If it seems like it can be translated one-to-one, then no notes, just plow through. If there are problem phrases, then figure out how to translate them first, so if you end up needing to twist other parts of the article to make the grammar work, you haven’t wasted anytime translating part you need to re-write anyway.

If the interpreter is unfamiliar with the cultures involved, then they would need to do that sort of research. If, however, they are unfamiliar with the topic, then they would need to focus on learning to enough to know if they have chosen the words an expert on the topic in the target culture would use.