Interpreting
A French ↔ English interpreter beside you, in Douala
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When the meeting is held in French and your counterpart expects an answer there and then, a translated document no longer helps. Verbatim comes to you: the agency’s own translator interprets in person, between French and English, in Douala and the surrounding area. Tell us the date, the place and the subject.
French ↔ English only. Availability and price confirmed before any commitment.
Where an interpreter changes the day
A business meeting or a negotiation
Your counterpart works in French, you work in English — or the other way round. Each side keeps its own language, and nobody signs having understood half of it.An appointment at a notary’s, a bank or a government office
A deed is read aloud before it is signed. The interpreter follows it line by line, and your questions reach the person who has to answer them, in their language.A site, factory or port visit
Standing, walking, in the noise. Liaison interpreting is made for that: short exchanges, rendered as they come.A civil wedding, a dowry, a family ceremony
Relatives from the North-West, the South-West or abroad follow the ceremony and take part in it, instead of watching from a distance.A phone call or a video meeting
With no travel: the interpreter joins the call. Useful for an interview, a check-in with a supplier, a meeting with family abroad.
Two ways of interpreting, and one person
Liaison is the exchange rendered sentence by sentence, both ways: an interview, a counter, a visit. Consecutive is the longer stretch, taken down in notes and then delivered: a presentation, an address, the reading of a deed.
The person who comes is Arnold, Verbatim’s translator — the same one who signs the statements of accuracy. So you know who is coming, and you can speak to him beforehand.
To book: write on WhatsApp with the date, the time, the length you expect, the place and the subject. We confirm availability and give a firm price before any commitment. If what you need is a document rather than a voice, look instead at English into French or French into English.
Both directions in the same session: that is what liaison means.
What we do not do
Three things, and it is better to know them now than the evening before the event.
Before you book
One interpreter does not cover every format.
No simultaneous interpreting from a booth. A conference rendered live needs a team and equipment: booth, headsets, console. That is not what we set up.
No court hearings. Before a court, the court itself appoints the interpreter. It is not for us to stand in for that decision.
No other language. Spoken, we work between French and English only. For other languages we work with partner translators — in writing only, as the language grid sets out.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum length?
It is agreed with you, according to what you have to do: signing at a notary’s office does not take the time a factory visit takes. Tell us the length you expect; we confirm what is workable and the price that goes with it, before any commitment.
Do you travel outside Douala?
It is possible, and it is decided case by case: distance, timing and length all count. Give the town and the date in your WhatsApp message; if the trip is not workable we say so straight away rather than leave you waiting.
Should I send the meeting documents in advance?
It is not compulsory, but it is what changes the quality of the interpreting most. An agenda, a contract, the names of the people attending: with those, the vocabulary is prepared and nothing has to be looked up in the room. Send what you can, even late.
Does what is said in the room stay confidential?
Yes. What is said in the room does not leave it, and the documents you share to prepare the session are used for that and nothing else. It is the same rule as for translations, and it applies whether a contract has been signed or not.
Booking