You take notes in class, notes at business meetings, and notes at conferences, but do you ever take notes while on the job? For professional interpreters, you may.
Not to simply be memorized and regurgitated later, an interpreter’s notes are both written and used simultaneously. They are designed to aid the interpreter in remembering the significant elements of the conversation, such as numbers, names, and places. Even more unique, an interpreter’s notes are often not composed strictly or even mostly of words, but frequently contain symbols and other visual clues to show the relationship between elements in a sentence or between people.
An interpreter’s notes are most often used for consecutive interpretation, and the style of note-taking is up to the interpreter. No formal system exists. Importantly, an interpreter should not become distracted with taking notes to the point that his or her attention lapses. In addition, it is important to be thoroughly familiar with all of the abbreviations, symbols, and other visual clues an interpreter uses when taking notes so as to be able to read the notes and understand them without delay.
It is a balance between listening, remembering, and writing down key points, but the interpreter should typically use notes as a last resort. An interpreter should feel comfortable in knowing how much he or she can realistically remember at one time, and depending on the type of interpretation assignment and the situation, may feel free to ask the speaker to pause at certain points in order to render the consecutive interpretation.
Notes, however, can prove useful when the interpretation involves a number of challenging names, many numbers and figures, and a variety of locations. In such a case, an interpreter may prefer to take notes even when such notes may normally not be necessary. It is a good idea for the interpreter to always be prepared for note taking by bringing a small notebook, taking notes, and crossing notes out once they have been interpreted.
Should you take notes in the source or target language? Since the notes are primarily visual, what text is written will generally be names, dates, places, and other key points which can’t be expressed using symbols. In such cases, it may prove easier to take the notes in the language being spoken and then to sight interpret those notes as necessary.
Above all, whatever method of note taking you choose and whatever form those notes take, it is crucial to be consistent with the style, method, and use of your notes, since not needing to think about what your notes mean, what symbol you should use to represent a concept, or worrying about what language in which to write a word means you have more time and attention for the speaker and recipient, which is ultimately the most important of all.
Do you have tips or suggestions for interpreters who want to take notes during consecutive interpretation assignments? Let us know in the comments below!
