CONFERENCE INTERPRETING
BEFORE THE CONFERENCE, DURING THE CONFERENCE, AFTER THE CONFERENCE
CONFERENCE INTERPRETING
Conference interpreting is relatively recent type of interpreting used in international conferences as well as other
high-profile settings.
Conference interpreting can be done in either simultaneous or consecutive mode
This type of interpreting is the toughest job for an interpreter because of its formal settings and the nature of
the papers presented and the audience attending. In conferences specialized and highly polished papers are
presented to specialists and researchers, who would be familiar with the jargon and ideas of the papers presented.
Interpreters , on the other hand, do not interact with the speaker during his/her presentation or before
BEFORE THE CONFERENCE
You can do everything in your power and start gathering all available data that can be found to bear upon it. You
can contact the institution hiring you or the speaker to give you the presentation in advance , or a brief account
of what s/he is going to address.
BEFORE THE CONFERENCE
What to look for?
One should do organized and structured research about the following:
1. The conference themes
2. The speakers
3. The organizer
Example >>
Cont.
CREATING A GLOSSARY
The first thing an interpreter does when s/he finds some information related to the themes of the conference is
to compile a word or phrase list. One can also create a glossary for the conference, s/ he can do linguistic
classification of vocabulary items ( nouns, verbs, and words combinations ( collocations, idioms, clichés etc.) or
according to the type of information ( geographical, political, religious, etc.)
Another useful glossary that can be compile is one that contains common phrases which are used frequently in
presentations such opining phrases, closing phrases etc.
Cont.
CREATING A GLOSSARY
Also a glossary may be created for each domain or profession ( educational, medical, legal etc.) such glossaries
might include:
1. Lists of terminology in English and your other languages, plus a brief explanation and an example of the word
used in a sentences to provide context. If there is no direct equivalent in your in your other language for a
particular item, note down the most standard way you could define the English term in your other language.
2. Thematic organization, [Link] medical terminology you may chose to have a section on cardiology
3. Typed or very clearly laid out presentation which allows you to quickly find the word you are looking for.
Cont.
CONFERENCE INTERPRETING
During the conference
During the conference the interpreter should have self-confidence, having done his/her homework in preparing for the
event, she/he should feel confident and competent. Some useful guidelines to follow while interpreting in the booth:
1. Write down numbers and names while you are listening
2. Pronounce numbers clearly.
3. Make yourself easy to follow, try to construct simple complete sentences, and avoid using obscure words
4. Do not reproduce the speaker’s false starts or obvious slips of the tongue.
5. If you realize that you have not been clear, restate the idea clearly and succinctly.
6. Avoid long pauses in your interpretation
7. Do not get too far behind the speaker, or as soon after the speaker as possible.
CONFERENCE INTERPRETING
After the conference
You need to keep sharpening the saw to keep to abreast of current events and contributions to improve your skills.
To do this :
You should first have a leg book in which you list your weaknesses and strengthens in last performance to work on.
You can divide your logbook into two parts,
1. where you list your consistent unintentional errors to avoid next time.
2. Errors that occurred once , such as inappropriate items of vocabulary
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY, THANKS
REFERENCES
ELWA, A. 2018. TO BE AN INTERPRETER. [NO PLACE]. QALAM.