TrIn 3102:
Consecutive Interpreting
Week 6
2/22/06
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Lecture agenda: Week 6
• Conclude 5-minute presentations + 2-3 page
paper
• Review types of errors
• Review of terms: Transcription with
corrections and personal error analysis paper
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Categories of errors
1. Literal translation
2. Inadequate language
proficiency
3. Grammatical errors
4. Lexical (vocabulary)
errors
5. Errors in register
conservation
6. Omission
7. Distortion
8. Addition
9. Protocol, procedure,
ethics
10. Non-conservation
of paralinguistic
elements, hedges,
fillers
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Example 1: Literal translation
• Exchanging words between the SL and TL
without conserving the original message
– Original: Es una inválida.
– Interpreter: She is an invalid person.
– Should be: She is an invalid.
• Interpreter: I work in the package of lemons.
• Should be: I am a lemon packer.
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Example 2-3: Inadequate language proficiency
• Grammatical errors and lack of general and specific
vocabulary
– Original: Si hubiera tenido un familiar…
– Interpreter: Maybe I had a relative….
– Should be: Maybe if I had had a relative….
• Interpreter: Nowendays [sic] a lot of people reappear
dead.
• Should be: Nowadays a lot of people turn up dead.
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Example 4: Vocabulary errors
• Lack of generalized and specialized
vocabulary, shades of meaning, false
cognate errors
– Original: Ametrallaron la casa.
– Interpreter: They shot at the house.
– Should be: They machine-gunned the house.
• Interpreter: They came to recruit her.
• Should be: They came to kidnap her.
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Example 5: Register Conservation
• The Interpreter is not able to reproduce the
variety of styles and language levels heard, from
casual, idiomatic or colloquial to formal or
technical.
– Original: Había muchas orejas.
– Interpreter: People talked among each other.
– Should be: There were many informants.
• Original: She was scared to death.
• Interpreter: She was afraid of death. She can’t
sleep at night. She is very afraid of her death.
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Example 6: Omission
• Ignoring words, from articles to large portions of
discourse, is frequent when due to exhaustion or
information overload.
– Original: Pues no lo mataron, sino vivo lo
echaron allí.
– Interpreter: Well, they didn’t kill him, they threw
him in there.
– Should be: Well, they didn’t kill him, they threw
him in there alive.
• Your example?
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Example 7: Distortion
• A mistranslation distorts the meaning of the
original message
– Original: Perdí un ojo…
– Interpreter: I lost my eyesight…
– Should be: I lost an eye….
• Interpreter: I just felt a little punched.
• Should be: I just felt a great blow.
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Example 8: Addition
• A simple word or answer is transformed into a maze
of guesses and synonyms that have little to do with
the source message.
– Original: No [lo] sé.
– Interpreter: I have no idea.
– Should be: I don’t know.
• Interpreter: I believed that they killed, and it was an
injustice what they did to her.
• Should be: . . . . that they killed her unjustly.
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Example 9: Protocol, procedure
and ethics
• General lack of understanding the role of an
interpreter
• Choosing not to interpret profanity
• Unwilling to self-correct
• Inappropriate tone, summarizing, guessing,
not taking notes, etc.
• Your examples?
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Example 10: Non-conservation of
paralinguistic elements, hedges and fillers
• Interrupted or incomplete sentences, hesitation
words, hedges, fillers are not conserved
– Original: Este, pues, no sé decirle. Es que
cuando…., a ver, a ver….
– Interpreter: Well, uh, because it is that way….let’s
see…..
– Should be: Well, uh, I don’t know how to say it.
It’s that when….let’s see, let’s see….
• Your example?
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What is transcription?
• After an oral discourse has been interpreted
into the target language, a complete and
accurate written copy of the discourse is
needed to determine error analysis. Every
word, every sound, and every pause made by
the speaker need to be transcribed (written)
on paper.
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Error Analysis
• While comparing the source language
(English) document with the target language
transcription, the interpreter can then
recognize the discrepancies (differences)
encountered in the 2 documents. These
differences should be analyzed and labeled as
possible errors in interpreting, especially if
the original message has been compromised.
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Practice: Error Analysis
1. Turn your tape player on when the video begins.
2. After each beep render your Spanish interpretation into
the recorder.
3. Listen to your work and write down every sound, etc.
that you made.
4. Compare your Spanish transcript with the original
English transcript.
5. With a partner, write the corrections, label each type of
error and rate the seriousness of each error.
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General Lab Agenda
1. On audiotape, students will interpret a
dialogue for a transcription and error analysis
paper
2. Students will present a previously prepared
Sight Translation to the lab instructor
3. In groups of three, practice the role play
exercises regarding tenant/landlord issues on
pp. 42-47.
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Pre-interpreting exercise
• Before the interpreting begins and in groups
of three, please review the vocabulary used in
the form DIAL-R on pp. 36-39. Determine
possible translations in your other working
language.
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Lab Exercise 1 (uncorrected transcript due 3/1/06)
1. Your instructor will play an audiotape or
produce an oral rendition of a childhood
screening dialogue for the group.
2. After each pause, voice record your
interpretation of the script in your other
working language.
3. In your lab manual please find the instructions
and the original English script on pp. 48-53.
(Ignore the dates on pp. 48-49)
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Lab Exercise 1 continued….
4. AT HOME, and without looking at your English script,
transcribe (write) in your target language (double space!)
3-4 minutes of your audiotape. Write down EVERYTHING,
including pauses, filler sounds, etc. Give a copy of this
uncorrected transcription to the lead instructor March 1.
5. After March 2 you may look at the English SL script (pp. 5053) and compare it to your TL transcription. Underline or
highlight any differences you encounter AND correct your
errors directly on your transcript. Be sure to label and rate*
each error appropriately on your transcript. [40 pts.]
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Lab Exercise 1 continued: Error Analysis Paper
6. Also write a 3-4 page paper (double spaced) analyzing
your errors and answering the 5 questions on p. 49.
Also on your corrected transcript please *RATE each
error according to how it impacts the communication
(not all errors are equally serious). Select and write the
number from the five choices next to the error. [60 pts.]
NOTE: A copy of your transcription (without the errors
noted) is due to the lead instructor on March 1. But the
transcription (with errors noted and labeled = 40 pts.)
and the analysis paper (60 pts.) are due on 3/23/05 to
your instructor who will evaluate your work.
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Rating System for Transcript
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•
•
•
•
5 = No negative consequences to participants
4 = Consequence of errors is minimal
3 = Consequence of errors is moderate
2 = Consequence of errors is severe
1 = Consequence of errors is grave
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Lab Exercise 2 (20 pts.)
• One-on-one with the instructor
• Your instructor will select one of the forms that you
practiced sight translating during the past week.
• While the instructor listens and takes notes, each
student will record on the instructor’s own audiotape
recorder his/her sight translation. Brief comments
may be given immediately afterwards.
• Turn in your 10 word vocabulary list to your
instructor after your session.
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Lab exercise 3
In groups of three (landlord, tenant and interpreter)
practice the role playing exercises regarding
tenant/landlord issues on pp. 42-47.
See next slide for feedback questions.
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Role Play Feedback
• Feedback can be focused on message accuracy and how the
interpreter handled the situation.
1. How does the interpreter handle asking for clarification?
2. Are there other options for the interpreter to get clarification?
3. Has the interpreter stepped beyond what would be appropriate
for the role? Why? What are other ways the situation could be
handled?
4. How accurately is the message conveyed? Is the message
content, affect (emotion) and style being conveyed? Give
examples.
5. Is there a pattern that can be identified that is affecting the
overall accuracy of the message?
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Assignment for Week 7
1. Read text article “Little Bit Know Something” + thought
question
2. Complete uncorrected transcription (3+ pages, double
spaced) due next week March 1. Both the corrected
transcription (40 pts) and analysis paper (3-4 pages, double
spaced-60 pts) will be due March 22.
• Anticipating Week 8 (lecture/lab):
1. Midterm sight translation audio recording (30 pts.)
2. Video taping of midterm dialogue (70 pts.)
3. Idiomatic phrases assignment (20 pts.)
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