Interpreting is easy, right? All that is needed is, interpret words from one language to another. Especially if you are born into a family with two ethnic backgrounds, this should be a piece of cake. Many people have this wrong perception, thinking as long as one is able to interpret words from a source language (mother tongue) to a target language (second language) that makes him an interpreter. Wrong. There is more to interpreting than we think. For any interpreters-to-be, one needs to have good fluency in languages they are dealing with, have broad knowledge in all kinds of field and also, have self-awareness.
It is vital to have good fluency in languages that one is dealing with and this may require years of practice. The quality of interpretation depends greatly on how an interpreter is able to use different styles of speaking, understanding the essence of a language when an idiom or expression is used and also the awareness of using the diverse register in both source and target languages. When an interpreter is able to grasps all the qualities above, this will make an interpretation more effective and also able to render speeches reasonably well.
Second to that, to develop excellent interpretation proficiency, it is important that an interpreter has to be attentive to different knowledge for various fields. Fields such as business, science or religion, as long as it deals with speeches, interpretation is on high demand especially in international conferences where people from different countries gather. Having exposed to these various of fields will help interpreters to have a rough idea of what contents of speeches they will be dealing with, as well as preparing beforehand specific vocabularies needed during the interpretation.
Last but not least, it is also significant that an interpreter needs to have self-awareness. According to Dorte Andres, a professor in Translation Studies, she mentioned that, "Every time I acted as interpreter, there was a bit of me in there. I am aware of my own subjectivity, but I can't separate myself from it." It is crucial for any interpreters to be aware to not betray the original text by changing to one's own interpretation when conveyed to the listeners. Through this, interpreters will be able to convey speeches as original as possible.
One should know that, talented interpreters are not made overnight. This requires a lot of investment in time, patience and also hard work dealing with both the source and target language. Switching from one language to another is a very demanding task. Constantly improving on the fluency of languages, reading different texts for broader understanding and reminding oneself about self-awareness are factors that contribute greatly into making one a good interpreter.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
ChanLan Hong / Classification Essay / Tuesday / 9 a.m
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Draft 2
ReplyDeleteInterpreting is easy, right? All you need to do is, interpret words from one language to another. Especially if you are born into a family with two ethnic backgrounds, interpreting with will be a piece of cake. Many people have a typical perception of interpretation, thinking as long as one is able to interpret words from a source language (mother tongue) to a target language (second language), that makes him an interpreter. Wrong. There is more to interpreting than we think. For any interpreters-to-be, one needs to have good fluency in languages, have broad knowledge and also, have self-awareness.
It is vital to have good fluency in languages that one is dealing with and this may require years of practice. The quality of interpretation depends greatly on how an interpreter is able to use different styles of speaking, understanding the essence of a language when an idiom or expression is used and also the ability of using the diverse register in both source and target languages. Psychologically, listeners have short attention span. Interpreters who were to talk monotonously might bored the listeners. When an interpreter is able to grasps all the qualities above, this will make the interpreter more effective and also able to render speeches reasonably well.
Second to that, to develop excellent interpretation proficiency, it is important that an interpreter has to be attentive to different knowledge for various fields. Fields such as business, science or religion, interpreters are needed. For instance, there are many developing countries that would visit advanced countries to learn about a specific skills or learning about a country’s system. While the speech is given in native language, visitors from non-native country will have to rely on interpreter in order to comprehend the speeches. Having exposed to various fields of studies will help interpreters to have a rough idea of what contents of speeches they will be dealing with, as well as preparing beforehand specific vocabularies that are needed during the interpretation.
Last but not least, it is also significant that an interpreter needs to have self-awareness. According to Dorte Andres, a professor in Translation Studies, she mentioned that, “Every time I acted as interpreter, there was a bit of me in there. I am aware of my own subjectivity, but I can't separate myself from it.” It is crucial for any interpreters to be aware to not betray the original text. If the interpreter is not aware, he will interpret based on his experiences and feelings. With self-awareness, interpreters will be able to convey speeches as original as possible and not stray away from information that was intended for the listeners.
One should know that, talented interpreters are not made overnight. This requires a lot of investment in time, patience and also hard work dealing with both the source and target languages. Switching from one language to another is a very demanding task. Constantly improving on the fluency of languages, reading different texts for broader understanding and reminding oneself about self-awareness are factors that contribute greatly into making one a good interpreter.
For the introduction, your intend might be aimed for attracting the readers, for sure. However it is quite aggressive in its expression. If you tell a story what you faced before, it would be much acceptable for more readers.
ReplyDeleteYou listed three required skills for interpreter. It is easy to understand and memorize. Your reasons are also persuasive enough.
Conclusion is great. I love all sentences in paragraph 5! Good job!