How can one improve as an interpreter?
Thread poster: anamia06
anamia06
anamia06
Local time: 14:36
Romanian to English
+ ...
Feb 10, 2010

Hello to everyone,

I'm quite new on this forum but I've read some topics and, given the fact that I work as a translator, I realized it's an extremely useful site. So, I'm more than sure that here is where I will find good answers to my questions. Here is one of them: how can one improve him/herself as an interpreter? I raised this issue since I've had very few opportunities to practice interpreting (more often consecutive than simultanous) as I have only worked as a translator so f
... See more
Hello to everyone,

I'm quite new on this forum but I've read some topics and, given the fact that I work as a translator, I realized it's an extremely useful site. So, I'm more than sure that here is where I will find good answers to my questions. Here is one of them: how can one improve him/herself as an interpreter? I raised this issue since I've had very few opportunities to practice interpreting (more often consecutive than simultanous) as I have only worked as a translator so far and not as an interpreter. Besides, my employer intends to involve me in ever more interpreting work during meetings or speeches, which gives me butterflies in the stomach. But I really want to become a good interpreter and your tips and advice will be more than welcome to me especially that there is but one single training course in this field in my town.

Thank you very much,

Anamia
Collapse


 
Jakub Zaic
Jakub Zaic
Local time: 08:36
Polish to English
+ ...
No silver bullet Feb 10, 2010

Let me quote the old anecdote:

"How to get to Carnegie Hall?"

"Practice, practice, practice"

I know it sounds silly, but, in my opinion, it is surest, fastest and most reliable method.

Simple tool: Interpreting TV's "talking heads".


 
Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 08:36
Romanian to English
+ ...
Anamia, Feb 11, 2010

For simultaneous interpreting, start practicing "the decalaje".
Înregistreaza 5-10 minute de știri de la radio sau TV, ascultă și încearcă să repeți ce s-a spus. Trebuie să începi după circa 5-7 cuvinte ale vorbitorului și să termini tot cu 5-7 cuvinte după ce vorbitorul s-a oprit- acesta se numește decalaj. Caută să te înregistrezi și compară interpretarea ta cu textul de bază.
As Jakuza pointed out,there is no silver bullet, just hard work.
... See more
For simultaneous interpreting, start practicing "the decalaje".
Înregistreaza 5-10 minute de știri de la radio sau TV, ascultă și încearcă să repeți ce s-a spus. Trebuie să începi după circa 5-7 cuvinte ale vorbitorului și să termini tot cu 5-7 cuvinte după ce vorbitorul s-a oprit- acesta se numește decalaj. Caută să te înregistrezi și compară interpretarea ta cu textul de bază.
As Jakuza pointed out,there is no silver bullet, just hard work.

Good Luck,

lee
Collapse


 
anamia06
anamia06
Local time: 14:36
Romanian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
thank you Feb 15, 2010

Thank you very much for your replies! Browsing the site I found more answers to my issue and yes, you're right, practice and hard work are essential!

Many thanks from Anamia.


 
Mark Leach (X)
Mark Leach (X)  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:36
French to English
+ ...
Practice tips Feb 20, 2010

Hi Anamia,

I agree with the other comments, practice is the only way to improve. There is a great website that you may have already heard about - http://interpreters.free.fr. The site is a great resource for students of interpreting but also for anyone looking to improve their skills. There is a practice section which includes advice on how to practice simultaneous and also links to sources of p
... See more
Hi Anamia,

I agree with the other comments, practice is the only way to improve. There is a great website that you may have already heard about - http://interpreters.free.fr. The site is a great resource for students of interpreting but also for anyone looking to improve their skills. There is a practice section which includes advice on how to practice simultaneous and also links to sources of practice material.

You may already use the European Parliament website for practice. If not, it is a great source of material. The speeches can be very fast but the advantage of this website is that a) they have speeches in Romanian and b) they have the transcripts of each of the speeches in the source language. Just go to http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ and on the homepage type "Cre verbatim" in the search box in the top left hand corner. This will take you to another page. Click the first link on this page "Verbatim report of proceedings". Then on the next page just click on any date and you will see the running order of the European Parliament session. The debates or one minute speeches include speeches from MEPs, Commissioners or Ministers. Each of the speeches will have been interpreted into Romanian or may have been delivered in Romanian. To see the video of the speech just click on the video button underneath the speaker's photo. You can then listen to the original source language or by clicking on the Romanian booth you can hear the speech interpreted into Romanian. Hope that helps and apologies if this is something you already use!

Best of luck,

Mark
Collapse


 
anamia06
anamia06
Local time: 14:36
Romanian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Feb 22, 2010

Hi, Mark,

I browsed http://interpreters.free.fr. but I admit I didn't paid too much attention to it. Don't know why. As for the the European Parliament website I had no idea it could be a source other than keeping me updated on EU issues, so, thank you a lot for the tip. I will definitely use it and follow all the steps you mentioned. And there's no room for appologies, your help is great and mo
... See more
Hi, Mark,

I browsed http://interpreters.free.fr. but I admit I didn't paid too much attention to it. Don't know why. As for the the European Parliament website I had no idea it could be a source other than keeping me updated on EU issues, so, thank you a lot for the tip. I will definitely use it and follow all the steps you mentioned. And there's no room for appologies, your help is great and more then welcome!

All the best to you and everyone,

Anamia
Collapse


 
Sara Senft
Sara Senft  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:36
Spanish to English
+ ...
Don't forget reflection and self-evaluation! Mar 4, 2010

Yes, practice is part of it. Reflection and self-evaluation is part of the process, too. Doing this allows you to know what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong etc.

If you don't know what you are doing wrong or right, you can't do anything about it.


 
Alexandra Goldburt
Alexandra Goldburt
Local time: 05:36
English to Russian
+ ...
Record yourself as you practice Mar 7, 2010

Sara Senft wrote:

Yes, practice is part of it. Reflection and self-evaluation is part of the process, too. Doing this allows you to know what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong etc.

If you don't know what you are doing wrong or right, you can't do anything about it.


Sara is right - you need to self-evaluate. I suggest using a recording devise for this purpose.

You don't have to record yourself every time you practice, but do it periodically as a way to check on your progress. It would be great to have some material both in print and sound-recorded form, so you can compare your rendition to the text. You can use audiobooks, or you can buy The Interpreter's Edge, Generic Edition here: http://acebo.com/edgeg.htm .

When you listen to your rendition recorded, sometimes you may be shocked by the mistakes you've made without realizing it. That's the very reason you need to record!

But as you persist in doing it, you'll definitely see the improvement, and feel good about it. Good luck!


 
anamia06
anamia06
Local time: 14:36
Romanian to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
good advice Mar 9, 2010

Many thanks again and again for finding the time to give me such good advice and, in fact, to all those interested in the matter. I've already brought my handset to the office and started "torturing" my colleagues with my interpreting practice.
And, Alexandra, I will try to get the materials from acebo.com. Looking forward to.

All the best and may you all have a beautiful spring!
(In Bucharest it's still
... See more
Many thanks again and again for finding the time to give me such good advice and, in fact, to all those interested in the matter. I've already brought my handset to the office and started "torturing" my colleagues with my interpreting practice.
And, Alexandra, I will try to get the materials from acebo.com. Looking forward to.

All the best and may you all have a beautiful spring!
(In Bucharest it's still snowing as if it is Christmas and not Easter to come)
Collapse


 
amanda55
amanda55
English to Finnish
+ ...
good way to practise Mar 9, 2010

anamia, try listening to your local radio station news and interpreting them. A good way to start. I know what you mean, the thought of standing up in front of an audience, looking at the faces and then speaking is very frightening. However, I will have to face this in August when our son has his Marriage Blessing and my hubby is going to make a speech which I then have to interpret into Finnish. Auch! It hurts. I will be writing the speech so I know what I will say but still, I get the ji... See more
anamia, try listening to your local radio station news and interpreting them. A good way to start. I know what you mean, the thought of standing up in front of an audience, looking at the faces and then speaking is very frightening. However, I will have to face this in August when our son has his Marriage Blessing and my hubby is going to make a speech which I then have to interpret into Finnish. Auch! It hurts. I will be writing the speech so I know what I will say but still, I get the jitters.Collapse


 
Crystal Jiang (X)
Crystal Jiang (X)
China
Local time: 20:36
English to Chinese
+ ...
Practicing for next time? Mar 10, 2010

amanda55 wrote:

anamia, try listening to your local radio station news and interpreting them. A good way to start. I know what you mean, the thought of standing up in front of an audience, looking at the faces and then speaking is very frightening. However, I will have to face this in August when our son has his Marriage Blessing and my hubby is going to make a speech which I then have to interpret into Finnish. Auch! It hurts. I will be writing the speech so I know what I will say but still, I get the jitters.


No offence if one of your sons has been married, and if not, a good chance to take all the proud as a mother and to practice for the next marriage blessing.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

How can one improve as an interpreter?







CafeTran Espresso
You've never met a CAT tool this clever!

Translate faster & easier, using a sophisticated CAT tool built by a translator / developer. Accept jobs from clients who use Trados, MemoQ, Wordfast & major CAT tools. Download and start using CafeTran Espresso -- for free

Buy now! »
Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »