Simultaneous interpretation and translation examination

At present, the training of simultaneous interpretation talents in China is mainly accomplished through master's degree education, mainly the master's degree in simultaneous interpretation. The enrollment scale of formal academic education is small, the training period is relatively long, and the entry threshold is high, which can not meet the needs of a large number of talents who already have a certain English foundation but want to master simultaneous interpretation skills quickly and enter the simultaneous interpretation industry.

In addition to being able to communicate in English without obstacles, candidates should also be proficient in two working language systems. In addition, simultaneous interpretation has very high professional requirements for practitioners, such as professional knowledge, flexibility, psychological quality, physical quality and so on. If you want to know something about finance, economy, manufacturing, municipal administration and environmental protection, you should also know the accents of some non-native English speakers, such as the characteristics and ways in which Latin Americans and Indians speak English.

There are few universities in China that can train simultaneous interpreters. The earliest place to train simultaneous interpreters in China was the "Training Course for United Nations Interpreters" (now it has been changed to the Advanced Translation Institute). It is a cooperative training project jointly organized by the United Nations and the Government of China on 1980. Because of the strict requirements, there are only 10 official interpreters in each session, and students will go to Brussels for training after passing the exam. Most of the graduates of this class have done simultaneous interpretation in the United Nations.

Due to the high professional requirements of simultaneous interpretation and the shortage of teachers, only a few foreign language colleges in China cultivate and recruit simultaneous interpretation talents at the postgraduate level. Some social training schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other cities offer simultaneous interpretation courses. The enrollment situation of Beiwai and Shangwai is introduced as follows.

It is reported that there are currently more than 2,000 professional simultaneous interpreters in the world. China lacks simultaneous interpreters. According to incomplete statistics, there are only about 25-30 professional simultaneous interpreters, mostly in metropolises with frequent international exchanges such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In recent years, simultaneous interpretation has been listed as one of the talents in short supply. Due to the shortage of food, simultaneous interpretation in the buyer's market will naturally cost a lot. According to professionals, excellent translators can earn 800 dollars a day, and ordinary translators can earn 4000 yuan. Simultaneous interpretation is regarded as one of the "golden collar" industries with the highest gold content.

Demand exceeds supply, and high salary attracts many envious and chasing eyes. How to test simultaneous interpretation? What professional qualities should an applicant have? Is there any relevant qualification examination and training in China? Many people know little about it and are eager to know it. Recently, the author interviewed the admissions officers and related experts of simultaneous interpretation in Beijing Foreign Studies University and Shanghai International Studies University on these issues.

How to receive professional training in simultaneous interpretation

Due to the high professional requirements of simultaneous interpretation and the shortage of teachers, only a few foreign language colleges in China cultivate and recruit simultaneous interpretation talents at the postgraduate level. Some social training schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other cities offer simultaneous interpretation courses, such as New Oriental School. The enrollment situation of Beijing Foreign Studies University and Shanghai Foreign Studies University is introduced as follows.

Simultaneous interpretation is the most difficult translation in all kinds of translation activities, and not everyone is competent. The person in charge of the office of Beijing Foreign Studies University told the author that it is not easy for an interpreter to listen and translate continuously in the tense environment of international conferences. To learn this skill well, you need to have certain conditions, such as strong English listening and speaking ability, good English and Chinese pronunciation and intonation, quick thinking, quick response and interest in international issues. In addition to being able to communicate in English without obstacles, candidates must also be proficient in two working language systems. In addition, simultaneous interpretation has very high professional requirements for practitioners, such as professional knowledge, flexibility, psychological quality, physical quality and so on. If you want to know something about finance, economy, manufacturing, municipal administration and environmental protection, you should also know the accents of some non-native English speakers, such as the characteristics and ways in which Latin Americans and Indians speak English.

Interpretation major is an applied graduate student, and the examination is different from other majors, which is very practical. According to the author's understanding, most of the entrance examinations are not listed in the bibliography, and the written examinations do not test theoretical knowledge. The contents of written test are mostly practical contents such as paragraph rewriting, filling in the blanks, writing, English-Chinese two-way translation and comprehensive knowledge test. These all depend on the examinee's usual knowledge accumulation and ability training.

Another particularity of the exam is that the major is mainly based on the candidates' re-examination results. In addition to passing the written test, the oral test, that is, the second interview, is the most important thing in selecting talents. Only the second interview can objectively examine English listening comprehension and oral expression ability.

It is understood that the re-examination content includes:

1 visual translation: translate an English manuscript orally into Chinese.

Retelling: First listen to the English recording twice (time: 3-5 minutes, you can take notes), and then repeat what you have heard in English.

3 interview.

External re-inspection includes:

1 speech: choose one of several topics provided by the examination Committee and give an impromptu speech for 2-3 minutes.

Retelling: Listen to the speech 1-2 minutes, and then retell the speech in your own words in another language.

Visual translation: Listen to a short passage, browse 1 minute, and then translate its content orally.

Q&A and dialogue. The author interviewed relevant experts on the feasibility of applying for simultaneous interpretation for non-foreign language majors. Experts believe that most domestic simultaneous interpreters are undergraduate foreign language graduates. However, many well-known international interpreters are not all "trained". For example, a well-known French interpreter is a doctor of mathematics. Colleges and universities welcome and encourage non-foreign language majors to apply, but simultaneous interpretation is the top of the pyramid after all. I hope candidates can do what they can and make rational choices, such as applying for other levels of interpretation training (business interpretation, etc.). ), so as not to return in vain and gain little.

Because this major is complicated, if you want to pass the relevant exams, you'd better have systematic professional training. In addition, according to international practice, senior United Nations personnel and experts should be invited to serve as judges. Becoming a simultaneous interpreter will never happen overnight. Internationally, there is the International Association for Simultaneous Interpretation (AIIC), an industry organization. Founded in 1953, this association is the only professional association of conference interpreters in the world. It is responsible for examining and identifying the professional qualifications and language combinations of conference interpreters, formulating their professional rules, working conditions, professional ethics and vocational training standards, popularizing the best practices of conference interpretation, and conducting collective negotiations with international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union to determine the treatment of conference interpreters. AIIC membership is widely regarded as the highest professional certification for conference interpreters. At present, AIIC has more than 2,600 members all over the world, and there are 20 members in Chinese mainland, including 5 in Shanghai.

Attachment: At present, the most authoritative simultaneous translation association in the world.

Internationally, simultaneous interpretation certification includes:

The International Association of Consultant Interpreters (IACI) is an industry organization. IACI member was founded in 1953, and is widely regarded as the highest professional certification of conference interpreters. To join IACI, you must take a two-year full-time conference interpretation major and get a master's degree from the Advanced Translation Institute. After taking part in the work, you must attend the 150-day international conference and always abide by the professional ethics of the interpretation institute. In addition, you must have more than three senior members who have served for more than five years as guarantors, and the guarantors must have worked side by side with you in a group. In a word, you don't need an exam to join IACI. IACI conducts stricter peer review on you at work.

JICS (European Commission Joint Interpretation and Conference Service) is located in Brussels, Belgium. 1985 was introduced to China, and a framework agreement was signed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, aiming at helping China to train senior translators, especially simultaneous interpreters. The selection procedure is first recommended by the provinces. The conditions for interpreters to participate in the selection are 25 to 30 years old, with 3 years of relevant work experience and bachelor degree or above in English major. You need to go through the initial test, the second test and the final interview. There are only two languages at present: English and French.

In fact, the largest team of interpreters in the world is not in the United Nations, but in the European Commission. There are nearly 500 interpreters officially employed by the Interpretation Department of the European Commission, who can translate English into 19 languages. The EU signed an agreement with China. According to the promise, the EU will train a certain number of interpreters for China every year, and Sun Zhenyu, China's permanent ambassador to the WTO, is one of the best. According to the trainees, the EU pays special attention to language quality, tense usage and fluency. Since citizens of many EU member countries know at least two foreign languages, the translation of the European Commission must be very authentic in order to make people in native-speaking countries feel comfortable. Therefore, it can be said that the certificate of the interpretation department of the European Union is more weighty, and its difficulty can be imagined.

Canadian Translators and Translators' Committee (CTIC) is responsible for the implementation of the national unified translation professional certification examination. The CTIC Certification Committee is responsible for formulating certification standards and implementing examinations. The members of the Accreditation Committee are experts in translation, conference interpretation, court interpretation and terminology. 1975 Canada has a translation exam first, and then a Quebec conference interpretation exam. Any professional interpreter with 200 working days or equivalent experience can apply.

National translation qualification certification body; Interpreters Limited (NAATI), established by the federal government 1977 and headquartered in Canberra, Australia, is an internationally recognized certification body for interpretation and translation, and the only professional certification body for translation in Australia. With NAATI certification, you can be employed in all English-speaking countries in the world. Translation and interpretation in Australia are divided into four levels: assistant interpreters, translators, translators and interpreters, senior translators and conference interpreters, and senior senior translators and conference interpreters. NAATI stipulates that the basic conditions for taking the qualification examination are: interpreters must have a university diploma, and translators must have a university graduation or a corresponding work manager certificate issued by their unit or a higher education in translation. Translators of various languages can obtain NAATI's oral and translation certification in the following three ways: taking the exam organized by NAATI; Complete the translation course of Australian universities recognized by NAATI; Diploma in translation from a university outside Australia recognized by NAATI.