Donald Trump implies Vladimir Putin uses 'the N-word' to describe Barack Obama

[Igel]

46. Yeah, yeah.

Putin doesn't speak English. Now, at least.


In fact, it was a surprise when he was pissed off and opened his mouth in response to a question in English before the interpreter could interpret. Putin's answer needed no translation because it was in English. In other words, the interpreter was there for what many a conference or escort interpreter is there for: First, to make sure that the client's language skills aren't overwhelmed, so he inadvertently misunderstands or misspeaks an answer; two, to keep the other person guessing.

If you're doing a presser and get a question but have an automatic 15-20 second "silent space" in which you can formulate your answer before the audience assumes you can even begin to formulate your answer, you're a step ahead of monolinguals who can't let that dead space hang there. And while the answer's being translated back, you have another 10-15 seconds or more in which to issue a correction, addition, or further rebuttal.

You can also, if you know your audience really well, talk to the interpreter ahead of time. Interpreters can often clean up bad utterances, mask dysfluencies, and even bowdlerize what was said if told to do so ahead of time. It's a gray area in ethics between serving the client and serving your craft. If native speakers of both languages are in the audience, you can't do it. But interviews, sure.