Transcript PowerPoint 演示文稿

合肥工业大学 人文经济学院外语系
A Concise Course of English Interpreting
Techniques & Practice
简明英语口译技巧与实践
主讲教师：任静生教授
Lecture Notes: An Outline
Part One:
Introduction to the Course of
interpretation
①
Course Objectives:
Objectives, Coverage & Methods
a. Objectives
1) To help students consolidate their knowledge of oral English
at an advanced level.
2) To improve and develop students’ linguistic, cultural
competence as well as their communicative competence in English.
3) To introduce and master some basic theories and practical
techniques in the bilingual interpretation practice as a
consecutive interpreter (E-C & C-E) with an emphasis
on two stages: General English & Business English/Scientific English.
b. Coverage of the Course
1) Background information of the course
2) Interpretation Techniques
—— Preparatory Steps & Practice Exercises
3) General English —— Interpretation Practice
4) Business/Scientific English—— Interpretation Practice
c. Way of Attaining the Set Goals
1) Some interpretation skills and practical ways introduced to
deal with specific situations or problems where necessary and
appropriate.
2) Well-selected and graded materials to be given to students
step by step (from easy to difficult/from simple to complex).
Sometimes if necessary, some key words and phrases are
provided for students.
3) Some mock conferences (press conference; briefing
conference), lectures, and talks to be given or held by
some invited guest speakers or video tapes or interviews
if possible.
4) E-C interpretation practice first and C-E
interpretation second.
5) Comments on the given practice exercises
immediately after the interpretation done by the
students in class: merits and demerits, compared
with the reference version given/ offered by the
instructor and possible ways for further
improvements.
6) Test and Grading decided and given on the basis of the
following: Oral Interpretation Test makes up 60% and
class attendance, cooperation and in-class interpretation
40%.
② Basic concepts & Features of
interpretation
1) Brief notes about the history
and developments of interpretation
(Geneva, Georg (1952);2nd ed. Revised &enlarged, 1968, 115p)
Jean Herbert（冉·赫伯特）, author of The Interpreter’s Handbook:
How to Become a Conference Interpreter, was the oldest and most
distinguished interpreter working for French President Charles De
Gaulle and later on serving the U.N. as the head of the Translation
Department. The book is still regarded today as a ‘Classic’. The first
book ever written about conference interpreter was published when
the profession was in its infancy. In his book, Hebert states that
there have been interpreters since the remotest antiquity, but
conference interpretation developed into a recognized profession
only during the First World War. Until then, all international meetings
of any importance had been held exclusively in French.
Hebert witnessed the birth of the profession and wrote one of
the most authoritative early books about it mentioned above.
Speeches, which occasionally lasted over an hour, were
originally interpreted, consecutively. The first attempts to
introduce simultaneous interpretation were made shortly before
the Second World War.
—— How Conference Interpretation Grow
Gerver and Sinaiko 1978(30), 5-10
The other famous veteran interpreter is Danica Seleskovitch,
who wrote an excellent book, Interpreting for International
Conferences: Problems of language & Communication.(Paris,
Minard Lettres Modernes(1968), 263p)
The book is a popular and really accessible introduction to
interpretation theory.
2) Definitions of interpretation and variety of interpretations
A
“Interpretation, essentially, means an extempore oral
reproduction, in one language, of what is said in another
language.” —— 钟述孔，实用口译手册
a not merely a linguistic undertaking but communication:
i) linguistic proficiency
ii) encyclopedic knowledge
b
immediate result is a speech reproduced orally in a
language.(Transfer of the meaning of an utterance from one
language (source language, and one culture) to another
(target language)) (“Translation, essentially, is the faithful
representation in one language, of what is written in another
language.” —— Ibid.)
B
Two major kinds of interpretations: Consecutive
Interpretation & Simultaneous Interpretation
a Consecutive Interpretation（即席/连续翻译）: In case the
interpreter is under the instructions “to
interpret
between
chunks of the original speech (immediately after the original
speaker has completed a
few sentences or in most cases, a
fairly long paragraph), he is doing ‘consecutive interpretation’.”
b Simultaneous Interpretation（ 同 声 翻 译 ） : If he is
instructed to interpret while the original speech is
being made
then he will be doing ‘Simultaneous Interpretation’. Compared
with the two said interpretations, Consecutive Interpretation is
more
convenient,
economical
and
widely-used
while
Simultaneous Interpretation is more often used for some formal,
big, international conferences which usually need a set of
equipment to do the jobs.
Other minor types of interpretations
On-sight/At-sight/Sight-Interpretation（ 视 译 ）
similar to “Simultaneous
approach basically
Whispering
Interpretation”
in
Interpretation —— to whisper into
the ear of one or two representatives.
3) Typical Features of Interpretation
Advantages:
a. Enjoy more freedom than the translator;
b. Concentrate on the sense of a message rather than
the words which convey it;
c. Get helpful aids from the intonation, gesture and facial
expressions of the speaker, redundancies (non-verbal
language);
d. Occasionally ask the speaker to repeat a word, a
phrase or a sentence, or explain some points;
Require less precision than that of a translator’s.
D
a Stress:
i Concentrated listening, absorbing information
and reproducing it;
ii Great demands on the interpreter ability to seize
the essential meaning of a statement and to find
an appropriate rendering;
iii Inadequate preparations.
I
S
A
D
V
A
N
T
A
G
E
b Pressure:
i Verbal message of transient nature;
ii Rapid analysis and synthesis;
iii Immediate communication;
iv Psychological pressure.
c Overall test of linguistic competence: SL & TL
i English & Chinese: Phonological, syntactic and
semantic difference between English & Chinese
languages (figures, idioms, technical terms)
ii Lack of general, cultural and background
knowledge
d Accent: different speakers with varied accents.
A summary of the features
of interpreting compared with translation:
1) The source is verbal in one case, written in the other.
2) The style of text and their content differ.
3) The target group is known to the interpreter, unknown to the translator.
4) The interpreter is compelled by time pressure to be brief, to the point; a
translator may have a longer period of time.
5) An interpreter has the function of immediate communication alone, whereas the
product of a translator, once committed to paper, acquires permanence.
6) Conveying the message effectively in the written form relies on precision in
terms of punctuation, syntax and choice of words, in spoken form, the message
can be conveyed with the help of intonation and paralinguistic features and
therefore, such syntactic precision is not always so necessary.
7) Interpreters tend to be expeditious and less thorough, whereas many
translators are punctilious and perfectionists.
③ The Process of Interpretation/Basic
Techniques of Interpretation
The interpretation process consists of three distinct parts:
Understanding, Conversion/Transference and Delivery.
a. Understanding:
i
Be able to hear it well.
ii
Have an intimate knowledge of the language.
iii
Be acquainted with the specific culture and linguistic
peculiarities of the country of the speaker.
iv
Well versed in the subject matter
v
Possess a wide general education
b. Conversion/Transference: not translate literally but should express each idea as
it would normally be expressed by a good public speaker in the target language.
(Problems: proverbs, metaphors, allusions, jokes, and after-dinner stories,
speakers’ mistakes, obscure and ambiguous statements, and long quotations
within improvised speech)
c. Delivery: The interpreter’s voice should carry well and be pleasant to hear. Be a
good trained public orator and speak only his mother tongue wherever possible,
style, intonation. Never pause or leave a sentence unfinished.
Interpretation Process suggested by 钟述孔
a) Listening/Listening-Transference (Active listening)
Listening is integrated with “analyzing, understanding, transference”
(Analyzing: the original speaker’s whole thought process”
Understanding: the “context”
Transference: employ some specific: conversion, inversion, addition,
omission, negative, etc.)
b) Memory/Memory supplemented by Note-Taking
(Absorb and retain in memory the gist of what the original speaker is
saying. “Active Memory” Note-taking is an effective means to supplement,
memory efficiency so as to ensure accuracy in work.) Short-term & Long
term
c) Delivery/Speaking (Re-expression) (Consecutive interpretation gives the
interpreter a chance to marshal his thoughts and to approach the
interpretation in a logical way)
—— 钟述孔《实用口译手册》pp66-68
Similar Opinions about
the Process of Consecutive Interpretation
Consecutive interpretation can be broken down into 3 phases:
Active listening
Memorizing the cognitive content
Re-expression
or
Listening and Understanding
Assimilation
Reformulation
④ Prerequisites of Interpretation
Prerequisites for interpretation are basically four-fold:
1) A strong sense of duty:
First being conscientious —— conscientious in pre-conference preparations;
in following the original speaker and furnishing the best possible rendition; in
abiding by the “professional ethics and the relevant rules and regulations, etc.
Second being conscientious and persistent to improve his competence; the
training in interpretation is a never-ending process, that is, there is always
something I could have done better.
2) Linguistic proficiency:
Linguistic proficiency means primarily a fairly good command of the
languages involved and a good grasp of the cultures of the languages involved.
Specifically, it means interalia (among other things), acute hearing, large
vocabulary, precision and flexibility of expression, good articulation and
elocution. Constant exposure to different variety of English spoken and written by
native speakers and same is true and necessary to various relevant publications
in Chinese & English.
3) “Encyclopedic knowledge”:
“Encyclopedic knowledge”, though hardly possible in practice, is a goal
towards which the conscientious interpreter or translator should work
untiringly. The lack of knowledge of the subject matter can become a
serious stumbling-block. An interpreter has to learn to acquire in
advance some basic knowledge of and basic terminology relevant to the
given or assigned tasks. Of course, the level of knowledge acquired or
mastered by an interpreter can never equal that of the specialist in any
particular field. Yet a competent interpreter must have some knowledge
in all the multifarious fields with which he deals, and the level of that
knowledge must be adequate for understanding. As a rule, an
interpreter’s “extra linguistic inadequacy” always leads to obscure or
meaningless or even erroneous interpretation. Conversely, given the
required “language proficiency”, the greater the interpreter’s knowledge
of the subject matter, the more readily understanding occurs, and the
more accurate and intelligible his “output” in the target language.
4) Mastery of interpretation techniques:
Mastery of interpretation techniques seems to be essential to
an interpreter. Not all those who have a good command of the
languages involved and have acquired a wide range and scope
of general knowledge are necessarily good interpreters.
In the case of C-E and E-C interpretation which involves two
well-developed languages that are carriers of two vastly different
cultures, “techniques” do play a helpful role. Most of the C-E and
E-C “translation techniques” are to a considerably great extent,
applicable to “simultaneous interpretation and, to an even
greater extent, to “consecutive interpretation”. For instance,
subordination, diction, conversion, amplification, omission,
negation, division.
⑤ Basic Qualities
Required for the Interpreter
Interpreter’s mission: “The mission of the interpreter is to help
individuals and communities to acquire a fuller knowledge and deeper
understanding of one another. Also to come to an agreement if they should
want to do so.”
by Jean Hebert
from The Interpreter’s Handbook: How to Become a Conference Interpreter
In order to be a qualified interpreter one has to acquire a combination of
some qualities: which can only be achieved through an arduous process of
intensive training and practice. These basic qualities include:
1)
A strong sense of duty
2)
A good command of the languages involved (both Source
Language & Target Language)
3)
An encyclopedic knowledge/Jack of all trades
4)
Acute hearing: Understand & grasp the “idea”
5)
A good articulation: not to swallow part of the words; his voice
should carry well and be pleasant to hear, speak distinctively and naturally.
6)
Familiarity with “simultaneous note-taking”: A good interpreter
must be good at note-taking. He should learn to be able to concentrate on
listening to grasp the speaker’s “idea” while jotting down a few “key
words” in the meantime, with signs or symbols to represent a sense group
or a figure or a proper name.
7)
terms
the
8)
A good memory:
i Store up a large vocabulary including the relevant specialized
and a great wealth of “relevant important formulations” along with
corresponding correct translation in the target language;
ii Accurately absorb and retain the idea or the series of ideas.
Quick and accurate response: speediness and accuracy
To sum up, the process of achieving the above basic qualities means,
in essence, the process of the strengthening of one’s “basic training
in the three essential aspects”, namely,
the constant enhancement of one’s political awareness
and sense of duty;
2)
the constant improvement of one’s command of the
languages involved and competence
(as
carriers
of
different cultures, and in terms of the “skills” ——
listening,
speaking,
reading,
writing,
translation/interpretation);
3)
and, the constant broadening of one’s scope and range
of
“general knowledge”
1)
——钟述孔 《实用口译手册》
Or
a)
have complete mastery over his working language
b)
possess broad general knowledge
c)
have acquired necessary technical skills
—— Danica Seleskovitch
⑥ Criteria of Good Interpretation
“What a competent interpreter can and should do is to strive to
produce” the best possible transference and delivery” that is marked
by the dialectical unity of accurate comprehension (of the original
speaker’s idea) and smooth rendition appropriate to the occasion ——
the dialectical unity of Accuracy and Smoothness.”
——钟述孔 《实用口译手册》
My own opinions on the good interpretation are below:
1) Accurate (Accuracy) 准确
2) Fluent (Fluency) 流利
3) Complete (Completeness) 完整
4) Appropriate (Appropriateness/to the occasion) 得体
Compare with the standards of translation:
Yan Fu:
Faithfulness
Expressiveness 达
Elegance
雅
Lu Xun:
信
Faithfulness
Smoothness
顺
信
“5 levels”:
Frozen Style
Formal Style
Consultative Style
Casual Style
Intimate Style
Evaluation Sheet (100 marks system)
Items
Assigned Marks
1
Accuracy
35
2
Language
25
Grammar,Syntax and Diction
3
Completeness
20
4
Delivery
20
Voice, Articulation and Poise
Total:
Signature of Board Member
(U.N.Joint Exam Board)