Essential skills beginner interpreters need

http://brauertraining.com
claudia@Brauertraining.com
Twitter: @Brauertraining
Facebook: BrauerTraining
Linkedin: Claudiabrauer
@ Claudia Brauer – Licensed exclusively to Proz.com

What are some of the
essential things beginner
interpreters should know?

LanguageVox.com
http://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/

latimesblogs.latimes.com
South Yorkshire International Trade Centre

Interpreters study terminology
Meaningful? Relevant? Correct?
What is the underlying process?

# 1
Query
9
# 2
Result

A person who – in real time –
facilitates spoken communication
between individuals who use
different languages.
Who is a language
Interpreter?
Language Interpreting:
“Rendering a spoken… message into another spoken… language,
preserving the register and meaning of the source language content
in real time.” (ISO, 2014)

Basic Requirements
 Fully bilingual with total command of both
languages in the working pair.
 Excellent communication skills
 Able to VERBALLY express thoughts
 understandably (speech delivery)
 clearly and concisely
 in all registers
 at varying levels of formality.

Technical terminology
Note-taking skills
Learn codes of conduct
Skills that may be
learned

 Listen carefully and attentively
 Deliver the content as close as
possible to the original utterance
 Do not voice personal opinions!
What is expected of an interpreter?

 Listen carefully and attentively
 Deliver the content as close as
possible to the original utterance
 Omit nothing
 Add nothing
 Change nothing

 Confidentiality
 Impartiality
 Fidelity

 Accuracy
 Completeness
 Consistency
cryogenicsinternational.com

 Do not voice personal opinions!
 Interpreters
 Are the voice of the speaker.
 LOSE their personal voice
 Convey SOME ONE ELSE’S
words, feelings, intentions.
Interpreters

 To convey faithfully and completely the
content of the source language.
 To find adequate equivalent concepts
and terms in the target language.
 To do this in seconds, literally.
The challenge

 Team Player
 Analytical
Highly organized
 Tact
 Discretion
Flexibility
Initiative
Basic Requirements

Character traits
 Customer service skills
 Good memory
 Resilience to stress
 Drive to constant improvement
 Highly flexible
 Able to improvise
 Maintain confidentiality

 Consecutive (thousands of years)
 Simultaneous (Nuremberg trials (1945)
 Relay (1990’s)
 Simultaneous-Consecutive (2010)
Modalities

# 1 talks
# 2 listens
Interpreter listens
Interpreter speaks
#2 & #1 listen
#2 talks
#1 listens
Interpreter listens
Interpreter speaks
#1 & #2 listen

 In-person (face-to-face)
 Conference Booth
 Whispering/Chattanooga
 Remote communication
Delivery Modalities

Message delivery
Enunciation
Speed
Efficiency
Effectiveness

Ensuring
Quality output
Consistency
Thoroughness
Equivalency
Correct usage
Understanding

Verbal Gym
Self-development

Self-development
Audio recording
Error analysis
Radio
TV
YouTube
Books
Administrative Office of the Courts of the Judicial Council of California

Self-development
Learn to Listen

Boost your Memory
Self-development

Note-Taking
Main ideas
Connectors
References
Quotes
Self-development

Note-Taking
Names
Dates
Places
Lists
Self-development

New interpreter modalities:
OPI Over the phone
VRI Video remote
dialogue interpreter
WBI Web-based

Remote Vs. Face-to-
FaceDifferences in the
logistical reality
because the interpreter
is not in the same
physical location as the
patient or provider or
other client

 How long is too long?
 How often should there be a break?
 What if the interpreter is too tired?
 Who makes the decisions?
Session Scheduling +
Duration

Remote Vs. Face-to-
Face
Interpreter
Cannot see visual aspects of the
location
May not know who is involved
Cannot see visual materials
Cannot distinguish voices
Cannot attend to environmental cues

Working with people you have never met
(or might never hear/see again)

Absence of Body
Language No visual cues

Turn-taking
Alerting parties to problems
“Unknown” expected terminology
(type of encounter/patient)
Compensating for lack of visual cues
Train in...

Non-verbal does NOT mean
“all visual” or “visual-only”

Perceive non-verbal
cues
via auditory input
 Hesitations
 Inflections
 Tone of voice
 Vocal volume
 Breathing

“Pictures” in your head
“See” the
speaker’s face
in your mind

“Pictures” in your head
Focus completely on the ideas
the speaker is communicating

Common issues
 No “niceties” (or very few)
 No politeness
 Shortage of basic civilities
 No “normal” social behavior
 No room for pre-session
 Some rude or racist providers or LEPs

Sound Quality
is PARAMOUNT

Headset
Mute button
Volume control
Mic/mouthpiece
Earphones

 Speak loudly and clearly.
 Speak in your normal voice,
without shouting. There is no
need to scream into the
microphone.
Sound

Sound
 Test your microphone before you
video call.
 Garbled or fuzzy audio is annoying
and makes it hard for people to
want to listen to what you have to
say.

 Avoid any background noises
 Avoid "double talk”
 Mute the microphone before
moving it
 Use the "mute" button as often
as necessary
Sound

 Ask the people at the other site
if they can hear you
 Have your party introduce
themselves so you can be sure
that you can hear them
Sound

“Visually impaired” and
“legally blind” interpreters
become excellent dialogue
interpreters!
They just rely on other senses.
So do telephone interpreters.

Acting for the camera
 Your audience is the camera
 Use your imagination
 Project voice and emotions

Know where the camera
is at all times
It will not be remote video interpreting if the
other party or parties cannot see you or hear
you
Everything you do in front of the camera is
“live” for the other party, so you just have to
deliver the best possible performance once

Be aware of your surroundings

Stage the room
Sit down as you would during the video
meeting and open up the video
conferencing software or app. Then take a
selfie to see whether the background and
lighting are appropriate.

Stage the room
Remove all signs of domesticity
Project a professional image with a
neutral backdrop and an uncluttered
foreground.

Interpreter’s
Background
 Furnishings
 Colors
 Lighting
 Materials

Interpreter’s
Background
 Wall colors: Muted pale tones; avoid
very bright or very dark colors
 Wall finishes: avoid gloss or enamel
finishes and wallpapers that reflect light
or contain busy, geometric patterns

Know what the camera
is capturing
If the camera is capturing your sleeve or your
eyebrow, it will be a waste of time and a
distraction from the content of the encounter
Use natural gestures when you speak.

Check framing

Angles
Tips by Alyssa Bereznak
Stack a few
books to
help the
camera
meet you at
eye level.

Angles
Avoid any unflattering angle
that requires you to focus
your eyes into the camera.
Do not gaze at your own face
on the screen.

Check lighting

“Architect” lamp
Make sure your room is well lit
(side lighting is the best).

Lighting
Close drapes or blinds.
Daylight can conflict with interior room
lighting.

Lighting
Take a bunch of computer paper and lay it in
front of you between you and the laptop.
The white paper will fill in any shadows.

Check posture

Dress the part
Solid colors
Neutral or dark
No black
No white
No patterns
Simple/Classy

It is not a mirror

Jewelry:
turn it down!
Jewelry may become
a visual or auditory
distraction.
Your microphone is channeling all sounds,
including sound of jingle jangle of jewelry.

Is your forehead
or nose shiny?
Sweaty?
Face oil?
Makeup?
Use light foundation
or powder for a
natural glow

Make it simple
Keep your hair off your face!
Your face
is more important than your hair.
Hair

You express the needs of
another person, not your own
You convey the thoughts of
another person, not your own
You express the feelings of
another person, not yours

Computer-proficient
Interpreter
Desktops
Laptops
Tablets
Mobile devices
MS Office
Search Engines
Social Media
CAT tools

The TECH-SAVVY
interpreter
Nurses 1980 =
Zero computer
Interpreters must
become tech-savvy too!
Nurses 2015 =
Tech-savvy

Technically-Savvy
Interpreter
No longer an “option” – Now it is a REQUIREMENT of the job

Google
Yahoo
Aol
Bing
Lycos
MSN
Excite
78
Altavista
Dogpile
DuckDuckGo
Ask.com
Yippie
Mahalo
HotBot
LookSmart
WebCrawler
InfoSeek (Go)
Webopedia
Many more:
your language,
your specialty
your choice
Search Engines

Obtain
MEANINGFU
L
Results
79

Specialized Search
Engines
80

Databases
81

Search Engines for
Images
82

Go to ProZ.com – Questions/Forums
83
Other Research Options

84
Instead of having to remember:
http:www.google.com/webhpsourced=chrome=insant&ion=/
1&espv=2&ie=UTF=8#q=define%20
We just have one click at

Favorites to Bookmark
85

86
A bookmark is a record
of the address of a website or file
to enable quick access in the future

87
Claudia’s Favorites

Harris’ CARS Checklist (Harris, 1997) to evaluate Web resources:
Credibility
Accuracy
Reasonableness
Support
How do I assess reliability?

 Electronic glossaries
 We can print them afterwards
 Research using Internet
as the Genie of terms
How do I create it?

 Claudia’s recommended format
is TABLES in Word
 See your reference materials for
a template
What format should I use?

 A term in the source language
 A term in the target language
 Optionally, an explanation
What should a bilingual
glossary contain?

 Any term I don’t know
(from study materials)
 Any term I don’t understand
(from reading materials)
What should I include
in my glossary?

 Any elements of language
 abbreviations
 full sentences
 paragraphs
 slogans, product descriptions
What should it include?

What should it exclude?
No
grammar references
possible conjugations
spelling versions
word information
linguistic characteristics
(pronunciation guides?)

No
semantics
origin info
variants
style guides
verb tables
What should it exclude?

What about spelling?
Set language 1 for column 1 (i.e., Spanish)
Set language 2 for column 2 (i.e., English)

99

100

Strip all
search operations
of any identifying
information
101

Never ever release the
name of your client or use
any information that could
identify the document you
are translating.
102

www.proz.com/trainer/1271125
Follow us on Linkedin + Facebook + Twitter

Companion materials
“How To” Highlights – Introduction to Interpreting
Short link:
Full link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cuhcmf6csbjk7i2/AAAHGNio5BOn8Hj9Ar8QRLZCa?dl=0
https://goo.gl/6NLSnv

https://goo.gl/6NLSnv

‣ Fundamental Concepts for Beginners
‣ Introduction to Consecutive Interpreting
‣ Elementary Ideas on Remote Interpreting
‣ Beginners OPI & VRI
‣ How to Find Terms Online and Create a Glossary
‣ Shared Resources and Tools
‣ Questions & Answers
Brief Highlights

Brief Highlights
‣ Fundamental Concepts for Beginners
‣ Introduction to Consecutive Interpreting
‣ Elementary Ideas on Remote Interpreting
‣ Beginners OPI & VRI
‣ How to Find Terms Online and Create a Glossary
‣ Shared Resources and Tools
‣ Questions & Answers: claudia@brauertraining.com

Essential skills beginner interpreters need

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Essential skills beginner interpreters need

Similar to Essential skills beginner interpreters need (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Essential skills beginner interpreters need

Editor's Notes