Being bilingual opens up many opportunities that the monolinguist never gets to experience. For example, I have the ability to completely misunderstand, fail to listen or otherwise lose the plot in two languages.
Language ability is not everything. More important than
any linguistic ability is the capacity to communicate. Listen,
observe, empathize, feel and you will know more than any number of
language experts who know neither you nor the parties communicating.
I recently attended a meeting in which the interpreter had not been
briefed on the companies conversing or the nature of their business.
Assuming his linguistic prowess would carry the day, he consistently
missed the interpretation of key terms and the intent of the parties
at the meeting. As the confusion mounted, the meeting participants
increasingly locked him out of their listening, choosing to clarify
and communicate directly instead. In the end, the interpreter was
sent home early, with the loss of more than a little face. The
experience did have the unintended consequence of bringing the two
companies meeting even closer together through the experience of
shared adversity and adventure, but communication suffered and time
was wasted.
A good interpreter will know you and know your business, or make the
effort to do so. They will be both wise and humble, able first to
hear you and your objectives. If you feel you are not being heard by
your interpreter, your counterparty is not likely to be completely
heard either, compromising communication in both directions.
A wise man once told me to treat language as a useful tool in life’s
toolbox, but never to confuse it with the ability to communicate. A
great communicator will be much more human than machine, capable of
feeling and communicating in addition to whatever linguistic
capabilities they may have.