12 Common Problems and Solutions in Interpretation 2

06 What should I do if the foreign party cannot understand the English comments?

 Similar to the above article, it may be that the translator's English is stuttering and not fluent, or the pronunciation, grammar, and expression have a strong Chinese color, that is, he speaks Chinglish. The second possibility is that the translators are unfamiliar with their profession, their principles and concepts are vague, they are not familiar with words and terms, and they may even be prevaricated when translating indiscriminately.

 The interpreter needs to find out why the foreign party cannot understand. If it is because of poor language expression, speak clearly and with accurate enunciation and clear enunciation, use more simple sentences, and avoid or use less lengthy compound sentences. If it is because you are not familiar with the major, you must first clarify it with the Chinese speaker, and then interpret it carefully.

 07 What should I do if I hear English that is not up to standard?

If the speaker's native language is not English, or English is not very popular in his country or environment, the English he speaks may not be so standard and idiomatic - either with the pronunciation and intonation of other languages, or mixed with other languages. grammar or dialect of the language.

 With the development of my country's opening to the outside world and technology introduction, the chances of encountering "non-standard English" will also increase. As for whether the speaker's English is standard and authentic, the interpreter has no choice but to try his best to adapt, listen carefully, and comprehend carefully. If necessary, please ask the speaker to speak slowly or give necessary explanations to reduce mistakes.

 To do a good job in interpreting, it is not enough to master only one foreign language, you should also know some other foreign languages that are more popular in the world. Because in the field of science and technology, there is often a phenomenon of mutual penetration and word borrowing between languages. Familiarity with multiple foreign languages is good for both professional and language interpretation. If you hear English that is not standard enough, you can translate it more accurately.

08 What should I do if there are too many sentences and complicated meanings?

 The interpreter can seize the opportunity to translate when the speaker finishes a level or a relatively independent meaning. When the speaker hears the interpretation, he will stop. In this way, the interpreter can avoid remembering this and forgetting that because the speaker talks too much, but interrupting the speaker's words and thinking in this way is not civilized and polite. It is permissible to ask him to speak less or to speak shorter and slower each time, to facilitate smooth interpretation.

 However, in the field of science and technology, sometimes a principle or concept often has many layers and complex relationships, and it is often difficult to express it clearly in one or two simple sentences. When encountering such a situation, the interpreter should not demand too much care from the speaker but should try his best to adapt to the situation and evaluate the content well. The interpreter's thinking should be highly concentrated, and he should concentrate on following the logical thinking of the speaker. When you can't remember all the content at once, pay attention to the central meaning and main levels, and try to translate it in a close-to-near manner.

 Of course, to interpret in a timely, accurate, and complete manner, translators should also learn to use shorthand and carefully grasp the links of listening, memorizing, translating, and translating.

09 What to do with long sentences?

 Although short sentences are mostly used in spoken English, in scientific and technical English, and even in spoken language, long sentences appear from time to time to rigorously express the overall meaning of a principle, concept, or definition. Long sentences are usually all kinds of compound sentences, such as coordinating or main-slave compound sentences.

 Don't be discouraged when you encounter long sentences, but listen attentively and accept the challenge bravely. First, grasp the content of the main clause, keep it in mind, and then dissect the subordinate clauses layer by layer, and enrich the concepts and levels decomposed into the main clause. Finally, according to the laws of Chinese, the whole meaning is translated.

According to modern linguistics, language is a tool for conveying information. The translation process is the process of changing the form of information representation, "rather than the process of translating words, phrases or sentence structures". Interpretation is a kind of information conversion process completed impromptu. Therefore, the translation is often a free translation rather than a literal translation. It does not need and cannot make two different languages completely consistent in sentence structure when expressing the same information, but only requires accurate transmission of the information itself. Translators should break the superficial structure of the original sentence, enter the deep semantics, and then try to translate it in a more concise, popular, popular and easy-to-understand language. If the original sentence is long and complicated, the translated sentence can be broken down into two or three single sentences that are related to each other, and the subsidiary levels can be adjusted forward or backward as needed, so that the listener sounds easy to understand and pleasing to the ear.

10 What should I do if the speaker makes a mistake or goes off-topic?

 Generally speaking, the translator has to translate what the speaker talks about. Interpreting faithfully the original meaning is a matter of translation ethics and one of the basic requirements for translators. But, inevitably, the speaker will inadvertently say the wrong thing or digress. Generally, if the interpreter notices minor, non-principled mistakes or digressions, he can consciously correct them during the interpretation, and then inform the speaker.

 When encountering principled, critical, or other major mistakes or digressions, the interpreter should immediately tell the speaker to make corrections before translating. Even if the interpreter fails to notice it on the spot, but thinks about it afterward, he should, in a serious and responsible spirit, inform the speaker in time, and clarify to the listener when necessary, to give full play to the bridge communication role of the interpreter.

 11 What if someone with a higher level of interpretation than yourself is present?

 This may be a deliberate arrangement or an unintentional coincidence. For the former, the interpreter should understand that this is the training or inspection of the leader or the competent department. The correct attitude is not to be afraid, but to go all out and try to do a good job of interpreting based on the actual level oneself. Excessive worry will lead to fear of stage fright, blocked thinking, and even unable to perform at the original level. This is unfavorable to the host, translator, listener, and supervisor. But we also need to prevent another mental state, that is, being blindly optimistic, overestimating yourself, and even trying to "show off your hands" in front of everyone. In this way, the interpreter may be absent-minded during interpretation, or play tricks and misinterpret at will. Once out of control, The consequences could be disastrous.

 For the latter, there is no need to panic. The presence of the strong is a good opportunity to learn. When interpreting, you should be calm, modest, and cautious. When encountering difficult or unfamiliar sentences, you should consult the expert in time, and take the initiative to ask the translator to correct his mistakes and omissions at any time. If you learn with an open mind, he will help with sincerity, the atmosphere is harmonious, and the translation results will be good.

 12 What if the scene is big and imposing?

Some relatively large-scale professional technical lectures or academic exchange conferences have a large venue and a large number of people. The foreign speaker has a high status, and many of the audience are experts. The momentum is overwhelming. When interpreting such a scene in real-time, one should not be complacent, but one should not panic. Instead, one should maintain a balanced state of mind and be sober, calm, generous, and calm. Interpreters should concentrate and eliminate distractions.

 The voice of the target language should not be too low so that the audience in the last row can hear clearly. If there is a microphone, the interpreter should control his volume balance, and the translation speed should be appropriate (generally moderate and slow). Also, pay attention to the audience's reaction. If the audience has doubts and objections to the target language content and expression methods, listen with an open mind and take the initiative to correct them.

 To sum up, we believe that a qualified interpreter must strive to be upright in translation, skillful in translation, clever in translation, and clear in translation.