Simultaneous Interpretation - Phase Two Oral
The task
You interpret continuously while the speaker talks, in both directions, at near-native speed. Graded dimensions are accuracy, completeness, target-language grammar, and delivery.
Concepts
- Ear-voice span (décalage): the gap between hearing and speaking. Too short and syntax traps you - Spanish subordinate clauses that withhold the verb, English subject-verb-object that invites premature commitment. Too long and short-term memory collapses.
- Segmentation and anticipation: predict a sentence's shape from its structure, not its content.
- Coping tactics: generalization, omission of redundancy, transcoding of names and numbers, paraphrase when no clean equivalent exists.
- Self-monitoring: track your own output while following the source.
Traps
- Word-for-word transcoding produces calques and ungrammatical output.
- Dropped negatives and modals - the costliest error in a courtroom.
- Numbers, dates, dosages, and unit conversions.
- Fast speech, reading from documents, and overlapping speakers; signal with a raised hand rather than guess.
- Adding information or silently repairing what the speaker actually said.
Worked example
Source: "Absent a showing of prejudice, the motion is denied." A short span catches "A falta de…" and strands you. Anticipate the formulaic frame (absent X, Y) and deliver: "A menos que se demuestre perjuicio, se deniega la moción."
Rule of thumb
Hold one clause, not one word. If you must choose between form and meaning, keep the meaning and drop the form.