Before starting to work together, there is something essential you should know:
for me, privacy is not a “value statement”. It is the contract.
If you looked only at my LinkedIn or Instagram, you might assume my work is all public-facing events, branded conferences and carefully curated images. And to some extent, that’s true. When an event is live-streamed, press-covered and hashtagged, I have no issue being visible.
But that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Most of my work never appears online:
- board meetings of European banks,
- strategy sessions in sectors of national importance,
- investment committees in oil & gas, defence and critical infrastructure,
- cross-border M&A discussions,
- government briefings,
- high-stakes international arbitrations.
These assignments live behind closed doors. They begin confidential—and they remain confidential.
Privacy Is Not a Personality Trait. It’s a System.
In sensitive environments, privacy is not a “nice-to-have”.
It is the job.
No organisation should rely on an interpreter’s supposed discreet nature to protect a sovereign negotiation or a pharmaceutical strategy review. They should rely on clear rules, agreed processes and robust habits.
Over the years, I have built exactly that:
an architecture of discretion that surrounds and supports the interpreting itself.
Let me walk you through how it works.
Before the Meeting: Setting the Perimeter
Confidentiality starts long before I put on a headset.
It begins the moment a client writes: “We’d like to share the documents with you.”
NDA First, Always
If a robust confidentiality clause is not already in place, I insist on a dedicated NDA.
Not a vague one-pager, but clear provisions covering:
- what is confidential,
- who may access it,
- how it is stored,
- how long it is retained,
- what happens at the end of the mandate.
Interpreters are often treated as “voices”, not as professionals temporarily connected to the organisation’s nervous system. I push back on that—politely, but firmly.
Need-to-Know, Not Nice-to-Have
I don’t want everything.
I want the right things.
I ask for:
- the agenda,
- slide decks,
- key background documents,
- and, where possible, a short briefing call.
I do not need five years of board minutes “just in case”.
Less circulation means fewer leak points.
Clients usually appreciate the restraint.
Clean Channels Only
Documents move only through secure channels:
- client portals,
- encrypted transfers,
- password-protected repositories.
Unprotected email attachments? No, thank you.
Yes, I am sometimes the person who asks,
“Could you resend that via a secure option?”
No, I no longer apologise for it.
The Elephant in the Booth: My Zero-Upload Policy
Let’s talk about AI.
I like technology. I use tools. I’m curious.
But I work with banks, defence-adjacent industries, governments and arbitral tribunals.
So my rule is simple:
I do not upload client materials to ChatGPT, generative AI tools, machine translation engines or unmanaged cloud platforms. Full stop.
No exceptions.
No “just this once”.
No “it’s internal”.
If a client’s document trained a model someone else could later query, I could not honestly say: “Your information stayed with me.”
I use secure, local tools:
- glossary software,
- terminology databases,
- secure note-taking,
- local OCR.
Anything that sends client text to third-party servers is out.
Is it slower? Sometimes.
Is it worth it? Always.
Devices and Paper: Becoming Your Own IT Department
Confidentiality is not only about documents. It’s also about devices.
Digital Hygiene
- Full-disk encryption on all devices
- Strong passwords and MFA
- Updated operating systems
- No automatic sync to consumer cloud services
- Separate professional and personal environments
No client filenames appearing on-screen during another meeting. Ever.
Physical Hygiene
- No preparation on sensitive material in cafés, trains or lounges
- Redacted documents when travelling
- Printed materials stored in locked bags or drawers
Is this inconvenient? Yes.
Is it less inconvenient than a data breach? Absolutely.
Professional Secrecy, Squared: At Home
At home, confidentiality is blissfully boring.
My husband works in education. His day is also full of things he cannot share: student records, family situations, disciplinary issues. So he understands.
A typical exchange:
“How was it?”
“Intense.”
“Same.”
Then we discuss books, travel, exhibitions, concerts.
No anecdotes. No “you won’t believe what they said”.
That’s not restraint—it’s respect.
Notes, With an Exit Plan
Interpreting leaves few traces. Notes are one of them.
My approach:
- Minimal: numbers, names, structures—never full quotes
- No recordings by default, unless expressly authorised in writing
- Clear end-of-life:
- paper notes are cross-cut shredded,
- digital notes securely deleted once no longer needed
I tell clients explicitly:
“At the end of the mandate, your files will be deleted and my notes destroyed. I can certify this in writing if you wish.”
It reassures them. It disciplines me.
Remote and On-Site: Same Logic, Different Risks
Remote, With Guardrails
On Zoom, Teams or other platforms, I pay close attention to:
- authenticated access,
- waiting rooms,
- recording permissions,
- transcript and caption settings,
- microphone discipline.
Someone has to ask,
“Who will access this recording afterwards?”
Sometimes that someone is me.
On-Site Vigilance
On-site risks are simpler—but real:
- open microphones,
- visible documents,
- unattended headsets.
My response is habitual, not heroic:
- check visibility,
- check microphones (twice),
- clean desk policy,
- discreetly flag issues to technicians.
Other People’s Systems Matter Too
Interpreters are part of a wider supplier ecosystem: AV teams, RSI platforms, transcription services.
If my confidentiality is perfect but theirs isn’t, the system fails.
So I ask:
- Are technicians under NDAs?
- Who controls recordings?
- Where are servers located?
- Who has admin access?
Asking the questions already raises the bar.
Why This Level of Rigour?
Because when you interpret for:
- boards of directors,
- sovereign negotiations,
- defence suppliers,
- pharmaceutical strategy reviews,
- international arbitration tribunals,
a single loose end can become a liability—or a headline.
But beyond legal exposure, there is trust.
Clients trust us with unfinished thoughts, internal disagreements, doubts and mistakes.
They let us give those thoughts a voice in another language.
The least we can do is ensure nothing escapes through cracks we could have prevented.
Direct Contact
For confidential assignments, high-stakes meetings or arbitration proceedings, direct coordination matters.
📞 +39 388 321 3517 (WhatsApp available)
✉️ interpretingservices@misterpolyglot.com
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