Editor’s note: Horacio Segal is a senior research associate at Hispanic & Asian Marketing and Communication Research, Belmont, Calif.

As ethnic research becomes more prevalent throughout the U.S., the need for researchers to identify high quality simultaneous interpreters is also rapidly increasing. Hispanic qualitative research is no longer confined exclusively to only major multi-cultural cities such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York, but is continuously spreading to newer regions such as Rhode Island and Las Vegas, and to new areas in states where Hispanic research is already very common, such as El Paso and Laredo, Texas.

This article attempts to provide some basic guidelines to clients and researchers in finding skilled interpreters who will add quality to their research, so they will obtain better results.

Heard and understood

Having the right interpreter means that the researcher’s every word is heard and understood by clients in the back room, but most important of all, every word and answer uttered by the respondents is accurately interpreted within the appropriate cultural context and meaning.

What’s an interpreter? Very few people are truly bilingual and with a full command of two languages. Most bilingual persons speak, write and understand one of the languages much better, usually the one used most during formal education years.

Even when a person is completely bilingual, this does not necessarily guarantee he/she can interpret, especially simultaneously. A high-quality simultaneous interpreter can rapidly transfer from one language to another words, meanings and context, never literally, but in a culturally relevant form.

Simultaneous interpretation is truly a special skill that requires very strong concentration. During the sessions, the mind of the interpreter is on auto pilot. Most interpreters need to practice very hard in order to develop the required speed and end a sentence about a second after the original-language speaker.

Identifying and selecting skilled interpreters

There are several guidelines that can help you find a high-quality focus group interpreter, one who conveys not only meaning but also inflection and cultural relevance:

  • Stay away from impromptu interpreters whose only qualification is being Hispanic by surname or by some ability to speak Spanish. Some facilities will attempt to offer as interpreters a secretary, office assistant or recruiter, when in fact this person may have no professional training, and his/her Spanish may be limited to what they have heard from or used with parents or grandparents during childhood. Chances are that they never attended school in a Latin American country, so they have no formal education in the language. Their accent in English might be perfect but their understanding of respondents’ Spanish could be limited.
  • Look for interpreters who have had previous experience in focus groups. Be sure to ask them for references and check them carefully to make sure they have the essential skills you need.
  • In the event these seasoned focus group interpreters are not available, look for interpreters who have worked or currently work in the courts. These professionals have the required training and vocabulary and they practice their skills daily. Regarding these interpreters, however, be sure that they are aware that a focus group environment does not have the order and organization of a court. They will have to get used to the chaos of focus groups, where many people often speak at the same time.
  • Conference interpreters can also be considered a good option for this type of assignment, but they also must adapt to not being able to switch duties every 30 minutes with a partner, as is customary in conference interpreting. Experience in interpreting in formal situations like the U.N., for example, may not necessarily mean the interpreter can interpret a focus group. The spontaneity of a focus group can be exasperating to even the best conference interpreters.
  • Good qualitative interpreters are usually good performers. They are able to emote and convey a wide variety of inflections in their voice, which is a key element of qualitative interpretation, because a monotone interpretation strips away content and context from what is being said, besides inducing listeners to fall asleep and lose interest in the focus group session.

Country-specific expressions

One of the most common misconceptions regarding the Spanish language spoken in Latin America is the belief that there are distinct dialects used in each country, and people from one country cannot understand those from other countries in the region.

Spanish is Spanish in every Latin American culture as well as Spain. Correct Spanish is taught in a consistent manner in every country in the region. However, there are idiomatic expressions and ways of speaking that are exclusively used in specific countries and a Spanish speaker from another country would not only not understand, but would very likely conduct an incorrect interpretation.

For example, a blonde woman is called a rubia by Cubans, a güera by Mexicans and a mona by Colombians. Another typical example is that of food names and ingredients. For example, Mexicans call beans frijoles; in some countries in the Caribbean region they are called habichuelas.

Look for interpreters who are familiar with the varied vocabulary used by respondents to describe colors, feelings, time related issues, and certain products in each of their respective countries. Hispanic respondents are not only from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico anymore; people from Honduras to the Dominican Republic, and from Colombia to Guatemala are increasingly participating in sessions all over the U.S.

A good interpreter is also familiar with "invented" words that come from English or reverse translations, used by some Hispanics in the U.S. Cubans in Miami say loncheando for having lunch; parqueando for "to park," and Cuban students use dropear for dropping a class; while Puerto Ricans in New York use hangueando to refer to hanging out, all incorrect in Spanish. Instead of the word in Spanish camioneta for pick-up truck, some Mexicans drive a troca. A used old car that just takes one anywhere is a mueble for Mexicans (literally: furniture) and a transportation for Cubans.

Adds value

These are some general guidelines for the selection of focus group interpreters. Moderators who go back to the viewing room and get good feedback from their clients know that a skilled simultaneous interpreter adds value to their research. Clients who tend to not miss any detail, whether it is words or emotional reactions, also know that a good interpreter can make a good focus group session engaging, and make them feel as if they truly understand Spanish, even though it’s not their native language.