When the rubber meets the road, interpretation takes on the shape of an economy. The way I see it, we are given a few seconds; and we spend them to complete a handful of tasks. Lather, rinse, repeat. A few seconds may not sound like much to us, but they’re quite enough for our brains. Within that timeframe, we listen, memorize, translate, organize, then speak. These tasks cost us the resource of time and mental capacity, so let’s make them efficient.
Listening is not a problem unless we are still learning the languages. Keep conversing with them and we’ll be fine.
Memorizing while listening and talking is unnatural, which is why we have the shadowing exercise to train our working memory to do exactly that.
Translating is a skill to be accumulated over time, hence this newsletter.
Organizing simpler speeches save us precious time. This is an art in itself.
Speaking quickly helps in some cases, but clarity cannot be compromised.
We continue to hone our skills so we can utilize our resources efficiently and interpret comfortably. New interpreters can also do a great job by following the practices, sticking to simpler speeches, and, believe it or not, relaxing.