Consecutive Interpretation

Skill Development ‐ Note‐Taking

Strong note‐taking skills are essential for consecutive interpreters to ensure successful memory recall for accuracy
and completeness.

The core idea of note taking is that the interpreter does not simply use shorthand or take down every single word
used in the original utterance; rather, the notes aim to express the main ideas and concepts. Also, notes serve the
purpose of freeing the interpreter from the constraints of the words enabling him/her to concentrate on the
meaning from the source language.

To that end, symbols and abbreviations are preferred over words, because they conjure up an image or a concept
for which the adept interpreter can immediately find a word in the target language (see my suggested symbols
below). The first step in learning a good note‐taking technique is to understand the process involved. Good notes
are usually the result of the coordination of: first listening attentively, second understanding the message and
third choosing the proper information to write down to help your memory render a complete and accurate
interpretation.
The listening requirement involves concentration and speed in writing; understanding the original message
involves knowledge of terminology, plus the ability to transform oral information into something that can be
expressed in written form, which later on, you will convert back into the spoken form. Although there is a
standard method and structure for taking notes, in addition to other elements that are common in all
interpreters’ notes, most interpreters will eventually adapt that methodology and shape it, to fit their own needs
and mindset. It is important to remember that the interpreter needs to develop a personalized, effective way of
capturing information to enable him/her to remember and interpret the message as completely as possible.

Because of the differences in languages and in individual memorization and information processing, each
interpreter’s notes will be different, uniquely developed to suit his/her style and preference. Any style will be
effective as long as the goal of efficiency and assistance in memory recall is achieved. Also, notes can be
monolingual, bilingual, trilingual, etc., as long as they serve the interpreter’s needs. Furthermore, remember
that note taking is an aid to your memory and should be treated as such.

Although your notes are helpful, they should not hamper your ability to listen and concentrate on the spoken
word. It is important to take advantage of the three types of memory ⎯ visual, auditive and motor memory.
Please take a look at the following note‐taking examples, and remember that your notes are for your eyes only and
should always be destroyed at the end of your shift.

Even though note taking is highly individualized, there are some commonalities worth noticing:

1. Your notes taken do not have to be intelligible to anyone else, as their purpose is to assist recalling
information you just heard a few minutes earlier. They work for short‐term tasks.

2. Note taking needs to be precise and efficient. It does not require extensive information recording. Use
symbols or abbreviations to represent key concepts or units of meaning, rather than taking down each word,
to facilitate memory recall.

3. Some specific skills can be developed for personalized use:

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A. USE ABBREVIATIONS, such as suffixes and prefixes with a single letter, or by shortening words by omitting
vowels and some consonants.
Suffix: ing = g, tion = n example: dvlpg instead or developing; recgn isntead of recognition
Prefix: reinstate = r example: rgan instead of regain; rnw isntead of renew
Shortening of words: abdomen = abdm, because = b/c; without = w/o; etc.
Abbreviations: PD instead of police department, DA instead of District Attorney; AVE instead of avenue.

B. USE STATE ABBREVIATIONS

AL ALABAMA MT MONTANA
AK ALASKA NE NEBRASKA
AS AMERICAN SAMOA NV NEVADA
AZ ARIZONA NH NEW HAMPSHIRE
AR ARKANSAS NJ NEW JERSEY
CA CALIFORNIA NM NEW MEXICO
CO COLORADO NY NEW YORK
CT CONNECTICUT NC NORTH CAROLINA
DE DELAWARE ND NORTH DAKOTA
DC DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA OH OHIO
FL FLORIDA OK OKLAHOMA
GA GEORGIA OR OREGON
HI HAWAII PA PENNSYLVANIA
ID IDAHO PR PUERTO RICO
IL ILLINOIS RI RHODE ISLAND
IN INDIANA SC SOUTH CAROLINA
IA IOWA SD SOUTH DAKOTA
KS KANSAS TN TENNESSEE
KY KENTUCKY TX TEXAS
LA LOUISIANA UT UTAH
ME MAINE VT VERMONT
MD MARYLAND VI VIRGIN ISLANDS
MA MASSACHUSETTS VA VIRGINIA
MI MICHIGAN WA WASHINGTON
MN MINNESOTA WV WEST VIRGINIA
MS MISSISSIPPI WI WISCONSIN
MO MISSOURI WY WYOMING
C. USE NUMERALS
For example, use digits:

◼ Use “4” instead of the word “for” so “b4” would mean “before,” “4cast would be forecast” etc. Use
“ncrpr8” would mean ‘incorporate”, “2dy” would mean today and so forth.

◼ Use horizontal lines to distinguish millions and billions. Example use 1M instead of 1,000,000.00; 1M
instead of 1 Billion, and so forth.

D. USE LINES AND ARROWS

Use a horizontal line to stress importance for example:

◼ Client: It is extremely important to follow your Doctor’s instructions regarding your medication. Your

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notes could look like this: Important flw Dr’s int rgrdn meds.

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 ◼ Lines and arrows are a very effective and fast way of linking ideas, depicting a series of events, and
showing emphasis.

SYMBOL MEANING
 before (time or position) or cause/reason for something, due to
 increase, up, grow, improve, inflation/cost goes up or rise in price
→ after (time or position), transfer, lead to, consequence
→ decrease, reduce, loss, fall, decline, shrinkage

E. USE SYMBOLS
A few examples are:

SYMBOL MEANING
“ said, quote, express, announce, note, speech, talk
 desire, hope, love
+ moreover, in addition, furthermore, besides, more of
 more or less, around, approximately, in the vicinity of
= equal, same, equivalent, comparable, similar, analogous
 not the same, different, unequal, other, unlike, irregular
↔ Balance, stability. Equilibrium
Because
 hence, therefore, consequently
→ conflict, confrontation, crisis, disagreement
• prior to, in the past, previous
• subsequent, later
• between, among, in the middle of, surrounded by
 parallel to, hand in hand, matching,
 less, smaller, inferior
 greater than, better than, expand, more
 over, higher, superior, above and beyond
 under, below, underestimate
$ money, currency, price, payment
? question, inquire, ask, problem, issue
! command, order
use symbols for man and woman
⌂ home, at home, or S⌂ school, at school etc.
☺ Being glad, happy, satisfied, pleased, etc.
 Being unhappy, dissatisfied, angry, etc.

Here are some other practical suggestions:

◼ Omit vowels whenever possible

◼ Choose note‐taking symbols that are:

– Quick and easy to use
– Clear and always have the same meaning: it means that if you use capital HB for “High blood pressure"
then HB cannot have any other meaning regardless of industry or you will be very confused.

◼ Use a lot of short lines and arrows to indicate relationships and directions (as instructed above)

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◼ Mark the end of each interpreting session with a horizontal line (see below.)

◼ Write in two vertical columns. The way to differentiate the two speakers is by indenting utterances said by
each party, thus your notes (for illustration purposes) will look like this: “A” represents client’s utterances
and “B” represents the LEP person’s utterances.

AAAAAAAAA AAAAAA BBBBBBBBBB

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAA BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBB BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BBBBBBBBBB
AAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
BBBBBBBBBBB BBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBB BBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBB AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
BBBBBBBBBBBB

The indentation will help you identify who said what, especially when information is repeated. If that is
the case, use an arrow to visually help you see the information/utterance repeated; you only need to add
new information added to that repeated utterance, for example:

AAAAAAAAA AAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

BBBBBBBBBB BBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA BBBBBBBBBBB
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA + BBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB AAAAAA AAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Let’s review a note taking example, so you can have a better idea of how proper note taking can help you
with accuracy and completeness. Remember each person has his/her individual system, there is not right or
wrong as long as it helps your memory recall the message.
So, if I were the interpreter for this call my notes would look like the examples below. I do not need to write
every word, my attentive listening will help me recall those details. Look at my indentations, how I use
either language (Spanish or English) and how I use symbols and how I cross out words. You can come up
with your own system; notetaking is an individual way of recalling information. So, in this
example, I get a call, I proceed to introduce myself and the client says:

Client: “Hello interpreter, this is Ronda. I am here with Maria Romero Gutierrez; she has to complete her
WIC application. Introduce yourself and ask her, did you bring the pay stubs and tax returns I asked you
to bring over the phone?
(After my greeting to the LEP caller and my rendition of Ronda’sutterance, Mrs. Gutierrez (LEP person) replied:)

LEP: “Last week we were in a car accident and I called to cancel this appointment, but no one spoke Spanish.
I do apologize but without a car in addition to other problems I couldn’t get to work to ask for the pay stubs.

Client: “I’m sorry to hear that. Well, let’s reschedule our meeting, what about two weeks from today,
Monday the 11th come here at the same time 9:30 AM and bring all the paperwork. Sorry, you could not
solve this over the phone. Thank you for coming and have a good day!”

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Here are my notes:
CL: Ronda
Ma. Romero Gutierrez Here cmplt WIC
app Brng $stubs & Tax rtrn Akd  ph?

had accdnt wk

Clld cncll app, no 1 SPA
spkr. Apologz car &
prblms Go wrk to ask 4
$stubs

Sorry hear... let’s reshced mtng ?2 wks fr today

Mon 11 here = time 9:30 AM, brng all
pperwrk. Sorry could solve this  ph.
ThnkU 4 comng ‐Gooday

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. It takes time to develop this skill. Be patient with yourself; as you master it
you will observe how your accuracy and confidence will improve in a nick of time.

Happy interpreting!