Subtypes of Professional Interpretation

Professional interpretation can be official – both oral and written. The first is performed during talks, conferences, summit meetings, when the interpreter has special authority to do so; the second is a finished and thoroughly polished translation (usually the translation of official documents), edited and compared and collated by both sides so that both texts – original and translation were authentic and had equal judicial power.

Official interpretation is performed by a person, having corresponding authorities and having necessary knowledge and skills.

Non-official interpretation may be aimed at giving the interpretation variant very close to adequate, which is possible in given circumstances.

E.g.: you’re unexpectedly invited to the prosecutor’s to help with interpreting of the indictment or the first acquaintance of the suspect with the case. You often have neither dictionaries, nor possibility to get a detailed consultation, or time to do so. Therefore, you notify in advance the official persons, that your interpretation will be unofficial, and prepare the translation from the sheet, leaving out or translating descriptively the terms unknown to you. Then, as a rule, in the presence of the criminal investigator or attorney you read the translation of the indictment to a suspected foreigner, also informing him, that your translation is unofficial, if necessary answering his questions or clarifications. Later on the indictment is translated in a written form with observing all corresponding formalities and becomes an official document, attached to investigation records.

Questions for discussion:

1. What are two stages of the interpretation process?

2. How do we extract the meaningful units?

3. What are the prerequisites of satisfactory interpretation?

4. Speak on the types of noises.

5. Speak on quess and intuition.

6. Why should we see the speaker?

7. What does the “automatism of synthesis” mean?

8. Why is the so called “complicated speech” simplier for interpretation?

9. What are the constituents of interpretation typology?

10. What are the constituents of training and real interpretation?

11. What is the difference between official and non-official interpretation?

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