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These exercises and more can be found in Conference
Interpreting - A
Students'Companion, A Gillies,
2001, (p80-83) and are reproduced with the kind permission of Tertium
Krakow). More exercises can be found in the 2004 revised eidtion of
this book, Conference Interpreting - A New Students' companion.
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Conference Interpreting - A Students' Companion,
Tertium
Cracow 2001. |
VI Practice exercises for SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING
The exercises below are designed to further skills in
specific
areas of interpretation technique, some may argue that in doing this we
encourage inaccurate interpreting, however, I remind you that the goal
here is not accuracy or fidelity but the activation that skill required
to perform the exercise (that skill being one of the component parts of
interpretation). Having mastered each of the component parts of
interpretation we can later combine them as single package.
The exercises I suggest below do not cover all of what might
be held
to be the component elements of the skill of simultaneous interpreting.
I propose exercises for the following skills..
Delivery
General Knowledge
Split attention + Decalage
Reformulation
Stress management
1 Delivery
The delivery skills required in simultaneous interpreting and
the
exercises that might usefully be undertaken to improve them are in
large measure the same as for consecutive interpreting and are outlined
above in Exercises for Consecutive Interpreting V 1. Delivery. Others
are noted below.
1.1 “Cheating”[1]. Repeatedly interpret the same
speech
until you arrive at a satisfactory version.
The artificial nature of the task is outweighed by the
value of
the exercise. The student reduces the intellectual burden by hearing
the speech a second or third time, thus allowing them to concentrate on
production.
1.2 Shadow a speech which has a large number of
delivery
problems (ie. frequent restarts, umming and erring, self-correction
etc.). Eliminate the same shortcomings in the target text. As a next
phase the same can be done when interpreting a similarly flawed source
text from another language. (Kalina, 2000. p180)
2 General Knowledge
All of the measures outlined above
under
the heading " II
Language Exposure" will serve to expand the students’ knowledge of
current affairs and general knowledge
3 Split attention
Speaking and listening at the same
time is
not natural and can detract from other cognitive activities, it is
therefore worthy of practice. (Gerver and Lambert).
3.1 a) Listen to a
sentence, stop
the tape, think about how to interpret it, speak the interpretation.
Repeat
b) Listen to a sentence,
stop the
tape, think about how to interpret it, speak the interpretation while
listening to the next sentence, stop the tape, think about how to
interpret it etc.[2] (also Ine Van Dam and Nadstoga)
At a very early stage this may be a good introduction to the art of
listening and talking at the same time.
3.2 Improvisation exercise. While
in the
booth, improvise a speech of 2 minutes on a subject volunteered by a
colleague. Other students listen and comment on the coherence of
speech, delivery etc.
This exercise trains the split attention of the interpreter since as
you improvise you should be thinking ahead to your next
sentence/paragraph. It also trains delivery technique.
3.3 The same as 3.2 except students
outside the booth show cards with keywords on them at short intervals.
The person speaking must incorporate the word/idea coherently into the
improvised speech.
In addition to training split attention this activity accurately
mirrors the lack of control we have on content when in the booth, and
trains you to think on your feet.
3.4 Interpret a speech silently in
your
head. Then interpret the same speech aloud. Speaking and listening at
the same time is not easy. This exercise is an interim stage in the
process.
3.5 Shadow a speech while at the
same time
writing something completely unrelated on a piece of paper. Ie. Numbers
from 1-100 in reverse order[3].
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NB
Shadowing is the repetition of a speech in the same language a couple
of seconds after the speaker. |
4 Décalage
Decalage is the time difference between
what the
speaker says and its reproduction by the interpreter in the target
language.
4.1 Practice changing the order
of
elements in the clause i.e. practice holding individual words or ideas
of the clause/sentence and working them back in much later (i.e. a date
can very easily be switched from first to last in a sentence).
4.2 Practice changing the order
of the
clauses in a sentence without changing its meaning.
4.3 Stay as close to then as far
from
the speaker as possible -.
By stretching the extremes, we make the
normal
easier
4.4 Give thought to when you start
speaking.
Develop a consistent strategy.
4.5 Have someone record a long
series of
random numbers (in a C language) onto a cassette. Interpret from that
cassette, first being just one number behind the original and then
progressively trying to stay further behind until you are 3, 4 or even
5 numbers behind the original,
There have been a number of attempts
to
establish when an interpreter should best begin interpreting once the
speaker has started. When you have a unit of meaning; when you can
finish a sentence , any sentence, (Jones); as soon as you can; as late
as you can; and “it depends” to name but a few. It is worth
familiarizing oneself with them since it can offer new ideas or help
understand problems.
5 Reformulation
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"Reformulation, in its various forms, is one of the most useful tools
the simultaneous interpreter has." (Jones) |
5.1 Having recorded your
interpretation, listen to it sentence by sentence / paragraph by
paragraph rewording it (in the same language as the taped
interpretation) into a version you might have expected to hear from an
articulate native speaker giving their own speech. What are the
grammatical, idiomatical, intonational and structural differences?
Could you have applied what you now know to your interpretation? Try
to.
Exercises 5.2-5.7 can be applied to
sight
translation and spoken texts as part of our practice of simultaneous
interpreting.
| NB
sight translation means giving an oral rendition in one language of a
text in another while reading that text for the first time -
simultaneously so to speak.
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5.2 Invert the meaning of the
text. ›
Annex 2.2.
5.3 Rework the grammatical
structure of sentences without changing their meaning i.e. change all
passive verbs to indicative, remove subordinate clauses etc. (also
Weber and Heine.)
When interpreting go to two extremes
alternately…..
5.4 Interpret the same speech in
extremes
of register, i.e. "phat" street slang then an OTT "smashing"
aristocratic drawl. You can also use different regional accents. ›
Annex 2.1.Registers.
5.5 Change same speech to very
"anti"
and then "for" (or similarly to very serious then very ironic etc.)
5.6 Add as many redundancies as
possible
/ summarize drastically. › Annex 2.5 Redundancies.
5.4-5.6, by stretching the extremes,
make
the normal (in comparison) easier. In addition we are forcing
ourselves, by the design of each exercise, to work with ideas and not
words. › also Stress management VI 6.
5.7 Try to overuse one metaphor
(in A
language) throughout a single speech. They should correspond to the
sense of the original even though the original speaker has not indulged
in the same way. For example, all things nautical - (calm the waters,
shots across bows, in the doldrums, ship-shape, a loose cannon, embark,
etc.) › Annex 2.3.
WHY ? We are forcing ourselves, by the
design
of each exercise, to work with ideas and not words. Thus analysing the
actual meaning of the speech rather than the meaning of the words
wiithin it. In addition we are expanding our ability to dig up a wider
variety of idiomatic expressions in our own language.
5.8 Use as many Latin root words
as
possible then interpret the same speech a second time using none. (This
exercise has more relevance for students with one or more Romance
languages).
5.9 While interpreting
deliberately
don’t use a word you've thought of - find a synonym – repeat this
process throughout an interpretation. › Annex 2.4. Synonyms. Similarly
try to avoid obvious or literal translations, eg. “manual” not
“handbook” for the German “Handbuch”.
The exercises above(5.1-5.9) are
practice in
reformulation of speeches and in the delivery of coherent speeches on
the basis of a given text or speech. They stretch the linguistic
flexibility of the interpreter. Attempts to say the same thing using
different words forces us to move away from literal translation –
towards a rendering of the ideas not the words.
5.10 Translating (in writing) the
texts
of speeches can be a useful tool for students of simultaneous
interpreting. When translating we have more time to consider different
language versions of given expressions and ideas. Versions arrived at
during written translations and techniques for moving from one language
to another can then be used later in the booth as and when appropriate.
5.11 Shadow a speech, paraphrasing
the
speaker in the same language.
5.12 Practice changing the order
of
elements in the clause i.e. practice holding individual words or ideas
of the clause/sentence and working them back in much later (i.e. a date
can very easily be switched from first to last in a sentence)
5.13 Practice changing the order
of the
clauses in a sentence without changing its meaning.
5.14 Practice shadowing speeches
which
have been deliberately sprinkled with constructions taken from the
language later to be interpreted from but which are inappropriate in
the language you are using. Correct the structural and syntactic errors
while shadowing. (Kalina, 2000. p181).
This is an excellent way of tackling the
reformulation challenges that all languages offer without the added
difficulty of the comprehension task. Later when faced with L2 you will
already be familiar with the techniques and strategies that will allow
a sound rendering in L1.
6 Stress management
Some exercises may be amusing or game-like,
for
example,
6.1 1.1 "Just a minute". This is UK
radio
game show in which one must speak on given subject, without hesitation
or repetition, for 60 seconds or more.
6.2 The improvisation exercises (see 3.2 and 3.3 above) ,
6.3 Changing registers (see 5.4
above)
6.4 Changing a speech from “anti” to “for” (see 5.5 above)
6.5 Overusing one metaphor (see 5.7
above)
6.6 feet on the table - practise in the most relaxed
(exaggerate!) position you can come up with. See also consecutive V
5.12 for a consecutive version of the same.
This should counter balance the unnaturally tense posture
of most
student interpreters. It will also demonstrate that the working of the
brain is not enhanced by being huddled over the microphone, eyes
closed, grasping the desk so tightly that your fingers go white.
All these will distract from the stress of interpreting.
The fact
that they are fun should not mean they are unsuitable for the
classroom. Fun can be a very positive factor in practice. We do not
have to be unhappy to interpret well.
7 Miscellaneous
7.2 Interpret for friends and colleagues who don't
have
your language(s).
This is real communication, with a real audience who can
check if
you’re making sense.
7.3 Listening to stock market reports in your B/C
languages
try to note down all the numbers.
Numbers tend to cause problems and panic in student (and
many
working) interpreters. Practice can help overcome this.
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