speak fluently: I put a successful phrase down and encircle it, when I find one when interpreting, later I’ll include it into my glossary. I open the file regularly and refresh the phrases to keep them in my active vocabulary. This allows me to remember them more easily and use them later in other interpreting sessions.
Could you describe an experience in your career where you found your work particularly rewarding or fulfilling?
It happens all the time, when I interpret to people who didn’t know that interpreters were available to help them. Usually these people are homeless and suffer from health problems due to lack of medical assistance. One of the most prominent cases I can remember was a lady who’d decided to leave the United Kingdom because she didn’t speak English and didn’t know how to get the support she needed. She didn’t ask for medical or any other help because she thought that no one would understand her. I didn’t have a chance to learn how her life had changed, but there were other cases where people didn’t know they could get help even without speaking English. I remember one old man who was found homeless and injured. I remember that sadness in his voice in the beginning and then the relief when he realised that hospitals, GP surgeries, immigration centres, police and other governmental bodies have phone interpreters to hand to help people like him. I happened to interpret for him again on another occasion. He’d become more confident, he had succeeded in improving his health and he was not homeless any longer.
What is the best thing about being an interpreter?
The best thing about being an interpreter is helping people communicate in real-time. Knowing that someone will get their medicine or financial help in time. That they won’t have to spend a night in pain, or in fear, or on the street because you were there.
What has your experience been like working with thebigword?
I have grown my career as an interpreter by being part of thebigword’s network. I have increased my skills to the level where I can interpret various accents without even seeing the speaker. For me, thebigword is a friendly and highly professional team who are always ready to help and solve issues if I have any. thebigword is at the forefront of automatic call registering and invoicing software and they provide flexible hours. It’s my dream job.
How do you find using thebigword’s interpreting platforms or tools?
I like the WordSynk App. It’s design is neat and user-friendly, and when interpreting remotely it provides a really good sound quality.
What personal qualities do you think make someone a great interpreter?
To me, it’s responsibility and persistence in improving. Persistence helps me to continue improving my skills and knowledge. It helps expand my horizons and be ready for challenging tasks. Responsibility helps me to ensure comprehensive and high-quality communication.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to interpreting?
For anyone new to interpreting I’d share the advice that helped me to dive into the profession, ‘don’t be afraid to not be perfect’. When people need to communicate they don’t care about your accent or mispronunciation. They need your actual assistance and you can’t improve your skills if you don’t practice. Early in my careers I was really afraid to speak English, I was afraid that I might mispronounce something, or forget a word, or that I might not understand a speaker and would have to ask for something to be repeated or explained. I watched movies and did exercises but I still didn’t feel confident. Then I came across that advice in a social network, and it had helped me a lot. Three months later I already felt much more comfortable at interpreting.
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