Listening

Talks and Conversation

23-26

Welcome to my lecture on interpreting. Interpreting is relatively a new area of research.

It is all too often subsumed under the heading of translation. For example, many translators’ associations include interpreters. Many books on translation include a section on interpreting. Many translators do some interpreting work, and vice versa. Of course, there is an overlap between the two areas that are so alike and yet so different.

All of this means that interpretation is still in the process of establishing itself as a discipline in its own right.

My aiming of this lecture is to provide an overview of interpretation to anyone interested in interpreting in general or indeed in becoming an interpreter.

For years, I’ve been collecting information about international and regional organizations in this field. I was quite surprised by some of the results of the questionnaire.

Firstly, with the exceptions of the European Union and United Nations, the actual number of interpreters employed by many organizations is quite small.

Secondly, I have not found any support for the common notion that interpreters do not have a life-long career that they work solidly for 5 years or so, earning quite a lot of money and then disappear into the sunset. On the contrary, they continue to work as an interpreter until retiring age, and, in some cases, beyond it.

Thirdly, English is the international language of business and is used in broad rooms and at business meets throughout the world. English is also the international language’s science. In the 1960s and 1970s of the last century when foreign languages were not widely taught, many international conferences needed interpreters. Nowadays, most educated people learn foreign languages. And as a result, the need for interpreter at this type of meetings has diminished.

Q23: Who are most likely interested in the lecture?

Q24: Which of the following is not true about interpreting?

Q25: What is the common notion about interpreters? 

Q26: What accounts for the smaller number of conference interpreters today?

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