I arrived several days early and rehearsed my programs with my translator, Paul, so that we worked the platform like dancers, alternating sentences in English and Chinese. The audience responded positively to our Fred and Ginger interaction, and all eyes were on me when I spoke, not on my translator, awaiting the next words the audience could understand. It is the speaker's job, not the translator's, to make sure the audience gets value. One internationally known speaker recently had seventy percent of an overseas audience ask for their money back. He was working with a translator who couldn't communicate his message effectively.
Many American speakers think it's the translator's job to get the speaker's message across.
It's your job to work with the translator so the audience and promoter get their money's worth. For one in-house meeting, I tied the organization's advertising slogans into my message and personalized each one for the company's needs. My translator, Paul, had learned what I was looking for, and he pointed out and translated the signs on the meeting room walls. I wrote them down in English and used them in my opening remarks. Check out your introductions in advance.