Today we would like
to discuss what are the typical problems that candidates experience when they
take state examinations interpreting state exams or federal exams.
Basic
Interpreting Modes
In any interpreting
exam you will be tested on the three basic interpreting modes. multiple
interpretation which are consecutive, simultaneous and sight translation.
consecutive is said
technique where you hear a question in English for example you dieter / and
then you interpret that question and then you hear the answer and once the
answer is finished then you interpret the answer so clearly in this particular
technique you need to wait and to remember what was said
simultaneous is that
technique where you the interpreter interprets at the same time which is the
one that most people are familiar with because they see that all the time and
sight translation
is a technique where the interpreter is asked to read a document which is
written say in English and the interpreter is saying that in Spanish into the
opposite language and you also have in the exam a second section of this
component where the document now is in Spanish and the interpreter is asked to
read in Spanish and say it in English.
accuracy becomes
essential in those components where you have time to be accurate
in simultaneous
accuracy is less important when compared to consecutive
in simultaneous in
that component delivering the message as accurately as possible is our goal but
we shouldn't be too concerned if we miss a word. we should be able to continue
with it at no time during the exam. you should not stop to think when the in
the simultaneous you have to keep going. sometimes candidates think about a
term I know that term I know that term and they keep thinking but that's not a
very good strategy for your exam because if you think too much then you're
going to be missing the words that come afterwards.
however, in
consecutive and in sight translation where you have some time to structure the
message then accuracy becomes essential.
Key Units
all interpreting
exams if you look on the screen now have what is known as key units. a key unit
by definition it's basically something that the examiner considers to be very
important and therefore the examiner will underline that key unit. now by definition
a key unit does not have to be a single term, it could be a whole sentence, it
could be a series of words one next to the other. it could be whatever the
examiner considers that it is essential particularly in the consecutive
component.
He
has a red car.
Here ‘red’ and ‘car’
are key units.
the consecutive lasts
approximately 20 minutes and there is will be approximately fifty-five zero key
units depending on which exam you may need to get either 70 or 80 percent of
them correct.
Language
Interferences:
when you have an
interference like the other language is interfering with the opposite language
you know like syntactical for example the word order I mean of course in
English is a red car so it will be own automobile Rojo in Spanish it will not
be in Rockwall tomorrow that's in tactical this is something that you usually
have because you speak both languages so that's work placement prepositions.
Syntactical
interferences
The important thing
about syntactical interferences is that the prepositions do not always
match we need to be careful with that as well and then obviously all these put
together creates what we call distortions in the message and when the message
is distorted then there is a deduction because if that message is a key unit
then it's not considered to be accurate and if it is not accurate there is a
deduction associated with it may not be a big detection but in a 40 minute exam
trust me there are many of these tricks and they want to make sure examiner's
want to make sure that you can control it you can handle this tricks and that
can only happen again if you have been trained.
Accuracy-->meaning
Embellishment-->adding words
Omission-->omitting words
Style of Delivery--> not bored voice
express the message
using the proper syntax and in an accurate manner into the opposite language
that's important now consecutive component
Register
Words in the language can be group into three categories
based on their nature.
low register--> colocalism, slangs, foul, local
language
regular register-->table, chair,...
high register-->technical term medical legal,..
Localization -->depend
on country specific
He was with his buddies
when the cops came and threw them in the can.
Lack of localization
that another way of saying it is that you don't keep the same registerà usually in translations you don't localize you keep it
localization neutral so instead of see you seen if it says in English I'm going
to see my buddies you can say boy you wouldn't translate boy of enemy squad
this you will say we are enemies amigos because amigos is clearly understood in
all those countries but that's translation this is interpretation and in
interpretation you always most of the times you know who you're interpreting
for particularly in medical and in the legal field you're interpreting for one
individual maybe two or three at the same time but you know where they come
from so localization is a factor in interpreting
it is raining cats
and dogs, that's a linguistic transfer word-for-word the proper way of course
is drybeck and arrows
Linguistic
Interferences
obviously linguistic
interferences are what we call like false cognates and a false cognate
is defined as two words one in English one in Spanish they sound similar to
each other but they don't mean the same thing
Stages of
consecutive Interpretation
1. Acqusition-->obtain message
2. Rendition-->deliver
Grab the message first
okay I understand it you may take notes while you take the message while you're
getting the message that's called acquisition then that when it's over then
render it. don't think I mean don't worry if you don't know how to say a word
because after all in the exam, if you don't know how to say one word let's say
the message is one two three four five just numbers okay and you know how to
say one two you don't have to say three four and five but you have to interpret
one two three four five into Spanish so you say uno dos three cuatro Cinco okay
so you leave them the term that you don't know in the original language why do
you do that because in the exam you're telling the examiner look I remember all
five elements of this message I remember so my memory is good my note-taking
technique is good but I don't know how to say three because if you say uno dos
Quattro Cinque when you skip three the examiner thinks that you not only don't
know how to say it but also that you didn't remember so then the deduction is greater.
so, you always leave the term (say in original language) in the original
language in consecutive and also in sight translation but most important of all
in consecutive.
In simultaneous on
the other if you don't know it terms skip it and keep going because if you do
say it in this Indy up in the same language it's going to slow you down and
you're going to be missing more terms
During acquisition
you get the message and you're in rendition you deliver obtain message here and
then deliver now it sounds simple the transmit is not this is one of the most
difficult interpreting techniques requires some techniques obviously and those
are called note taking techniques and then also you need exam taking techniques
what I just mentioned leaving your term in the original language is an exam
taking technique and their note taking techniques
It depends usually
you learn that about four or five weeks into a training program because the
first four or five weeks the main goal is for the training program to develop
your short-term memory but then you start developing techniques because the
other thing is that you cannot develop a good consecutive technique if you
don't have any short-term memory
First Person
Always use first
person if the other person says George Darko mis amigos then you cannot you
cannot say he says that he was with his friends that's a no-no you have to say
I was with my friends exactly the same words that were used
Technical
Vocabularies
Consecutive you need
to learn technique and practices practice that's that's all you have to do for
simultaneous vocabulary and practice and technique a little bit as well but for
sight you have to have some formal training because they'll register the level
of the language. in the sight translation component is pretty high so you need
to know exactly what is the equivalent for example in the legal in the legal
field just to give you an example
If they say your case
is dismissed let's say the judge tells the defendant the person that is charged
with a crime your case is dismissed well what you should not do is explain you
shouldn't say to the defendant meaning. you do have to say this in Spanish
using the same register the difficult term here is dismissed
The attorney can explain
or the judge can lower it the register so in sight translation you get a lot of
these high register words and you can't really find them in the dictionary
because regular dictionaries don't have legal terms and if you buy a legal
dictionary
If I increase the
speed you might not be able to interpret generally when you know the vocabulary
is not difficult to increase speed but there are techniques to increase your
speed and that's something that is also covering the interpreting program
recovery time is when you don't know a term you sort of hesitate how long does
it take you to continue with the rendition it shouldn't be more than two
seconds
Anything over two
seconds will create some problems in the delivery so these are all elements
that will make you fail the exam if you don't do them correctly.
Rest the previous
exam day. Go without stress.
