Interpreting Dr Wegdan Khalifa et Two major kinds

Interpreting Dr. Wegdan Khalifa

et Two major kinds of interpretations: Consecutive Interpretation & Simultaneous Interpretation a Consecutive Interpretation: In case the interpreter is under the instructions “to original speech (immediately after the original speaker has completed a few sentences or in most cases, a fairly long paragraph), he is doing ‘consecutive interpretation’. ”

• b Simultaneous Interpretation: If he is instructed to interpret while the original speech is beingmadethenhewillbe doing ‘Simultaneous Interpretation’. • Consecutive Interpretation is more convenient, economical and widely-used while Simultaneous Interpretation is more often used for some formal, big, international conferences which usually need a set of equipment to do the jobs.

Typical Features of Interpretation Advantages: a. Enjoy more freedom than the translator; b. Concentrate on the sense of a message rather than the words which convey it; c. Get helpful aids from the intonation, gesture and facial expressions of the speaker, redundancies (non-verbal language); d. Occasionally ask the speaker to repeat a word, a phrase or a sentence, or explain some points; Require less precision that of a translator’s.

D a Stress: i Concentrated listening, absorbing information and reproducing it; ii Great demands on the interpreter ability to seize the essential meaning of a statement and to find an appropriate rendering; iii Inadequate preparations. I S A D V A N T A G E b Pressure: i Immediate communication; ii Psychological pressure. c Overall test of linguistic competence: SL & TL i English & Chinese: Phonological, syntactic and semantic difference between English & Chinese languages (figures, idioms, technical terms) ii Lack of general, cultural and background knowledge

A summary of the features of interpreting compared with translation: 1) The source is verbal in one case, written in the other. 2) The style of text and their content differ. 3) The target group is known to the interpreter, unknown to the translator. 4) The interpreter is compelled by time pressure to be brief, to the point; a translator may have a longer period of time. 5) An interpreter has the function of immediate communication alone, whereas the product of a translator, once committed to paper, acquires permanence. 6) Conveying the message effectively in the written form relies on precision in terms of punctuation, syntax and choice of words, in spoken form, the message can be conveyed with the help of intonation and paralinguistic features and therefore, such syntactic precision is not always so necessary. 7) Interpreters tend to be less thorough, whereas many translators are punctilious and perfectionists.

The Process of Interpretation/Basic Techniques of Interpretation The interpretation process consists of three distinct parts: Understanding, Conversion/Transference and Delivery. a. Understanding: i Be able to hear it well. ii Have an intimate knowledge of the language. iii Be acquainted with the specific culture and linguistic peculiarities of the country of the speaker. iv v Well versed in the subject matter Possess a wide general education

• b. Conversion/Transference: not translate literally but should express each idea as it would normally be expressed by a good public speaker in the target language. • (Problems: proverbs, metaphors, allusions, jokes, and after-dinner stories, speakers’ mistakes, obscure and ambiguous statements, and long quotations)

• c. Delivery: The interpreter’s voice should carry well and be pleasant to hear. Be a good trained public orator and speak only his mother tongue wherever possible, style, intonation. Never pause or leave a sentence unfinished.

Interpretation Process suggested by a) Listening/Listening-Transference (Active listening) Listening is integrated with “analyzing, understanding, transference” (Analyzing: the original speaker’s whole thought process” Understanding: the “context” Transference: employ some specific: conversion, inversion, addition, omission, negative, etc. )

• b) Memory/Memory supplemented by Note-Taking • (Absorb and retain in memory the gist of what the original speaker is saying. “Active Memory” Notetaking is an effective means to supplement, memory efficiency so as to ensure accuracy in work. ) • c) Delivery/Speaking (Re-expression) (Consecutive interpretation gives the interpreter a chance to marshal his thoughts and to approach the interpretation in a logical way)

Basic Qualities Required for the Interpreter In order to be a qualified interpreter one has to acquire a combination of some qualities: 1) A strong sense of duty

4) Acute hearing: Understand & grasp the “idea” 5) A good articulation: not to swallow part of the words; his voice should carry well and be pleasant to hear, speak distinctively and naturally.

Sight Translation 14

Sight Translation • Definition: oral translation of a written text The input is visual (written word) rather than oral (spoken word), but the interpreter still has to process a thought in the source language and generate the target language version of that thought while simultaneously processing the next source language thought, etc. 15

Elements of Sight Translation 1. Conservation: the interpreter should conserve the register of the source language text (complex vs. simple, formal vs. informal) 2. Written language: – Written material is more densely packed with information than spoken language. – Punctuation may serve the function of intonation. 16

Elements 3. Reading Comprehension: Interpreters must be adept at grasping the meaning of written texts and understanding the material explicitly and implicitly (interrelationships of ideas) 4. Prediction: Interpreters should be able to predict the outcome of an incomplete message and also be versed in the various writing styles—legal documents, personal and business correspondence, technical reports so they can be alert to common constructions that may pose translation problems. 17

Skills required for sight translation Ø Complete command of working languages at all levels of usage Ø Good public speaking: voice projection, good posture and smooth pacing Ø Mental agility and flexibility in order to work on two channels at once (simultaneously processing the source language while speaking in the target language) 18

Settings for Sight Translation • List the types of forms and documents that may need to be sight translated in the following settings……. • Hospitals/Clinics: medical reports, waivers, consent forms • Court documents: probation and police reports, docs. of a case file, etc. • Public/private schools: records • Adoption agencies: birth/death/marriage certificated • Workforce: forms, reports 19

Process of Sight Translation 1. Scan the document to determine the subject matter, context, style, and country of origin. 2. Make a mental note of common pitfalls unique to the source language. 3. Skim the passages quickly and identify key features, commas, parentheses, etc. 4. Translate sentence by sentence, focusing on one unit of meaning at a time. 5. Maintain a steady pace, translating as smoothly as possible. 20

Strategies for Interpreting a Sight Translation READING COMPREHENSION: is an important element of sight translation. Interpreters should read as much and as widely as possible. PACING: The interpreter must translate the document quickly without omitting anything. Going too fast results in translation error or in sudden stops and long pauses while the interpreter figures out a difficult translation problem. That sort of jerkiness can be distracting to the listener. But going too slowly is disruptive for providers and patients alike. The interpreter should be familiar with the terminology and phrasing of medical/court documents so that the translation sounds as if the interpreter were merely reading a document written in the target language. 21

Strategies Translate as smoothly as possible. Look up and keep a glossary of any difficult terms. Practice out loud always, with or without an audience. Record yourself on audio (or videotape) so that you know how you sound (and look) to your audience. • Practice with a variety of type faces and formats: patient information forms, consent forms, letters, consumer education documents, court transcripts, etc. • • 22

Documentation • Interpreters need to look carefully at documents they are asked to sign. Interpreters may be asked to sign on a consent form that the patient understands the procedure. • In some cases the hospital may need documentation (a signature) that the consent form was interpreted for the patient. 23

I use the first person • The interpreter uses the first person at all times, except when referring to him/herself. – “The interpreter needs to ask for clarification on. . ” – It may be necessary to remind either party to address each other. 24

Everything you say will be interpreted • Everything shared in the waiting room, in the session and after the session will be interpreted. Interpreters are not allowed to keep secrets. 25