A standard part of my preparations for jobs is deciding whether a pre-session meeting is necessary.

Often it isn’t, but sometimes, it’s key to the success of the assignment.

This was the case when I started working with a new client recently. Jake Halliday, CFA, of Baillie Gifford, is the owner of a beautiful Scottish burr.

As a long-time resident of the UK, the Scottish accent is a familiar one to me…but it’s not one I interpret all the time.

To ensure that their crucial meeting in Italy went smoothly we decided a pre-session get-together was required.

This turned out to be a great idea – not least because I got to spend more time with my wonderful new clients!

And that’s my tip for event organisers or individuals who are contracting interpreters – make sure that the language variant and any relevant information on accents or dialects is communicated in advance, just in case a short prep session is needed.

What’s your favourite accent?