Language translators and interpreters are all keenly aware of what hangs in the balance of their expertise. But rarely does their choice of words fall under so much scrutiny as when dealing with public officials.

In 2011, Harry Obst, former interpreter for seven U.S. presidents and for six German Chancellors, delivered the endnote address at the New England Translators Association (NETA) 15th Annual Conference. In his talk he discussed the delicate role of translators and interpreters in diplomacy. What follows is an abstract from his presentation:

In translation and interpretation, the needs of diplomacy differ markedly from those of the international governmental organizations. They also differ from the requirements encountered in most areas of the private sector.

This presentation deals only with diplomatic interpreting. Examples illustrate the nature and the importance of this specialty. The best practitioners have often worked their way up the professional interpreting ladder, but there are many notable exceptions. This specialty can bring the interpreter better earnings than are common in other interpreting environments. It carries considerable prestige in many countries, but not in the United States. Our top interpreters are not known to the general public.

Even for the best diplomatic interpreters the work is perilous and full of unexpected daily challenges. When working before thousands on the public stage or millions on television, the reputation earned by years of brilliant work can be extinguished by one or two bad mistakes.

Harry Obst Bio

Harry Obst was born in East Prussia in 1932. He spent his early high school education as a refugee in Saxony under Soviet occupation. As the teaching of French and English was forbidden at that time, he learned English with the help of a small dictionary and eight copies of the Ladies Home Journal, the only English texts he could find. He enrolled at Mainz University in 1954, with no money, majoring in translation and rounding out his language studies.

Unable to find work as a professional translator, Obst emigrated to the United States in 1957. He worked in private industry for eight years until the Department of State offered him a staff position as diplomatic interpreter in 1965. He gained a thorough knowledge of the U.S. from 26 trips around the country as an escort interpreter for leading personalities from Europe and from his work with American presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan.

Obst was appointed director of the Office of Language Service at the Department of State in Washington in 1984. Interestingly this interpreting and translating service was first established by Thomas Jefferson in 1789 and has been in continuous existence since that time.

While in that position, he occasionally interpreted for presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and Bill Clinton. Obst retired from the federal government in March of 1997. He served as director and principal instructor of the former Inlingua School of Interpretation in Arlington, Virginia from 1997 to 2004 and has been writing and lecturing in retirement.

Harry Obst is author of the book “White House Interpreter: The Art of Interpretation.” As we recently reported he will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming Michigan Translators/Interpreters Network third regional conference on interpreting and translation, on October 13, 2012 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Novi, MI.