A guided tour offers an individual or a group the opportunity to discover a place, accompanied by a specialist guide. The guide provides a detailed presentation of the history, constituent elements and operation of the site, according to its specific nature. The guide is also on hand to satisfy visitors’ curiosity by answering any questions they may have after his explanations, and to provide further information and details. These tours generally focus on cultural heritage, whether tangible or intangible, indoors or outdoors. They can take place in places open to the public, such as tourist sites, or in private spaces for special occasions, such as one-off visits or the presentation of company premises to an employee. Examples include historic sites, emblematic monuments, museums and protected natural areas.

When you ‘re visiting a foreign country, in a language you don’t speak, the role of the interpreter becomes essential to help you make the most of your visit. Nowadays, many tourist attractions, such as the Louvre and the Château de Versailles, offer audio guides that visitors can borrow to enhance their experience. This allows them to listen to a pre-recorded presentation in the language of their choice, at their own pace along the way. However, many places do not have this facility. Guided tours are not limited to tourist sites, They can also be organised for private or professional venues, which do not always invest in this type of equipment.

To translate the guide’s presentation to a group or an individual, it is necessary to hire an interpreter. The interpreter will be able to use different interpreting methods to convey the speech accurately and fluently. In the first instance he can use consecutive interpretation, which consists of retransmitting the speech once it has finished or when the speaker pauses. It is essential for the guide to be informed in advance of the need to translate for part of the group and to set aside a time for translation for participants who do not speak the same language. On the other hand, the other option is whispered interpreting , which involves translating the speech simultaneously to one person or a small group of people, while remaining discreet to avoid disturbing the rest of the audience. The interpreter can also act as an intermediary to relay questions from the public in their own language, enabling visitors to take an active part in the event without any difficulty.

Consequently, the interpretation of guided tours is fundamental to ensuring access to culture and information about any place. This is all the more important because in recent years, tourism has increased dramatically to exceptional levels. The role of the interpreter then becomes essential to act as a bridge between the different languages and overcome the language barrier.

At LinguaTrans we are well aware of the difficulties involved in this kind of interpretation. The interpreter must have an impeccable command of both languages, a knowledge of the place being presented and the culture associated with it, and a certain speed and flexibility to translate the guide’s speech to the visitors. The interpreter also has to do some research beforehand to familiarise himself with the subject, looking for information about the content that will be covered during the tour so as not to be surprised or caught off guard when the time comes. That’s why we have the best interpreting experts in the business, so that you can be sure of a top-quality service.