From: Leonid Fridman
Subject: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed.
I have done a lot of consecutive (seminar) interpreting, and I am now very comfortable doing it. I was asked today to do simultaneous interpreting for a conference. I told them that I never did this before but am willing to try. They seem to be desperate, so they agreed.
Can anyone with experience in conference interpreting give me some
tips on:
1. Ways of training myself (e.g. should I just practice with two
tape recorders?).
2. What exactly does the interpreter's booth consist of? I have never
seen one. What problems to look out for before I begin? What kind of
controls does the booth have?
3. Any tips on interpreting process itself. E.g. what do you do when you
encounter a term that you don't know or you can't immediately think of
the translation? In the case of seminar interpreting I have no problem
asking the speaker to clarify what (s)he means, since I feel that it is
better to interrupt once in a while than to risk seriously misleading the
listeners. But obviously one can't do this if you are sitting in an
isolated booth.
4. I will have a chance to talk to the conference speaker beforehand.
Anything in particular I should ask him or of him?
I realize that many professional conference interpreters will be appalled by the idea of a novice in a booth. Please don't flame me. I may be doing a stupid thing, but I have been itching to try my hand at simultaneous interpreting for a long time (I feel I have "peaked" in consecutive) and this seems to be the right time to do it.
Any advice would be much appreciated. If there is a consecutive interpreter on the net who lives in the U.S. (or even better, in Boston area) I would love to get a chance to talk him/her over the phone, if someone would be generous enough to offer a few minutes of their time.
Thanks in advance for the help,
Leonid
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994 17:41:29 -1000
I suggest you contact ACEBO company in Monterey California. THey have
practice tapes and instructional materials for interpreter training
(mainly for the courts and medical, but useful generally). Their numbers
are FAX: 408-455-1541 PHONE: 408-455-1507
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 11:43:33 +0100
Hello Leonid,
Try putting on headphones connected to your radio or TV set and try to do
some interpreting when the news is on (hardest thing, because they read
very fast -- so do some speakers at conferences). Easier: discussion
programs. You can put a cassette recorder next to you and record your
voice, so you can check afterwards what you produced. Good luck.
Never having been in a booth and accepting a job like this comes close to
jumping in the ocean when you have had only theory instruction on how to
swim.
Regards,
Gabor Menkes
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 21:04:29 JST
>>Can anyone with experience in conference interpreting give me some
Sounds like a good idea. You could also practise with TV and radio
to check how you keep up. You'll find the job is a lot easier once
you are ensconced in your booth, with headphones on and the doors
closed. Don't worry too much.
>>2. What exactly does the interpreter's booth consist of? I have
Basically, there is a little contraption in front of you with 3
dials (input channel, output channel, and volume), and 2 switches
(off and mute). Two chairs, two mikes, and a fan that is usually
either too noisy or to weak.
>>What problems to look out for before I begin?
>>3. Any tips on interpreting process itself. E.g. what do you do when you
Talk around it quickly, and don't loose your thread. In general,
look out for they points that the guy wants to get across. Keep a
steady flow of words, and don't waste time fumbling for the perfect
one. Try to find a delay that is comfortable for you.
>>4. I will have a chance to talk to the conference speaker beforehand.
Of course check if he/she has manuscripts. Also try to find out as
much as possible about the event itself. Often there is a "hidden"
agenda besides the official one, and it can take you quite a while
to catch on, because they are all talking circles, so to say.
>>I realize that many professional conference interpreters will be
I got into this business by accident without any official training
whatsoever, and have by now about 100 intl. conferences under my belt.
I have met many interpreters of all sorts and must say that I find very
little correlation between their "certified" qualification and
how good they are at doing the job. Some people are good, others are
not, and that is all there is to it. Of course the certificate holders
(and the schools who issue them) will tell you the opposite, but
that's life...
Hope you enjoy the job. Myself, I like conference interpreting. It
gets me away from the desk, it is sort of a challenge, and there
are no endless "follow-up" jobs like in translation. Consecutive
and "whisper" jobs I really don't like. Other people have other
preferrences.
-- Rene von Rentzell rrr@twics.com
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 06:06:19 -1000
I learned this procedure from a friend who studies interpreting in Japan
and it does work here in Hawaii, where we have radio stations in both
English and Japanese: Practice shadowing the news in, say, English, and
then shadowing and/or interpreting the news from Japanese by listening to
the Japanese station. It is more efficient if you record the news in both
languages and practice from the tapes. There is usually about a 40%
overlap in the news, so to that extent they "support" each other (in
terms of vocabulary, for example - you might hear 'bilateral talks' in
ENglish, wonder what the Japanese might be, and then hear a similar piece
on the Japanese news that answers your question).
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 04:24:26 +0100
>1. Ways of training myself (e.g. should I just practice with two
That helps, but the best choice of recorded material depends on the
format of what you're going to be interpreting. Try to find a radio
or tv broadcast with a similar format: phone-ins or discussion groups
if it's going to be a round-table discussion or a dialogue (handling
an exchange between 2 or more voices on your own takes a bit of
getting used to); newscasts or correspondents' reports if it's going
to be one long speech by one speaker.
>2. What exactly does the interpreter's booth consist of?
The essentials are: headphones, microphone, carafe of water, ashtray
(probably in that order). Avoid lightweight "walkman" type headphones
like the plague (I always feel happier with the heavier, early '70s
stereo equipment type): you want to concentrate on the speaker's
voice, not yours. The phones should also have their own volume
control for you to adjust: some people shout, others whisper. And I
always insist on being able to see whoever's talking (through the
booth window or on a monitor), so I can see whether his tongue's in
his cheek before I put my foot in it, so to speak.
Make sure you do sound tests for volume levels, etc., before you
start. If in any doubt, ask them to turn it up. This is vital in
temporary installations such as hotel banqueting suites wired for
cordless headsets, which tend to fall apart at the least provocation.
Most sound technicians are actually quite friendly people.
>what do you do when you encounter a term that you don't know
With adequate preparation, that should not happen :-). In the real
world, you have to make something up or miss it out. Bluff. Repeat
the last thing you understood in slightly different words. Catch up
with the speaker when you can follow him again. Just keep talking and
remain coherent. He who panics is lost.
>4. I will have a chance to talk to the conference speaker beforehand.
Do talk to him; it helps you get used to his voice. Pump him for as
much information as possible. A copy of the speech would be nice,
because then it's just sight translation with a bit of acting.
>I realize that many professional conference interpreters will be appalled
I didn't think I was that good until I saw some of the other
professionals in action. If you fail miserably, simply apologize
profusely at the end of the event and offer to tear up your invoice.
-- SPEED 1.30 #1260: Haydn Rawlinson, Mexico City * HRawlinson@Spin.COM
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 1994 00:05:53 +0100
I have been away for a week (simultaneous interpreting, of
course,) only to come home to find your request for advice and the
reactions to it. I think that quite a few of the comments given
are very valid - and those I have left out of the quotes below in
order to keep the length of this posting limited to 'long' and not
have it fall into the 'extremely long' category. But some things I
felt needed saying...
My apologies for the somewhat unusual style of quoting but I'm
writing this offline without the help of my usual editor... That
is why there is no '>' in front of a posting's text and why my
comments are indented.
If they do not want to pay regular fees or if they only want to
pay one interpreter but do not find an experienced interpreter
willing to work under those conditions - well, that should tell
you enough about them, shouldn't it?
Maybe it's because the conference is next week - in which case you
would be a fool to accept the job as there is no way you will pick
up enough, not even just to survive.
Maybe the language pair you work with is 'exotic' and there are
hardly any experienced interpreters on the market who have these
languages. In that case they might well be desperate - and if you
have a couple of months until the conference, you should
definitely go for it.
And then maybe it's because they have never worked with both
experienced and unexperienced simultaneous interpreters before. If
they have only worked with experienced people before - watch out -
you might just be about to ruin your good name. If they have only
worked with unexperienced interpreters before - well, there's your
chance...
And if you have been offered the job by an agency or anybody else
but the client themselves - beware! They are usually just out to
make a fast buck and don't really understand nor care what they
deliver. They are experts in making excuses to and money from both
sides...
I applaud you for seeking advice on how best to go about this job
of simultaneous interpreting. For somebody who hasn't even seen
the inside of a booth before - that's a lot of guts, so good luck!
I also like David's tip (in a later posting) for building up
vocabulary on certain subjects and practicing simultaneous at the
same time!
Hello Leonid,
Try putting on headphones connected to your radio or TV set and try to do
some interpreting when the news is on (hardest thing, because they read
very fast -- so do some speakers at conferences). Easier: discussion
programs. You can put a cassette recorder next to you and record your
voice, so you can check afterwards what you produced. Good luck.
Maybe it's time for another analogy: you can learn to play tennis
by watching tv and reading books about the subject. You may become
a decent, maybe even a good player. But without a coach -
preferably in the beginning - you will never become an excellent
player.
As far as training goes - whether it is through a university or
'on the job': I don't care where and how you learned to do
simultaneous interpretation but when you offer your services as a
simultaneous interpreter, you should be able to do the job one
hundred percent. Otherwise go and practice by doing it for free
for some charity... or do a course, and I don't mean a Berlitz one!
If you feel you have missed something absolutely essential you
might also simply admit your problem to your listeners by saying
"The interpreter apologizes but he simply didn't understand the
last few sentences. Please ask the speaker to repeat them." Though
I admit I only do that when it is so essential that without this
remark my listeners will not understand the rest.
Well, that's it - it's a lot I'm afraid but since nobody else has
said those things yet... which, btw, surprises me a bit... maybe
it's because there aren't too many simultaneous interpreters on
the list... because the issues here are not really that different
from questions raised about translations and qualifications
(formal or otherwise) here on this list...
greetings from Amsterdam,
P.S.: For those who are wondering: I have been working as a
simultaneous interpreter for the past 17 years - and yes, I am one
of those who have a certificate... ;)
Date: Mon, 14 Nov 1994 10:41:08 JST
Renate Greiner writes:
>>Yes, there are some rare talents out there that will
No, no, that's not what I wanted to say. Sorry for sounding
like bragging. What I did want to say is that the job is not
as scary as he might imagine, never having done it, and that
worrying makes things worse. If he stays relaxed, he is half
there.
I would assume he is not alone in his booth; if it is a
full day event, there should be at least one more interpreter.
When I arrived for my first job, absolutely ignorant about
what to expect (there was no internet to ask questions),
I met 2 very nice collegues who immediately took me under
their wings, and by noon I was doing just fine. Of course,
if he took a first assignment where he is all alone, maybe he
*should* worry...
-- Rene von Rentzell rrr@twics.com
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 1994 21:03:18 -0500
Dear Sir
Your answer is elegant and to the point. While I am a consecutive
interpreter, and fairly good at it (:, I would not and dare not
go into a booth to interprete simultaneously. Afterall, I only
have two ears and one mouth.
My hat off to you!
Gloria Wong
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 1994 22:53:15 -0500
Hi,
I wanted to thank here everyone who replied, publicly or privately, to my
plea for advice re. simultaneous interpreting. One of the most helpful
tips was the advice to call ACEBO Co. and buy a set of training tapes from
them. I found this set very useful, and logged on uncountable hours
practicing, learning to increase my decalage, modulating my voice,
increasing endurance, etc. Actually, I found simultaneous to be an awful
lot of fun, though, of course, very challenging. I now can't wait to "do
it for real". But ... I just got a call from the company saying that they
didn't get enough response for their conference and they are cancelling
the whole thing. Oh well. At least their original offer prompted me to
start learning a new skill, and hopefully I will get a further chance to
practice it.
Thanks again to everyone for their help,
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 13:26:13 PST
Very good points offered by others, I would like to add a couple
suggestions, I hope helpful:
* Meeting the speaker is a definite plus. You can *educate* him/her and
make your (and his/her) experience much less frustrating.
Try to plead your cause and make the presenter realize you'll be there,
interpreting. Many speakers don't realize this, or if they do, don't
appreciate the difficulties of the task. And even if they do, once on
stage they'll most likely forget about it, right from the start or
after a few minutes.
I try to go over the few following main points with them, and give them
this little cheat sheet as a reminder, and even post it on the podium
(print the main points only, big!). I only have a very limited
experience in simultaneous interpreting, but I've never met a speaker
who was not glad to try to follow my guideline (emphasis on "try" ;-( ).
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Your presentation is going to be reproduced simultaneously by one or
several interpreters into one or several foreign languages. In order to
make sure that your audience gets the full benefit of your
"performance," please consider the following points to ensure your
interpreters can do justice to it.
*Speak slowly, and...
* Beware of your accent. Try to speak in as neutral an accent as
possible, and/or slow down.
*Check with the interpreters all throughout during the presentation.
* Speak loudly, clearly, and close to the microphone.
* Repeat questions from the audience.
* Remember these guidelines throughout the whole presentation.
Thank you for your help!
While I'm at it, here's another sheet w/ a few different points, that I
give in advance to presenters when I'm only doing "on-demand" escort
interpreting, i.e. when the audience will follow most everthing the
speaker says in English, and I'm only here to clarify certain points.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
*
Speak slowly, and...
* Use Visual Crutches, i.e., provide good comprehensive handouts, and...
* Try to avoid American slang, and very colloquial expressions
* Be patient when you ask if there are any questions.
* Beware of your accent. Try to speak in as neutral an accent as possible.
Thank you!
OK, client education is part of our job, right?! Good luck.
From: David Ashworth
Subject: RE: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed.
David Ashworth.
From: ultimtex
Subject: RE: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed.
______________________________________________________________
E-Mail: ultimtex@xs4all.nl | Address:
| P.O.Box 38
Phone: +31 - 5470 - 76662 | NL-7470 AA Goor
Fax: +31 - 5470 - 76750 | The Netherlands
From: rrr@TWICS.COM
Subject: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed.
>>tips on:
>>1. Ways of training myself (e.g. should I just practice with two
>>tape recorders?).
>>never seen one.
Bring a hook and a coat hanger. For some unfathomable reason,
interpreters' booths never seem to have them.
>>encounter a term that you don't know or you can't immediately think of
>>the translation?
>>Anything in particular I should ask him or of him?
>>appalled by the idea of a novice in a booth.
From: David Ashworth
Subject: RE: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed.
From: "Haydn J. Rawlinson"
Subject: SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETERS
>tape recorders?).
>by the idea of a novice in a booth. Please don't flame me.
From: Renate Greiner
Subject: RE: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed [LONG!]
Dear Leonid et al,
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994
From: Leonid Fridman
It is a pity you didn't tell us why they are desperate...
because they cannot/are not willing to pay regular interpreter's
fees? If they cannot pay, then they might indeed be a good
practice ground for an interpreter - whether with formal training
or without. Let's not kid ourselves, even a diploma from one of
the renowned universities is no more than a pilot's license...
They will be grateful for your help and will overlook all your
mistakes...
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 1994
From: David Ashworth
I hope you have the time to take David Ashworth's advice because
it sounds like about the only real alternative you have to taking
classes.
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994
From: ultimtex
Although some speakers read off technical manuscripts (the result
of weeks of drafting and redrafting) at the speed of a newsreader,
in general you will do better trying to interpret speeches
televised from Congress or court trials or interviews or talk
shows. They come closer to the normal speed of human speech.
(somebody else recommended the same thing - so maybe it's really
true ;)
Never having been in a booth and accepting a job like this comes close to
jumping in the ocean when you have had only theory instruction on how to
swim.
How about trying to fly a jet when one only just has mastered to
fly a single engine plane?
Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994
From: rrr@TWICS.COM
>>Can anyone with experience in conference interpreting give me some
>>tips on:
>>1. Ways of training myself (e.g. should I just practice with two
>>tape recorders?).
Sounds like a good idea. You could also practise with TV and radio
to check how you keep up. You'll find the job is a lot easier once
you are ensconced in your booth, with headphones on and the doors
closed. Don't worry too much.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Although this comment may sound cool and encouraging, I think it
is rather dangerous. Yes, there are some rare talents out there
that will interpret almost like a pro from the moment they first
set foot into a booth and Rene von Rentzell may well be one of
them, far be it from me to question that. BUT - for any of us mere
mortals, I think it would be very sound advice to worry! The first
time in the booth is worrysome - you can blow it and ruin a
conference and your good name with it... or you can do what you
can and give the customer all you got and even more.
Since Leonid was open about his complete lack of experience in
simultaneous interpretation, at least he prepared the customer for
not expecting the world's best - but by accepting the job he still
indicated that he is confident he can do it reasonably well -
without causing complete chaos in conference communication.
>>4. I will have a chance to talk to the conference speaker beforehand.
>>Anything in particular I should ask him or of him?
Of course check if he/she has manuscripts. Also try to find out as
much as possible about the event itself. Often there is a "hidden"
agenda besides the official one, and it can take you quite a while
to catch on, because they are all talking circles, so to say.
Even better - try to get hold of that information a couple of
weeks before the conference so you can read up on the conference
subject. Also, if they don't have any documents ready for this
year's conference, maybe they have copies of last year's speeches
or at least minutes of previous conferences, if possible in both
languages?
>>I realize that many professional conference interpreters will be
>>appalled by the idea of a novice in a booth.
I got into this business by accident without any official training
whatsoever, and have by now about 100 intl. conferences under my belt.
I have met many interpreters of all sorts and must say that I find very
little correlation between their "certified" qualification and
how good they are at doing the job. Some people are good, others are
not, and that is all there is to it. Of course the certificate holders
(and the schools who issue them) will tell you the opposite, but
that's life...
Shoosh, Rene, so now you know how certificate holders think? There
are very good interpreters in Europe without a certificate but
they are a tiny minority and usually work with non-mainstream
languages. It is therefore rather difficult for others to assess
how good they really are. The majority of them, however, do not
fall into the 'excellent' class, I am afraid to say.
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994
From: "Haydn J. Rawlinson"
Well, different strokes for different folks. It seems, however,
that the more experienced the interpreter is, the more she will
listen to her own voice and start modulating it like in normal
speech. There is nothing worse than having to listen to somebody
for an hour (let alone the better part of a day) who speaks
without controlling her own voice. Part of 'official' training is
supervised simultaneous interpreting. You slowly learn how to cope
with listening and thinking and talking at the same time, you
learn how to cope with specific problems of your language pair
(e.g. verb at end of sentence in German, need atwho panics is lost.
>I realize that many professional conference interpreters will be appalled
>by the idea of a novice in a booth. Please don't flame me.
I didn't think I was that good until I saw some of the other
professionals in action.
Well, there are always two ways to compare oneself with the
competition: one can be satisfied with being better than the worst
or one can try to become as good as the best...
If you fail miserably, simply apologize
profusely at the end of the event and offer to tear up your invoice.
You better - or else the customer might get it in his head to sue
you so he can organize the conference a second time, this time
with interpreters who will not fail :)
Renate Greiner
renatenikhefk.nikhef.nl
From: rrr@TWICS.COM
Subject: Re: Interpretation advice needed
>>interpret like a pro from the moment they first set
>>foot in a booth and Rene von Rentzell may well be
>>one of them
From: Gloria Wong
Subject: Re: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed [LONG!]
From: Leonid Fridman
Subject: Re: Simultaneous Interpreters' advice needed.
Leonid
From: Dominique Blachon
Subject: Re: SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETERS
:-)4. I will have a chance to talk to the conference speaker beforehand.
* First, just like in consecutive, gather as much background material
as possible. Getting the actual speech is best, but any other previous
presentation, a video of a conference on the same topic, spec sheets of
products being talked about, etc. Getting existing similar material in
the target language is quite nice. Do go over it in advance, and flag
things you don't feel comfortable with, and ask the speaker for clarification.
Anything in particular I should ask him or of him?
...Pause between sentences, and/or after you've made a point.
==> Especially if you are reading your presentation. Interpreters
cannot "think up" words and appropriate expressions in the target
language as fast as you can pronounce them.
They may need to use more words than you to express the same thing, especially if you've had time to review and polish your speech, and
they are doing it in a split second. They will need time to
catch up with what you are saying, and can only do so when you pause.
==> Whether you are a native speaker of English or not, your
interpreters might have difficulties if they can't understand your accent.
They may be from a different area, or a
different English-speaking country, or they may themselves be
non-native speakers of English.
==> Make sure everything is fine (the speed of your delivery, the
sound system, ...) You can a) look at them in the booth and/or b) ask
them directly: they hear you! Remember to do so regularly during the
whole presentation.
==> Make sure your interpreters can hear you well. If you don't have
a lapel mike, and move away from the podium, chances are they will
not be able to hear and understand what you are saying, and will not be
able to translate anymore.
==> Interpreters cannot hear the audience, and will not be able to
translate the question to the rest of the non-English speaking audience,
or simply might not be able to understand your answer.
Even if there is a microphone in the audience, it might be difficult
for the interpreters to hear it.
==> Once you are caught in the delivery of your presentation, it is
very natural to not remember these guidelines. Do consider adding flags at regular intervals in
your notes to remind you of them.
("INTERPRETERS?!", or "SLOW DOWN!" in red in the margin at the
bottom of each note page, for example.)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Here are a few points you might want to consider when preparing and/or
making a presentation to an audience that comprises foreigners. It will
help the participants for whom English is not their first language
understand you better, and will help them get more benefit out of your
presentation:
...Pause between sentences, and/or after you've made a point
==> make sure your audience has time to assimilate what you've said.
...Do not hesitate to use the white board to explain a point
==> You audience will rely a lot on the visual cues you provide to
understand what you're saying.
==> e.g. "up at bat" most likely would not be understood by anybody
who doesn't play baseball -- that covers most all foreign countries!
==> Participants will take some time translating in their heads what you
had said, then will take some more time thinking up their question. Please
give them the time they need, don't hesitate to let a pause last a
little longer than you would for an American audience.
==> Many in your audience might know enough English, but have been
taught *British English* and a very different accent might be enough to
throw them off.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Cheers. do mi no :-)
dominb@microsoft.com
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