Can anyone who is bilingual translate or interpret?
Unfortunately, all too often people are called on to be ad-hoc interpreters in situations that can actually be dangerous or harmful for those involved. For one thing, just speaking a language doesn’t mean you know all the terminology necessary to reliably communicate a message. In your own language, could you explain a detailed cancer diagnosis? An immigrant’s legal rights? The physics of an airplane? There are many fields and vocabularies that are unfamiliar to the average person, no matter how many languages they speak! Interpreters are more than speakers of multiple languages. They invest time and energy into understanding specific fields so that when called upon they have all the knowledge necessary. Children should never be asked to interpret for parents as they may lack the linguistic knowledge to do so and certainly lack the emotional maturity and comprehension often required for relaying a technical or emotionally sensitive message. Untrained ad-hoc interpreters may leave out p
