You're navigating non-verbal cues in translation. How do you effectively address misunderstandings?

There are a whole bunch of things that go into getting there. It's important to do some research to better understand the nuances of each target language.

A nod in one culture may mean yes while in another meaning no. As an example of non verbal communication, one of the ways to learn such things is to spend enough time in the culture's environment among people and media.

Je traduis le sens. Le sens n'est pas dans les mots. Il est dans la tête de celui qui lit. Si le lecteur est incompétent et ne ma?trise pas la culture et l'hisoire des deux langues/pays en question, s'il ne ma?trise pas le domaine et ne sait pas se documenter, il se retrouve perdant face à l'IA car serait obligé de traduire les mots. En droit la forme d'expression de l'original a une valeur particulière, elle contribue à créer le sens. Travailler la forme d'expression de l'original est la condition sine quoi non du succès du traducteur juridique.

Understand Cultural Differences Research Cultural Norms: Familiarize yourself with the cultural norms and non-verbal communication styles of both the source and target cultures. This includes understanding gestures, body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal signals. Be Aware of Variations: Recognize that non-verbal cues can have different meanings in different cultures. For example, a gesture that is positive in one culture might be offensive in another.

The question of navigating non-verbal cues is meaningless unless you specify the cultures involved (the one of the doer and the one(s) of the receiver/observer). Here in Canada I have seen many (not all) people from Anglo background getting upset when I made certain gestures with my hands while speaking. They assumed that hand gestures, which in Italian indicate closing, getting out, etc., were obscene. In France there is a sign indicating that you are not getting fooled, but outsiders, who notice it and are not aware of its meaning, will think that it means that you have to watch out for a problem.

One way is to get a few readers who have no real knowledge of the subject matter to explain what they think the text is saying. That will throw up areas which need attention. Then to re-edit and re-test. This is one method Bible Society of Mongolia used to test translation of the Bible. The readers did not know the Bible so their input was extremely helpful.

There is a great difference between translation and interpretation with this topic. I believe this article means to say interpretation when it says translation in some cases. Moreover, culture plays a big role in all aspects of translation and interpretation. However, it is imperative for an interpreter to know about their ethical advocacy practices and when and IF to engage in cultural mediation so as to always protect the client's and LEP's communicative autonomy.

If something seems unclear or the non-verbal cues seem to contradict the spoken words, politely ask for clarification, repeating what you understood in your own words and ask if that’s correct. This gives the other person a chance to correct any misunderstandings.

Indeed, I have found that asking questions helps us save time because we do not make unnecessary mistakes. It also demonstrates that we understand what we are doing and improves our accuracy.

As you work on your project, it is vital to get prompt answers, feedbacks from your clients, co-workers. It gets boring and stressful whenever you say "Hello, I need to ask you something..." but don't get any reply. Here comes the importance of the proper communication. "Proper" communication needs to be carried out by "proper" communication tools, applications and so on. We are in 2024, so please avoid e-mails for prompt replies. Please avoid clients who use only e-mails while there are hundreads and thousands of applications instead.

The setting and context can heavily influence non-verbal cues. For example, a nod might mean agreement in one culture but simply indicate listening in another. Pay attention to the broader context, checking if the non-verbal cues match the verbal message. If there’s inconsistency, it might indicate a deeper misunderstanding.

Allow the other person time to think and respond, especially if they’re navigating a second language or complex cultural norms, maintaining a calm and respectful tone to create a safe space for clarification.

I totally agree, when we immerse ourselves in the context it helps us understand each other's feelings and convey the feelings expressed accurately.