Linguists theorize that language started its life in Africa; they further postulate that while the original inhabitants spoke a similar language, migration eventually separated people to the extent that this evolved into separate tongues that were mutually unintelligible. The bible gives a slightly different account, saying that language differences are a result of human sin. Whatever the cause, there is no doubt that a multilingual world needs conference interpretation.
This is the service that restores the broken bridge between mankind, and allows people to understand each other. The practitioners focus on communication between a speaker and an audience, not one on one talk. Translation happens in real time as the speakers give their speech; there is no break. For this reason, this is sometimes referred to as simultaneous translation.
To successfully accomplish their assignment, these translators need to be as familiar with the subject being communicated as possible. They are then able to pass on the message better as compared to when they know nothing about it. The value of this can be seen particularly when the topics are highly technical. It would be impossible for anyone who knows nothing about them to pass on the message effectively or accurately.
Contrary to popular perceptions, translators are not passive players in the speech, their role akin to a marionette; they are active and highly critical members of the event. They are the guys who have to listen and understand what the speaker is saying, then translate that in a manner that makes sense to the audience without distorting what the original words were. All this has to be done in real time, something linguists refer to as syntactic linearity.
On the translator falls the additional burden of clarifying whatever the speaker has said; they provide any background information needed to make the material clear to the audience, another reason why the translator needs to be intimately acquainted with the subject matter. They are free to use whatever means necessary to do this, including a dose of humor where possible.
The more a translator works with a certain speaker, the more they understand their personality and style. If this goes on long enough, the professional can anticipate what a speaker is going to say. This makes for an extremely coordinated and effective team, and is a clear illustration why speakers tend to work with the same practitioners wherever possible.
This profession has an old history, and most people had to undertake these duties without a modicum of training. For instance, a number of people provided translation services during the post World War Two Nuremberg trials, and they had to do their best with what they had. What they learnt enriched the profession, and subsequent generations did not have to face the challenges they did.
For obvious reasons, professionals who offer conference interpretation services need to be very well acquainted with whatever languages they will be working with. This profession, of course, involves a lot more than simply translating words from one language to another; there is generally a cultural context to whatever people say, and these professionals need to be familiar with that too.
This is the service that restores the broken bridge between mankind, and allows people to understand each other. The practitioners focus on communication between a speaker and an audience, not one on one talk. Translation happens in real time as the speakers give their speech; there is no break. For this reason, this is sometimes referred to as simultaneous translation.
To successfully accomplish their assignment, these translators need to be as familiar with the subject being communicated as possible. They are then able to pass on the message better as compared to when they know nothing about it. The value of this can be seen particularly when the topics are highly technical. It would be impossible for anyone who knows nothing about them to pass on the message effectively or accurately.
Contrary to popular perceptions, translators are not passive players in the speech, their role akin to a marionette; they are active and highly critical members of the event. They are the guys who have to listen and understand what the speaker is saying, then translate that in a manner that makes sense to the audience without distorting what the original words were. All this has to be done in real time, something linguists refer to as syntactic linearity.
On the translator falls the additional burden of clarifying whatever the speaker has said; they provide any background information needed to make the material clear to the audience, another reason why the translator needs to be intimately acquainted with the subject matter. They are free to use whatever means necessary to do this, including a dose of humor where possible.
The more a translator works with a certain speaker, the more they understand their personality and style. If this goes on long enough, the professional can anticipate what a speaker is going to say. This makes for an extremely coordinated and effective team, and is a clear illustration why speakers tend to work with the same practitioners wherever possible.
This profession has an old history, and most people had to undertake these duties without a modicum of training. For instance, a number of people provided translation services during the post World War Two Nuremberg trials, and they had to do their best with what they had. What they learnt enriched the profession, and subsequent generations did not have to face the challenges they did.
For obvious reasons, professionals who offer conference interpretation services need to be very well acquainted with whatever languages they will be working with. This profession, of course, involves a lot more than simply translating words from one language to another; there is generally a cultural context to whatever people say, and these professionals need to be familiar with that too.
