Logical Analysis

As far as possible, the interpreter should proceed to a logical analysis of the speech while it is being made, and take his notes accordingly. This implies that divisions and subdivisions which are seldom apparent, except with the best of speakers, should be brought out and duly classified. Since capital letters, underlining, the surrounding of words with a square or a circle, are generally used for other purposes for which they can hardly be replaced, the most convenient thing is to take highly synoptic notes, and in particular to leave margins of varying widths. This method proves more valuable still when the interpreter is informed only at the end of the speech that he should make his interpretation much shorter than had been expected – which very frequently happens at the end of a meeting, when the audience is tired. Many interpreters also draw a horizontal line across the page to separate various sections of the same speech.

Such a logical analysis is often strenuous, and careful preparation is a necessity. The aspirant interpreter may go through it by himself by taking a few pages of a book, possibly philosophical, where the ideas are presented with very little method, and practice transcribing them into clear and logical interpreter’s notes. With sufficient practice, this comes to be done almost automatically.