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MISTAKES IN THE PROCESS OF SIMULTANEOUS
INTERPRETATION
Jamolov Fazliddin Nuriddin
o‘g‘li
1
st
year Master student, Simultaneous interpretation, Uzbekistan State World
Languages University
There is no any work without any mistake. As well as other professions, there
are certain mistakes of the interpreter in the process of simultaneous interpretation,
too. However, before discussing about the mistakes let us look through the difficulties
in this process. Since, mistakes are densely connected with the difficulties in any
field. So, what are the difficulties of simultaneous translation?
Firstly, the work of an interpreter in conditions of simultaneous listening and
speaking requires constant concentration of attention and continuous speaking. A
situation of split attention arises, caused by the need to constantly compare two
languages and switch from one code to another. This leads to the fact that after 20-
30 minutes of translation, the interpreter becomes tired of the articular apparatus,
self-control decreases, and serious and sometimes absurd errors appear in the
translation text, even in their native language. It is for this reason that the translator
must rest after every twenty minutes of work.
The second difficulty of simultaneous translation is connected with the speed
of the translator
’s reaction, or rather, with his reactivity. The simultaneous interpreter
is forced to instantly respond every second to the words and phrases perceived by
the ear. Otherwise, a large lag behind the speaker is very dangerous and can lead
to the final failure of the translation. On the other hand, a translator who, having heard
the first two or three words, immediately begins to translate, also runs the risk of
making a serious mistake, because phrases constructed on the fly often have clumsy
syntax and incorrect grammatical constructions.
The ability to shorten and condense live speech is one of the main skills in the
art of a simultaneous interpreter, especially when translating from Russian into
English. Of great difficulty is the mental stress associated with the
“irreversibility” of
what the speaker said into the microphone (you
won’t stop, you won’t ask to repeat)
and the
“irreversibility” of the translation (you won’t apologize and you won’t correct
it). In other words, there is no feedback from the speaker. And all this happens in
front of a large audience of listeners. It should not be forgotten that translation is
complex in itself, without any additional complicating factors. But in real life,
unfortunately, such factors take place: the speaker may have a non-standard
pronunciation, speak or, even worse, read his report at an unacceptably fast pace,
use jargon, slang or profanity. Trouble for the simultaneous interpreter if a joker
comes across. And then the translator has to make extra efforts to replace the
profanity with the normative one, to explain that the word
“grabbing” is a pun, which
for Russians is full of irony, and all this under time pressure. The already complicated
process of simultaneous translation becomes even more complicated.
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In addition to all of the above, a translator needs linguistic and speech
competence, not only in a foreign language, but also in his native language, oratory
and even literary talent, he must have excellent long-term and short-term memory,
the ability to concentrate, the ability to improvise, the ability to catch the tone and
nuances of speech and adapt to the style of the speaker, he should not have speech
defects, be able to remain neutral, and also have linguistic and regional competence,
know the culture of the country of the language being studied, without which it is
impossible to adequately understand the speech of the people of this country, and
much more. However, even with all the above knowledge and skills, translators
–
good and bad, experienced and inexperienced
– make mistakes due to the influence
of their native language, or the so-called interference. It is the interference that
“gives
away” the speaker in a non-native language and presents a huge difficulty in
translation.
The main mistakes of synchronists include the following:
quality of the translator's speech in target language.
The richer the vocabulary and style in the native language, the better the
translation into a foreign language will be.
mistakes in terminology translation.
Such errors can be avoided if translators could get acquainted with the
translation text in advance and look up terms they do not know, or better study the
topic in advance.
interference of the native language (
“clumsy” literal translation and
literalisms).
inability to clearly formulate an idea in time trouble.
the presence in the interpreter
’s speech of the so-called speech noise (sighs,
“mooing” in case of difficulties with translation, etc.) and the words of parasites “like
it means, so to speak, here, in short
”.
distortion of the meaning of the speaker's statement.
incomplete translation.
Mistakes, errors in translation always worried translators, educators and scientific
researchers. Because, sometimes a lot depends on the result of the translator
’s work,
such as the fate of a deal, a company or an entire country. There are a huge number of
examples when some trivial mistake cost the reputation of huge companies or
jeopardized the prestige of the state. Therefore, the translator must be extremely careful
when translating, and companies, in turn, need to approach the choice of a translator
with all responsibility. However, no one is immune from mistakes. For that reason, in
this thesis, we considered the main causes of translation errors in interpreting and the
main strategies and tactics for correcting them.
In conclusion, it is customary to admit and correct your own mistakes. But how?
The question is not idle. An interpreter works under time pressure
– and yet it’s worth
the time to stay true to the original. In any form of interpretation, the amendment is
either included in the subsequent context (usually if the translator released
something), or announced (if there was a significant distortion)
– then words like:
“Attention, the translation is being amended” are pronounced. In simultaneous
translation, a major correction is made during any pause, or, if it needs to be done
immediately, by shortening the text that is currently being heard. Smaller errors
–
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reservations are corrected along the way, but are necessarily accompanied by a ritual
formula of politeness
(“competence..., excuse me, competence”). Note that novice
translators are sometimes too zealous in correcting, believing that if the chosen word
is not accurate enough, and another immediately comes to mind, it is worth making
an amendment. As a result, the translation becomes inconsistent, loses its linearity,
and is difficult to perceive. So, you should get rid of this habit as soon as possible.
REFERENCES:
1. Setton R.A. Pragmatic Theory of Simultaneous Interpretation/doctoral
dissertation, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1997.
2. Snelling D. Strategies for Simultaneous Interpreting, Camponotto Editore,
Udine, 1992.
3. Visson, From Russian into English: An Introduction to Simultaneous
Interpretation. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Ardis, 1991.
4. Wills W. The Science of Translation. Problems and Methods. Tubingen:
GunterNarr, 1982.