Saturday, August 6, 2011

Simultaneous Interpretation - Master It Now!

By Lura Aresco


The process of conversing the approximate equivalent of one language to another language is the process of interpreting. Interpretation avoids confusion and allows perfect understanding because it stands for the message, which can take form in speech, writing and sign language. These are the actual products of interpreting.

Ultimately, one's knowledge and experience arising from constant practice and hard work will bring him the success he is looking for in this field.

You need to master simultaneous interpretation in order to do it effectively as it can be quite challenging to perform. Therefore, if you want to actually succeed in this area, you need to continually go through and practice the basic processes and eventually master them. The steps are: a. Listening to what the speaker is saying b. Think about the translation in your mind. c. Speak the translation into the microphone. d. Lastly, and this is also the most difficult part, speaking while listening to what is being said.

An effective interpreter has vast experience at the different levels of interpretation and at the same time constantly concentrating on every level. A lot depends on the simultaneous interpreter's accuracy, efficiency and agility to interpret. It could spell the meeting or negotiation's success or failure. You cannot retract or change what you have said at a later time.

As the term suggests, Simultaneous Interpretation offers little to no gap for the interpreter to ponder long about how he or she is going to say it into the target language. It needs to be continuous and fast. The audience on the other hand need to perfectly understand as well as quick in coping up with what is being said by the interpreter in the target language. In order for the interpreter to be proficient, he needs to have a swelling voice. He also needs to have the following traits:

(1) He should be alert and attentive

(2) His grasping power should be excellent.

(3) He is expected to have good experience with both the target and source languages.

(4) He must have sound knowledge about the topic that is going to be covered.

(5) He must also be familiar with the behavior and culture of the country where the speaker came from.

(6) If he is not familiar with the topic, then he should prepare and study the subject of the conference or meeting beforehand.

(7) To immerse himself further, he must go to similar types of conferences before undertaking the assignment.

The process of simultaneous interpretation is when a speaker continuously speaks the source language and the interpreter sits in a sound proof booth with microphone and earphones for him or her to be able to formulate and deliver the message or speech in the target language from the source language as quickly as he or she can. Sign language interpreters often use simultaneous interpretation. It should be noted however that the target language recipients, the source language speaker and the interpreter, need to be close to one another in the entire process.




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