I am also reading Is that a Fish in Your Ear? by David Bellos – one of the best books on
translation around. Actually, this book isn't just
about translation; it's about language and meaning, and even what it is to be
human. In this book, Bellos addresses the issue of language proficiency, which
prompted me to write this post.
One of the most
important issues when dealing with prospective interpreting students is their language
proficiency level. It seems that people in general overestimate their proficiency
in their second (or third) language or do not know the level of proficiency
required to enter the fields of translation and, more specifically,
interpretation.
In one chapter
of the book, Bellos calls the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals an unprecedented
event that led to the modern practice of interpretation. He describes how
interpretation services were rendered during those trials, including the
composition of the various interpreting teams and the recognition of
simultaneous interpreting as one of the most exhausting things one can do to a
human brain. As Nuremburg showed, high-speed language transfer is one of the
main difficulties interpreters face, paired with the fact that politicians and
diplomats in general do not use simple sentences but rather “sausage-like
strings of evasive circumlocutions.”
This first generation of modern
interpreters came from unique circumstances. In a typical case, an interpreter would
have been the child of refugees from countries such as Russia, who was brought up
in a far-flung place like Shanghai. He or she studied in schools like the Lycée
Français, and learned English along the way. Due to their terrible
circumstances, these children might have had time to acquire outstanding levels
of language proficiency while awaiting a US visa before going to college in New
York. These were unique circumstances,
indeed. So conference interpreters, as Bellos rightly indicates, are individuals
belonging to a rare breed – fast talking yet good listeners “who must be both
alert and relaxed, able to tolerate unspeakable boring harangues but also quick
to pick up the gist when something entirely new comes on the agenda.” But the
foundation for these rare individuals is truly exceptional language
skills.
Andrew Clifford, the Chair
of the School of Translation at Glendon College discusses the language skills interpreters
need today in this video. In it, he talks about key ideas about the profile of
an aspiring interpreter, among which I’d like to stress the concepts near-native fluency, extended stays, several years, and love of
life-time learning. Few individuals grow up in fully bilingual environments
– and there are probably not enough of them to meet the diverse needs and
demands for their skills. Of course, language proficiency alone is not enough
to succeed as a student of interpretation or later as a professional
interpreter. But the challenge today is how to help the many motivated students
to reach the advanced levels of language proficiency needed to be able to learn
interpretation and perform at a professional level. In a nutshell, the level of
proficiency required to be an interpreter is acquired over time and it takes
individuals with exceptional qualities. Interpreters indeed belong to a rare
breed.
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