Learning shorthand in the process of interpreter’s training

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

УДК 801.82:811.111(73).42

Learning shorthand in the process of interpreter's training

I.P. Suima

Oles Honchar Dnipropetrovsk national university

Стаття присвячена особливостям навчання перекладацькому скоропису, розглянуто вправи на покращення перекладацьких навичок, звернено увагу на специфіку відбору основної інформації в текстіоригіналі для його перекладу. interpreter shorthand training

Ключові слова: перекладацький скоропис, анотування, головна ідея, перекладацька нотація, універсальний перекладацький скоропис.

Статья посвящена особенностям обучения переводческой скорописи, рассмотрены упражнения на улучшение переводческих навыков, обращено внимание на специфику отбора основной информации в текстеоригинале для его перевода.

Ключевые слова: переводческая скоропись, аннотирование, главная идея, переводческая нотация, универсальная переводческая скоропись.

The article deals with the peculiarities of interpreter's shorthand training, exercises for the improvement of translating skills are considered and it is paid attention to the special features of choosing of the main information in the original text for its translation.

Key words: interpreter's shorthand, annotation, the main idea, interpreter's notes, universal interpreter's shorthand.

Interpreter's shorthand in the context of modern translating techniques can be identified as additional system of signs (notes), which can be used in the process of translation. There are a lot of terms for this notion in scientific literature: “interpreter's shorthand” “переводческая скоропись” (R. MinyarBelorychev) [5]; “interpreter's notes” “переводческая нотация” (I. Alekseeva) [1]; “universal interpreter's shorthand” “универсальная переводческая скоропись” (A. Chuzhakin) [7]; “interpreter's semantography” “переводческая семантография” (E. Alikina) [2]. All mentioned terms are used as the complete synonyms and mean the same phenomenon. Nowadays we have a rich system of signs using while doing the oral translation and for different texts the interpreters should use various notes. Very often students ask why we need this interpreter's shorthand. First of all, the fixation of the written information reduces the load on memory and the stress. Secondly, there are more chances to keep as much information as it is possible.

Interpreter's shorthand is not a part of any conventional (common) graphic system, and everyone can develop his/her own techniques. However, we have some basic rules concerning the recording of details in order to aid the interpreter in dealing with large amounts of information. Of course, students of the interpreter's department are recommended to learn as much symbols of the interpreter's shorthand as possible. But, the time of university lectures is limited and it is important to pay attention to a wide range of translator's problems. So, it is essential to choose only the main sings of the system of interpreter's shorthand in order to prepare students for translation different types of texts. It will be reasonable to give them symbols that will be connected with the definite theme (for example, politics). While doing translations, students will face a lot of various texts of different topics (economics, politics, medicine, culture etc.), but there are universal words and wordcombinations, that are used for describing notions and events practically in all spheres of human activity. First of all, students should learn how to shorthand these words. For example, among them we can name such words as:

? question, problem, issue;

? country, region, any territory;

A representative, ambassador, member, delegate;

О meeting, conference, assembly, seminar;

Onegotiations, discussion, exchange of thoughts;

d necessity, importance;

m possibility;

V to improve, to rise;

^ to shorten etc.

The students also can be asked to create their own system of the widespread words and appropriate symbols. Then it would be useful to give them short paragraphs of different texts to rewrite them in signs of interpreter's shorthand system. For example, students can be given the text like this:

“Britain's loss of influence in world affairs was one of the reasons why the newly elected Labour Government supported Britain's application for membership of the

European Economic Community. The main problems faced by the Government were economic, however, and it adopted the severest measures, including wage freezes and a 14 % devaluation of sterling, in an unsuccessful attempt to overcome the difficult economic situation. Numerous strikes and student protests revealed the general social unrest and mistrust in the democratic institutions, and it was little surprise that Labour lost the 1970 elections. After Labour's return to power in 1974, the Government attempted to tackle the severe economic situation through massive cuts in defense spending, but it was not until the International Monetary Fund began a rescue operation at the end of1976 that a dramatic recovery got underway. This recovery was also due to the high levels of oil production reached in the North Sea” [6].

Firstly they will shorthand it and translate.

Moreover, before studying interpreter's shorthand students should learn to identify the main and supporting ideas of the text they are translating.

Getting the main idea out of a text is vital to interpreting and translating comprehension. It is often not so easy to identify the main ideas in nonfiction texts. In order to understand and express the main idea of a passage, the reader must not only comprehend the text but also make connections within the content and find overarching ideas. To complicate the process, the reader may also have to recognize and disregard nonessential information.The main idea is not simply what the text is about. The main idea is what the speaker wants readers to understand is important and valued in the text, i.e., across the whole text, not just within sections of it. Finally, because the main idea is hardly ever explicitly stated by the speaker, and because readers can't get inside the speaker's head to find out exactly what they want readers to understand is important and valued in the text, readers can only ever make an informed guess about what the main idea is. When determining the main idea the reader uses text details, in conjunction with their prior knowledge, to think about what the main message of the text might be. As they read, they begin to tentatively group related details, constantly asking themselves where the speaker is placing emphasis or value. At various stages throughout the reading the reader may decide to reject very small groups of related (supporting) details as not being particularly valued by the speaker. However, as they read on, gathering and grouping more details, they may reverse such a decision. Finally, the reader combines all the evidence, including their prior knowledge, and decides what is most important and valued in the text.

There are a lot of different exercises that are used to improve interpreter's shorthand skills. In scientific literature we can find a great variety of them [4, 6]. To our mind, the most effective are the following ones:

1. Try to create your own symbols for different words, for example “book”, “table”, etc.

2. Write the text (newspaper article, public speech etc.) which is presented in your native or foreign language, in symbols of the interpreter's shorthand system.

3. Compare your translating notes with the notes of the same texts made by the other interpreter, analyze different variants of fixation of the same information, and look at their advantages and disadvantages.

4. Shorthand the text in the native/foreign language, give your note to the other student and take his/her notes. Now try to reconstruct the text, using these notes. You will see that there are a lot of signs that can be recognized only by the person, who wrote them.

5. Make the interpreter's shorthand of the text in your native language and then compare your translation with the original text. Analyze what information was lost, what omissions and additions were made etc.

6. Make the interpreter's shorthand of the text and don't read it the same day. The other day open your notes and try to reconstruct the whole text. Analyze how much information from the original variant you have conveyed.

7. The students are listening to some phrases and trying to make shorthand of everything they can. Then they should reconstruct all information, which was given in the phrase. For example, you can use such sentences as: A) We are now on public record with the things we've been telling all sides in private, said one American diplomat. B) The congressman conducted a lowkey campaign for his colleague and helped to carry his home state for the Democrats. C) But a war could be fought initially at least in a lower key just as it was up to the ceasefire. D) Mere occupation by force of arms is a poor argument in international negotiation. Equally holding on to territory as a bargaining counter is not constructive. E) It was not to be expected that any dramatic decisions would be reached. F) The pension is not a charitable gift but a right earned by years of contribution. G) In that country the credibility gap between the government and the people led to the downfall of the government. H) A fellow White House official only halfjoked that Brzezinski enjoyed being “the first Pole in 300 years in a position to really stick it to the Russians. I) From September 1978, the Carter presidency began a long decline, pulled downward by internal divisions and uncontrollable external events. J) The more crime is shown on the screen, with realistic depiction of cruelty, sadism, and lewdness, the more cruel the audiences become and the greater their appetite for hot films [6].

8. It is very difficult to shorthand the exact information (names, numbers, data etc.) So, it will be useful for students to try to make interpreter's shorthand of the text like this:

“On June 17th, 1954, the CIA sent a taskforce to invade Guatemala and overthrow its powerful Communist Party. The team of450 men was successful and the Party was effectively destroyed. The CIA and the United States realized that it could destroy Communism close to home by force. Eisenhower approved a plan in 1960 to train Cubanborn Americans to infiltrate Castro's regime and overthrow the government. The President then approved a fullscale invasion force, but the operation had to be stalled until the bases at Guatemala were fully loaded with an troops and supplies for the mission. The plan was delayed until the following spring. In January of 1961, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as President of the United States. One of his campaign promises was a definite action against the threat of Communism in Cuba. He therefore did not cancel the invasion plan. At 2:00 AM on April 17th, 1961, the secret invasion of Cuba by American forces began” [6].

Also, students should know what we can find in the interpreter's notes or what is necessary to write on a paper while doing an oral translation. First of all, interpreter's notes must contain the main ideas (several words that carry them) and the links, that can be described as symbols; secondly, it is important to write all the information which is difficult to be remembered (numbers, names etc.); abbreviations and their full variant if it is given by the speaker.

So, the interpreter's shorthand is an important skill which can help in the future work. Of course, this system has its advantages and disadvantages, but it is worth to be paid attention to.

References

1. Алексеева И. С. Профессиональный тренинг переводчика / И. С. Алексеева. СПб., 2001. C. 1059

2. Аликина Е. В. Переводческая семантография. Запись при устном переводе / Е. В. Аликина. М., 2006. Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация. Золотая серия / Е. В. Аликина. Интерпретация символов в процессе перевода // Проблемы межкультурной коммуникации : межвуз. сб. научн. тр. Иваново, 1990. С. 310.

3. Алимов В. В. Теория перевода. Перевод в профессиональной коммуникации : учеб. пособ., изд. 4е, испр. / В. В. Алимов. М., 2006. 125 с.

4. Методические рекомендации по переводческой скорописи. СПб. : Издво СПбГУЭФ, 2010. 35 с.

5. МиньярБелоручев Р. К. Пособие по устному переводу (записи в последовательном переводе). Для институтов и факультетов иностранных языков / Р. К. МиньярБелоручев. М., 1969. 365 с.

6. Сборник упражнений по устному переводу. Екатеринбург : Издво Уральского университета, 2002. 27 с.

7. Чужакин А. П. Устный перевод XXI: теория + практика, переводческая скоропись / А. П. Чужакин. М., 2001. 253 с.

Размещено на Allbest.ru