Lecture 3 口译常见问题及应对方法在线视频

Hello everyone

Welcome back

I’m your lecturer Catherine

In interpretation

we may encounter some unexpected situations

like failure to keep up with what the speaker says

due to nervousness

the source language being illogical

lack of knowledge on a certain subject etc

The interpreter can easily get tense

in any of those circumstances

which will probably affect his/her delivery

Therefore

interpreters need to learn some of the tactics

to break down the barriers

to guarantee the ongoing interpretation

In this lecture

we’ll discuss some common problems interpreters

are likely to meet with and learn

how to cope with them

There are generally six types of common problems

First

the interpreter missed or failed to hear clearly

some part of the source information

This happens from time to time

since no one can guarantee

that his/her hearing is free of any problems

Don’t be too upset about this

Even experienced interpreters have to admit

that sometimes they are at a loss

To cope with this

you need to make it clear the causes of your problem

If it is caused by the external factors

such as the noise or unclear pronunciation

then the interpreter needs to judge

whether this part of the information

is critical or not

and whether it will affect his/her understanding

of the rest of the source language

For instance

a word or a sentence after “that is to say”

is meant to explain

It usually doesn’t really matter if you omit it

Whereas

if what you missed is primary information

like figures

names of places or persons

without which you cannot proceed with interpreting

then you’d better consult the speaker

rather than go on with your work

and lead to further misunderstanding

In asking the speaker

do not say “I don’t understand” or “I beg your pardon”

because the speaker doesn’t know

which word or phrase you’re referring to

For example

the source language is

“Adolescents, especially female adolescents

are particularly vulnerable

however

because they are new and inexperienced consumers

and are the prime targets of many advertisements”

If you missed the first word “adolescents”

then “I beg your pardon”

will probably make the speaker confused

A better option for the interpreter is to say

“You mean ‘young people’?

or “What does ‘adolescent’ mean?”

In response

the speaker can definitely explain

that adolescent refers to young men and women

usually teenagers

Second

errors occurred in interpretation

It sometimes happens

that the interpreter suddenly realizes the mistakes

he/she made in delivering the target language

Many beginners would consciously apologize

like “I’m sorry

I made a mistake”

That is in effect

not the right thing to do

A better way is to reinterpret

saying the correct target language with stress

just like you want to emphasize something

Or you can also find an opportunity

to explain the correct version

using “I mean

in other words

to be specific etc”

In this way

the audience will get what they want to know

For example

if you mistakenly interpreted “New York State”

into “纽约” at the first part of the interpreting

you can find a chance to make corrections afterward

by saying I meant “纽约州” or “纽约州，不是纽约市”

In simultaneous interpretation

two interpreters usually work together

and exchange their roles half an hour

If you happen to spot the mistake of your partner

then you’d better be prudent

and don’t venture

to take over your partner’s role bluntly

If they are merely minor errors

don’t bother to point them out

Write down some notes and pass them secretly

to your partner

in case of a big mistake

Interpreters need to take great care

on formal or large-scale occasions

If by any chance severe mistakes occur

interpreters must apologize

to both the speaker and the audience

especially when they are errors of principle

politics or policies

Third

what the speaker says lacks logic

This often happens in liaison interpreting

The speaker may suddenly shift to something irrelevant

while talking about a certain subject

which indeed brings much trouble to the interpreter

This is when the interpreter

needs to use the skill of logical analysis

to sort out the gist

cut out redundant information

and blend similar points

Fourth

what the speaker says involves some indecent language

let’s say

rude words

discrimination

racism

or gender bias

As the bridge of communication between two parties

the interpreter plays a key role

in avoiding confrontation

and ensuring smooth mutual communication

To achieve this goal

the interpreter must have profound cultural knowledge

cross-cultural communication skills

and strong language sensitivity

He/she can choose to omit

use vague language or make some adjustments

to the source language

in the face with indecent language

For instance

if the speaker regards “Hongkong” as a country

the interpreter can change it into “Hongkong, China”

so that it fits our political principle

and won’t offend the listener

Fifth

first person or third person pronoun in interpretation?

Some inexperienced interpreters

are often confused about

whether to use first person or third person pronoun

In interpretation

first person is always recommended

because it shows closeness

and helps narrow the distance

between the audience and the interpreter

For instance

the source language is

“I'm thinking about the possibility of further cooperation”

Let’s compare the two versions of the target language

and see which one is more acceptable

Version 1: 我正在考虑有没有可能与贵方继续合作

Version 2: 他/她正在考虑有没有可能与贵方继续合作

It is evident that the first version is better

because the adoption of first person shows intimacy

while the second version

is merely a transference of information

without involving any emotional feelings

What the interpreter delivers

is not just linguistic information

but more importantly

he/she should put himself/herself

in the speaker’s position

sharing the same emotions and feelings

By using first person pronoun

the interpreter passes the speaker’s tone

and mood to the audience

Lastly

how to get past stage fright?

First and foremost

we have to realize that stage fright

can be helpful in some ways

Mild to moderate stage fright

keeps you on your toes

Yet too much of it leads to the opposite result

Much of stage fright is due to several factors

like setting too high self-expectations

being psychologically insecure

lacking language proficiency

narrow knowledge

being unprepared before an assignment etc

To deal with stage fright

the interpreter must figure

out the specific reasons and works on that

For instance

if you are weak in scope of knowledge

make plans of expanding it

Read books on different subject matter

and take constant learning as a lifelong career

In a few years

you will build up extensive knowledge

and emerge as a well-informed person

If you are unsure of yourself

you must find ways of boosting your confidence

ahead of the assignment

In order to achieve that

you must work very hard to prepare

as much as you can

reading related literature on the web

making glossaries etc

Being prepared will ultimately improve your self-confidence

These are the six common problems that interpreters

are likely to meet

In actual interpretation

you may face more challenges than these

The only key is to improve your ability

with continuous practice

In next lecture

we’ll do some practice related to this unit

Looking forward to seeing you again