Question about TV interviews conducted through an interpeter

January 26, 2016 7:13 AM

During a TV interview conducted through an interpreter, is the interviewer understanding what the interviewee is saying? How do these types of interviews work exactly?

I have often noticed something peculiar when watching interviews on TV which are conducted through an interpreter. The interviewer nods his or her head animatedly as though understanding every single word and agreeing with what the interviewee is saying, even though presumably the interviewer does not speak the language that the interviewee is speaking in. (An example is the interview which starts around 9:50 in this video).

What is going on in these situations? I see three possibilities:
-the interviewer understands the language of the interviewee but doesn't feel comfortable interviewing in that language.
- the interviewer is having everything interpreted to them at the very same moment, thus simultaneously understanding everything that is being said.
- the interviewer pretends to understand and receives the translation after each answer.

Any other info/knowledge/experiences about these types of media interviews would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

posted by iamsuper to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

In your specific link, the interviewer speaks with man at around 11:37, presumably in Dutch (the video is from VICE Netherlands and Dutch is spoken in Suriname).
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:26 AM on January 26, 2016

Best answer: I did a lot of speaking to people via interpreters when I was in the military, and it's kind of a combination.

So I had a (very) rudimentary level of Arabic and a translator, and I was talking to native Arabic speakers with varying levels of English (let's just say "Abdul" to keep it straight). Usually, what happens is that I ask a question, and even though Abdul basically follows along, the translator translates it anyway. While this is happening, Abdul is nodding along to my words regardless of whether he really does understand me (I'm using exaggerated body language, doing a lot more pointing and smiling and shaking my head than I normally do in conversation). When Abdul replies, I can tell -- between my basic Arabic and his body language (which he's exaggerating just as much as I did) -- whether I should nod or appear perplexed or whatever reaction is probably appropriate. Then I listen to my translator (who does not translate simultaneously, because I don't want him to miss what Abdul is saying while he translates).

And my reactions to the original question when it was being asked in a language I only barely understood a little of? Nine times out of ten, they were right on the money.
posted by Etrigan at 7:30 AM on January 26, 2016 [5 favorites]

Best answer: - the interviewer pretends to understand and receives the translation after each answer.

Largely this. It's polite. And like Etrigan said, people who talk to people regularly can get a pretty good idea of how to react based on subtle body language and mirroring. I mean, think about it--if you're watching TV and hit the mute button, you can still get a decent idea of what's going on just by watching what people look like when they talk.

If you've ever watched an interview where the interviewer breaks this convention, it really slaps you in the face with how wrong it is. Just a few days ago I was watching a dog show and one of the dog show people was interviewing the South Korean handler of a toy poodle. South Korean handler spoke very little English and had an interpreter. Dog show interviewer clearly didn't have a whole lot of interview experience, and after an attempt at a back and forth had the mic only in the interpreter's face and was looking and nodding only at her. It looked straight up rude.

The correct thing to do is to look and react to the person who is actually talking, even if you don't know the exact words they're saying, because that's how humans interact.
posted by phunniemee at 7:55 AM on January 26, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'd suggest that most TV interviews are HEAVILY edited, regardless of needing a translator.

For some reason, it's de rigeur to have the thoughtful nodding shot by the interviewer in most of these.
posted by kuanes at 8:22 AM on January 26, 2016 [2 favorites]

Government officials often have enough command of English to have no problem understanding questions posed in that language. The interpreter serves the purpose of ensuring nuances and idioms and subtext are understood. Waiting for the translation provides time to form a response. Most answer in their native tongue to ensure precision and because they may be embarrassed about their English fluency and accent.
posted by justcorbly at 9:02 AM on January 26, 2016

Best answer: Even without an interpreter, shots of the interviewer nodding his head are editing "tricks" using out of context shots.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:33 AM on January 26, 2016

I'm wondering if part of it is that the interviewer already has a pretty good idea of the answers to his/her questions. Kind of how (television) attorneys are taught "don't ask a question you don't already know the answer to". That's fiction, obviously, but it makes sense. An interviewer generally isn't going to broadcast something if she/he doesn't already basically know what the story is - and that there is a story there to begin with.
posted by Beti at 11:07 AM on January 26, 2016

Best answer: The noddy shot is standard for loads of interviews, but generally looking serious and nodding is common even when the journalist understands nothing of what is said. I would speculate that it elicits more natural answers.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 11:17 AM on January 26, 2016 [1 favorite]