A guide-translator is the person about whom the proverb “And the Swiss, and the reaper, and the gambler on the pipe” was created. Indeed, this work combines three rather different incarnations at once. It should be:

• a qualified linguist – for fluent communication with guests in any situation, whether it’s an excursion, business negotiations or shopping;
• an experienced guide – to know local customs, traditions, lifestyle, be able to show interesting places;
• a sensitive psychologist – this side of the profession often remains in the shadows, but working with people always involves stress and unforeseen situations, during which you need to remain calm and instill it in your wards.

A guide-interpreter, as a rule, accompanies a foreign delegation on a business trip or a group of tourists on vacation. The scope of his duties is much broader than that of an interpreter: if the latter works only at negotiations / exhibitions, then the guide has to multitask: be able to book a hotel, a table in a restaurant, a transfer, help choose a suit, bargain in the market or see a doctor – all situations are simple impossible to foresee.

And yet, the Guide is primarily a translator. His task is to establish communication between people from different countries. Therefore, all the criteria of good interpreters apply to him:

• Must have fluency in a foreign language, both literary and colloquial, being able of communication in a foreign language.
• He needs to know only general vocabulary, but also everything related to history, geography, culture – sometimes members of the delegation ask the most unexpected and tricky questions.
• The ability to switch. While working, the guide, as an interpreter, has to use different techniques: consecutive translation, simultaneous translation, whispering (whispering). Only real professionals can cope with this task.
• Knowledge of business ethics, punctuality, responsibility, confidentiality are not empty words for any interpreter, including a guide.