Back To Basics: Translation

It's good to get back to basics, and this workshop allows working  (and new) interpreters a chance to break down the essential process of taking thoughts and words in one language and rendering them into another.  you know.... our job.  By definition, "Interpretation" happens on the fly, while "translation" is done over time.  While interpreters don't have this luxury of time that is available to translators, interpreters can benefit from slowing down, and experiencing the full translation process.  This workshop covers text analysis (Information, emotion, central ideas, intention meta-linguistic elements), collaboration, and self-analysis.  Though lecture, discussion, and activities, participants will have the chance to imagine what it would be like to have a full day, a full week, or even just a full. minute, to process language.  By getting back to basics, interpreters will (re-) discover what parts of the complete translation process can influence and enhance interpretation. 

Educational Objectives:

• Differentiate between translation and interpretation
• Describe the essential differences between ASL and English that make translation difficult
• Review the basic forms of ASL grammar, including "Topic Comment" and "Big to Small"
• Perform linguistic text analysis, identifying information, emotion, central ideas, intentions
• Identify meta-linguistic elements, including framing, linguistically-induced information and register
• Practice collaborative methods, and how to adapt those to interpreter/team setting
• Practice self-analysis, learning tools to determining fidelity between source and target languages
• Identify translation practices that benefit on-the-spot interpreting

Presented in Spoken English by Alek Lev