| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Any tips on note taking when consecutive interpreting? Thread poster: Ann Bishop (X)
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Steffen Pollex (X) 
Local time: 10:41
English to German
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| I have done a lot | Jan 23, 2003 |
of consecutive interpretation jobs (ENG-GER-RUS), often dealing with all the three languages at once, for the Russians wouldn\'t know German at all, the Germans involved would know English very little, and Englishmen and Germans wouldn\'t know Russian at all. This was the case, in particular, at negotiations in Russian banks when we would drop into a meeting with a team of consultants from, say, England, Denmark and Germany.
Believe me, it was a pretty tough job to keep trac... See more of consecutive interpretation jobs (ENG-GER-RUS), often dealing with all the three languages at once, for the Russians wouldn\'t know German at all, the Germans involved would know English very little, and Englishmen and Germans wouldn\'t know Russian at all. This was the case, in particular, at negotiations in Russian banks when we would drop into a meeting with a team of consultants from, say, England, Denmark and Germany.
Believe me, it was a pretty tough job to keep track of the stuff negotiated, sometimes for 6, 8, 10 hours, being the only person who had a proper understanding of all three languages and, in addition (crucial for a translator/interpreter, IMO), the subject itself.
How could I have done this kind of work without \"filtering\", summarizing and, yeah, making notes of the most important issues (figures, companies, names of counterparts etc.)?
What\'s curious about these jobs: I remember myself listening to German and English, making all the notes in Russian and, after the speaker had finished, reproducing the whole thing in English from my Russian notes without any problems. Like a robot, isn\'t it? 
[ This Message was edited by:on2003-01-24 10:09] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Elena Bellucci
Local time: 10:41
Member (2003)
English to Italian
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[quote]
On 2003-01-23 19:20, Momichi wrote:
>Now a comment on the accuracy; it seems to >be a controversial point. My own oppinion >is be precise on the hard data (figures, >dates, names, etc) and express the rest in >your own words.
Yes, one thing I\'ve heard, repated over and over while practicing consecutive was: covey the message, not the words!!!
>Finally, keep the dictionary at hand, the >nerves at bay, stand straight, dress to >kill and smile.
And if realise you made a mistake...just stop and correct it. Better to say something two times than let the audience wonder who\'s saying that nonsense, you or the speaker...
By the way...the blame is always on the interpreter ^_^;;;
Good luck!!!
[ This Message was edited by:on2003-01-23 23:50]
| | | | wrtransco
Local time: 04:41
German to English
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| I respectfully disagree! :-) | Jan 24, 2003 |
[quote]
On 2003-01-23 16:16, MarikaJoan wrote:
the word \'consecutive\' means that you absolutely, positively HAVE to translate the exact sentence as this is vital for the record in any deposition where a court reporter takes down everything which is said in English.
You are correct to the extent that you have to render what was said. You are mistaken, however, that this is what consecutive means. Consecutive means that you start interpreting, when the speaker is finished!
Sentence by sentence can never be a good rendering of the original, because many, if not most of the times you only understand in the broader context what a witness (or any other person) is trying to say.
There must be books on the subject (we used them, when I studied). They can be of help, but at any rate, you have to find you own way to aid your memory. I remember that some of the techniques did not work for me at all. Shorthand is not advisable, since you should see every sentence at one glance. When you take notes, you already process it to help you to go into the other language.
How does that saying go? How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice!
By the way, I have done countless depositions over the years.
| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Flemish to English
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| A book about conference interpreting. | Jan 24, 2003 |
It would perhaps be wise if you read the book about conference interpreting written by Rodderick Jones, a JICS-interpreter. ISBN: 1-900650-09-6
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I do not know the ISBN of the book about consecutive note-taking by Rozan(ne?), but I am sure that you will find it at the school you attended.
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Steffen Pollex (X)
Local time: 10:41
English to German
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| That's what I say! | Jan 24, 2003 |
On 2003-01-23 18:08, epavelka wrote:
\"the whole point is taking notes is so you can ensure that you convey every bit of INFORMATION.\"
The good thing about consecutive interpreting is even that you can sort out unimportant stuff (fillers etc.) and focus on important information.
Of course, this is a very responsible job (even more responsible than simultaneous I think), because, to be able to do a decent job and TO TAKE THE RI... See more
On 2003-01-23 18:08, epavelka wrote:
\"the whole point is taking notes is so you can ensure that you convey every bit of INFORMATION.\"
The good thing about consecutive interpreting is even that you can sort out unimportant stuff (fillers etc.) and focus on important information.
Of course, this is a very responsible job (even more responsible than simultaneous I think), because, to be able to do a decent job and TO TAKE THE RIGHT NOTES DURING THE SPEECH, you have to have a thorough knowledge of and, desirably, practical experience in the subject concerned. This is why only now, more than ten years of training and practising in the banking and finance area (involving translation and interpretation jobs), I feel more or less confident to do a decent job in translating or interpreting on these topics without being stoned to death by the audience: you have to be a professional in some area and to have the linguistic skills/talents in order to be a decent translator/interpreter, I am deeply convinced.
Just one example:
In 1993, while interpreting (GER-RUS-GER) at a banking seminar for employees of the National Bank in Kiev (Ukraine), I had the following conversation:
\"Thank God! At least, they sent someone with an understanding of the subject for interpreting the lesson. Last time, the Central Bank of XXX conducted a seminar and brought their own interpreter. Maybe he had an excellent knowledge in languages. But he did not understand what he was translating and, consequently, neither did the audience. After two days of complaints from the participantsw, unfortunately, we had to replace him by a banker to save the seminar.\"
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| | | | Williamson
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:41
Flemish to English
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| Simultaneous-Consecutive-Chuchotage | Jan 24, 2003 |
There seems to be a bit of confusion about this terminology.
Hence, some explanation:
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The basic consecutive system is the system \"invented\" by Rozan to which you can add your own symbols, smiley\'s...
If you take notes, it is wise to jolt down figures, places, names, a few key-words, divide your page and use the space and place of your page.
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Based upon your notes or your memory (... See more There seems to be a bit of confusion about this terminology.
Hence, some explanation:
--------------------------
The basic consecutive system is the system \"invented\" by Rozan to which you can add your own symbols, smiley\'s...
If you take notes, it is wise to jolt down figures, places, names, a few key-words, divide your page and use the space and place of your page.
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Based upon your notes or your memory (top interpreters only need a few stroke to remind them of what the speaker said) you have to reproduce the speech with the same pitch in your voice as the speaker and if before a life-audience with the same gestures as the speaker.
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Simultaneous interpreting means that you immediately reproduce in the target-language what you hear in the source- language with the same intonation and pitch in your voice as the speaker.
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\"Cuchotage\": you whisper into the ear of the listener what the speaker is saying.
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Ideally, an interpreter-training followed by a postgraduate in management or economic sciences and some years of experience would make the perfect interpreter suited for business-interpreting. If the CEO of a company explains his annual report and balance-sheet and you have to interpret that into the target-language, you indeed have to know what you are talking about.
However, the terminology used is always the same.
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Although clients prefer that you \"translate every word\" and will tell you that \"they have the impression that you do not \"translate\" everything,
the purpose of consec. is to concisely interpret a (lengthy) speech.
into the target-language You have to summarize per paragraph what is said in your own words, reproduce it in a fluent target-language (with the necessary intonation) and take care that you do not twist the meaning or add your own interpretation to the text or forget key-elements.
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| | | | Endre Both
Germany
Local time: 10:41
English to German
| Good summary | Jan 24, 2003 |
Thanks to ManuPro for clearing up some of the confustion.
Endre
EB Communications
| | | | | The art of Consecutive | Jan 24, 2003 |
I agree with Nathalie and others about the importance of notes, and I add (and please, don\'t take this as disparaging because it is not intended) that Consecutive and note-taking are something of an art and you certainly cannot learn it overnight from the \'Net. You have to learn the technique, you have to learn to take the right notes (you don\'t have much time to spare to write things down, so you\'ll have to identify and jot down only the important info) and you have to deliver your translat... See more I agree with Nathalie and others about the importance of notes, and I add (and please, don\'t take this as disparaging because it is not intended) that Consecutive and note-taking are something of an art and you certainly cannot learn it overnight from the \'Net. You have to learn the technique, you have to learn to take the right notes (you don\'t have much time to spare to write things down, so you\'ll have to identify and jot down only the important info) and you have to deliver your translation in a fluid, natural manner. You need the proper training for that, and years of practice, and if you don\'t have it, you run the risk of going through something of an ordeal.
[ This Message was edited by:on2003-01-24 14:44] ▲ Collapse
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Marijke Mayer
Netherlands
Local time: 10:41
Dutch to English
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| I did not mean any disrespect for trained interpreters | Jan 25, 2003 |
[ This Message was edited by:on2003-01-26 07:56]
| | | | Marijke Mayer
Netherlands
Local time: 10:41
Dutch to English
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| I did not mean any disrespect for trained interpreters | Jan 25, 2003 |
but I know the market what will bear, which is trained translators doing interpretations. And guess what, in spite of all the degoratory remarks about the various types of interpreting, there appears to be room for all of us at all levels. I sincerely appreciate other people here at the forum sharing their experiences and knowledge on taking notes and then summarizing what has been said. I respect that very much. However, my line of work is that I translate precisely what I hear during depositio... See more but I know the market what will bear, which is trained translators doing interpretations. And guess what, in spite of all the degoratory remarks about the various types of interpreting, there appears to be room for all of us at all levels. I sincerely appreciate other people here at the forum sharing their experiences and knowledge on taking notes and then summarizing what has been said. I respect that very much. However, my line of work is that I translate precisely what I hear during depositions. I might jot down a number of name, but that\'s it. In addition, contrary to what I have been accused of, I do not \'cheat\' on my customers, they have my CV, specifying my translation education and which does not list any interpreting schools as such, just my experience in this field. Furthermore, I always ask in advance what the case is about and ask for background material. I do not accept jobs if I cannot be sure that I can deliver; i.e. would not take on anything where I would be required to take notes for any length of time and summarize as I am not a trained conference interpreter and am not afraid to say it.
I have been subjected to a number of personal attacks on this forum and in my E-mail box, ranging from \'get off my turf\' type of abuse by a person with a series of abbreviations after his name to other remarks made by others in this field. I do realise it must have taken these people a lot of time and investment in earning those titles. Presumably, they are having a hard time accepting others breaking into their field, however, it ultimately boils down to what the market will bear and it will always be this way.
My two Euro cents\' worth!
Marijke
[ This Message was edited by:on2003-01-26 08:03] ▲ Collapse
| | | | KARIN ISBELL
United States
Local time: 01:41
English to German
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| seminar at Inlingua School of Interpretatio, Arlington, VA | May 17, 2004 |
Ann Bishop wrote:
Hi everyone,
is there anyone out there who can give some pointers when it comes to note taking for consecutive interpreting?
I am going to give it a try, but am a rookie.
If you know of any links on the internet, please let me know.
Thanks in advance!
-Ann
| | | | Walter Lockhart Ries (X)
Spanish to English
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| A thousand thanks! | Aug 8, 2004 |
Momichi wrote:
I have been a consecutive interpreter for 3 years, and these are my tips for you (tips I wish someone would have given me at the beginning).
snip
I wish you the best of luck; consecutive interpreting is the best kind of interpreting (people get to see you and they know you are a person, not a voice from the headphones) and I love it.
A thousand thanks, Momichi. A very valuable contribution!
Walter Lockhart
[Edited at 2004-08-08 08:21]
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Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Local time: 10:41
Member
German to English
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Try the old faithful books by Danica Seleskovitch, she has written books about note taking for consecutive interpreting, and easy to follow (used to be the basics when we starting interpreting school)
| | | | Xenia Wong
Local time: 03:41
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Consecutive Interpreting | Nov 20, 2004 |
I have found that using symbols in note taking is very practical and necessary. It is practically impossible to write down everything that is being said, so having good listening skills and a sharp mind is important.
When dealing with numbers such as due dates, dates of birth, social security numers, etc. write down the exact date, exact numbers in the exact sequence. While doing this, you cannot loose the thoughts and ideas that are being said since you have to repeat the ideas... See more I have found that using symbols in note taking is very practical and necessary. It is practically impossible to write down everything that is being said, so having good listening skills and a sharp mind is important.
When dealing with numbers such as due dates, dates of birth, social security numers, etc. write down the exact date, exact numbers in the exact sequence. While doing this, you cannot loose the thoughts and ideas that are being said since you have to repeat the ideas the way they were said without omitting anything.
By the way, there is absolutely no harm in stopping the speaker and asking to repeat anything you might have missed.
Simulataneous interpreting is quite different since it is, in my opinion, much easier to translate words that have just been right after. In consecutive interpreting, you have to be quiet while you listen to the whole group of sentences and memorize. This is why taking notes (not every word) of important ideas via words or symbols is of the essence.
Short term memory is a must!! Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Milos Prudek
Czech Republic
Local time: 10:41
English to Czech
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| CI double the price of SI? | Dec 6, 2004 |
Nathalie M. Girard, ALHC wrote:
As a matter of fact, official rates for CI are always higher (much higher)
than for SI (!!!).
I'm surprised to hear that. I used to charge half the amount of SI for a CI job. But all my CI jobs were sentence by sentence, I did not permit clients to speak two or more sentences at once. Can you back your claim with links to web pages?
I'm also suprised to hear that shorthand is useless. Can you explain why?
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