When someone invites me to be the lecturer at their conference, they usually get a list of questions from me first. Questions that help me prepare myself for the lecture and to create the unique experience for the audience.
At first, these questions cause panic and fear among the organizers, but they soon realize these questions can help them prepare themselves better for the organization of the conference.
This question might seem trivial to you, dear English native speaker, but trust me, it’s not. Especially when we’re talking about speakers and audiences who are neither local nor from English-speaking countries. Speakers often assume they’ll be presenting in their native language, only to find out that the organizer expected something else—most often, English.
Why does this happen? Because the audience often includes participants from different countries. At many European conferences, English becomes the universal choice, even in countries where one might assume everyone understands the local language.
Examples? Croatia and Slovenia. Although the languages are similar, people born 1980 may understand each other fairly well because they learned the other language in elementary school, while younger generations often prefer to communicate with each other in English.
What do I do?
I can personally give presentations in both Croatian and English, and I can understand questions asked in most ex-YU languages (including Slovenian and Macedonian). Sometimes, my slides are in English, while I speak in Croatian, because it suits the audience better. But the opposite has also happened — I prepared everything in English, expecting an international audience, only to find out the presentations would be in the local language.
How to avoid misunderstandings?
It’s best to ask the organizer these questions ahead of time:
- In what language should the slides be prepared?
- In what language should the presentation be given?
- In what language will the promotional activities be conducted?
Why is that? If we find out in time which language we need to prepare our presentation in, we can avoid potential stress and tension during both the preparation and the presentation itself. The quality of a presentation is often higher when the speaker speaks in their native language. It’s not the same to give a presentation in your native language versus a foreign one—the stress and tension are much higher when presenting in a foreign language. Timely information helps the speaker avoid discomfort and prepare a presentation of the expected quality in time.
The pitfalls of assumptions
Conference organizers often assume what the language of the conference will be without considering which languages the audience understands, and therefore fail to communicate this useful information to the speakers in time. If a speaker gives their presentation in a language the audience doesn’t understand, no one will be satisfied.
In some cases, simultaneous translation can be a solution, but it significantly increases the conference costs. However, at international conferences, this is sometimes the only way to ensure that everyone is satisfied.
Take a look at other questions for conference organizers, which help me prepare myself for the audience.
Also, if you want me to help you organize your event or to hire some great speakers, do no hesitate to contact me 🙂