Page 144 - Microsoft Word - Guiding lights final version 0841 1007 big print.doc

‘There was an idea that the French were much less adventurous about leaving France on holiday than the Germans, despite both countries being so close to the UK/Scotland.
Nowadays France has just about all the different holiday zones you might want, so why go elsewhere? Now, however, there are many more companies establishing themselves in Scotland, many to do with French visitors. One such company, Smoozy, well established in France and England, only really ‘discovered’ Scotland recently, specifically for larger venues for their corporate clients. They were quite taken aback to find we can do all sizes of events and tours here! I am now getting proportionally more French work than I did before. I also notice/hear more French in the city. However, perception is important here. It could be I am misinformed re the amount of French work over the last 20 years or so, simply because most of my work was in German. The German market right now is not especially dynamic as I understand it, with companies in Germany holding back bookings, at least with the bigger companies (DMCs et al), due to the Brexit effect. The French, it would seem, aren’t really that bothered and continue to come!
‘I do a good deal of corporate and incentive work as well as private walking tours and food tours and the companies I work for seem to have this perception that one speaks either one language or another. A client recently asked me (after working with them since 2003) if I spoke French! I explained that French was my preferred language! So, company/customer expectation can affect selection of a guide for a job. I think you can become ’typecast’ and this affects your perception of demand as you end up ‘just doing German’.
‘As a languages guide, the skills range from straightforward guiding: talking to clients, interacting and explaining where necessary. Compering events, interpreting real time and doing language specific site visits have not, I would suggest, changed that much. Obviously as a language guide you need to provide the client with as interesting a tour as possible linguistically and that requires a huge investment in vocabulary set development.
‘We are used a great deal as interpreters and sometimes one can be under a great deal of pressure to get it as 'word perfect’ as possible. It can range from interpreting at the start of a gala dinner to horrifically complex tasks. I once did a job where a butler spoke of his experiences of working in grand houses. We did this in small groups which rotated between activities. Unkindly on his part, I felt, he changed his commentary each time! We are not interpreters but can interpret. Interpreters get paid much, much more than we do!
‘As far as change in language work goes when doing site visits, I can’t say there has been a big difference over the years. When I began I
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