Analysis of the role of the interpreter

The performance of the interpreter in the video can be said to have been very satisfactory, since the main objective of what interpreting is was accomplished.

I consider that the fluency and spontaneity that the interpreter showed also displayed the attitude and the message that the speaker wanted to convey, not only with his speech but also with his body movement and language.

I would say that the interpreter was trying not to eclipse the speaker's intervention, so she used a very soft tone of voice. I think that, for the sake of understanding and an easier task of listening, she could have used a louder tone without being exaggerated.

The interpreter displayed experience, mastery of the task, she looked prepared, secure and I think the speaker felt comfortable with the interpretation of his speech by her.

Which activities do you think could help you improve your interpreting skills and why?

Being a good interpreter takes a lot. Here you are some activities that may help you improve:

• Doing memory exercises that increase the ability for improvising, retrieving information and recalling. This is very important because when the interpreter is working, there's no time for things like taking notes, reading cards or giving yourself time to think about what to say.
• Reading a lot and keeping yourself updated with different topics.
• Training yourself on locating info and understanding it in the least time since interpreting sometimes does not give space to thinking for so long.
• Being a good public speaker
• Not letting yourself be freaked out by the situation when things go wrong, which means try to rehearse at home, have lots of practice on delivering speeches, train on improvisation, etc.

Set up and Logistics for specific events

Two steps to remember something for a long time!

1. Try to make connections between what you're trying to remember and something funny, weird or unusual. The use of 'pegs' makes it easier for you! Besides, making great effort to remember things mechanically only works for short periods. If you try to recall them after a longer period, for sure you won't be able to do so!
2. If what you try to remember are words or terms, try to use them as much as possible. As long as they have a meaning for you, your mind will immediately get rid of them. The idea here is to make them part of your daily life so that one day those things are unconsciously inside and there's no need to remember!

Five key components to be a good interpreter!

Interpreting? Translating? Are they the same thing? That's the question one always asks... but it isn't our concern now. What makes this post to be written is thinking deeply about the main elements that a good interpreter must take into account in this hard task.

1. Know a bit of everything! Maybe not just a bit, but a good interpreter needs to know something about the subject matter itself, as well as being documented about several topics. The interpreter needs to be prepared, to read, to practice and to improve his day-to-day duty.

2. Speak and listen! The interpreter should be able to listen to the speaker carefully, and also be ready to give his speech taking into account accuracy, fluency and spontaneity.

3. Train your memory! A good interpreter needs to have special training on his memory, how to recall things easily and being practical when doing this task. Training your memory is not only about repeating, saying it loud and doing it over and over again just to learn something my heart. It is about being able to take advantage of the great capacities of the human brain, but it requires practice, exercising and time!

4. Being the speaker's voice! I consider this one one of the most important things to be taken into account when interpreting. The interpreter can use some sort of strategies like paraphrasing or re-telling the original idea for the sake of efectiveness but sometimes he/she forgets the job: personal ideas do not count here. You just take the message to the right destination.

5. Be practical. When time allows, try to take advantage of the situation: take notes, choose key words that may help when interpreting, be attentive to what the speaker is saying, don't let yourself be distracted, and of course...focus all your attention in the task!