What is simultaneous interpretation?

Simultaneous interpretation means that the interpreter uses special simultaneous interpretation equipment to sit in a soundproof simultaneous interpretation room, commonly known as a "box", while listening to the continuous speech of the source language through headphones, and at the same time translating all the information expressed by the speaker in the target language into the microphone accurately and completely, and the translated language output is transmitted through the microphone. Participants who need interpretation services can tune into their own language channels through receiving devices and listen to the corresponding target language output through headphones.

After the end of World War II, the international court established in Nuremberg, Germany, used simultaneous interpretation for the first time in the trial of fascist war criminals, which is also the first time in the world to use simultaneous interpretation in large-scale international activities.

Simultaneous interpretation is one of the most difficult translation activities, and it is often called the highest realm of foreign language majors.

The highest-paid "hourly worker" can earn four or five thousand yuan a day.

Among the 54 industries listed in the "Guiding Wage Price for Part-time Employees" recently released by Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau, simultaneous interpretation ranks first with the highest price of 2,000 yuan per hour.

The reporter of Beijing Morning Post found a translation company in Beijing and asked for the price list of simultaneous interpretation: 1 day1.20,000 ~ 2 1 10,000 RMB, English,1.80,000 RMB, not English. Generally, two or three interpreters are required to form a simultaneous interpretation team to work alternately. The above price is the translation price of a team for one day. Based on this, the minimum income of simultaneous interpretation is 4000 yuan per day.

"A day's salary for simultaneous interpreters is equivalent to a month's income for a white-collar worker. They can earn five or six thousand yuan a day. " The teachers of New Oriental said.

Yu Yang, a simultaneous interpreter of China Foreign Translation Publishing Company, told reporters that their salary for attending a one-day conference is 5,000 yuan, while the salary for some conferences is higher. When meetings are busy, such as March-July, September-65438+February, the schedule is often full, and some meetings need to be booked more than one month in advance. "Excellent translators can earn 40,000 yuan or more a month at the peak of the conference, so it is not surprising that excellent translators earn 500,000 yuan or more a year." Yu Yang said.

Lu Jiaxiang, who has many years' experience in simultaneous interpretation and worked as an interpreter for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said with a smile in an interview with Beijing Youth Daily reporter that there are not so many, but he admitted that this is a high-paying profession. "Take Beijing as an example. At present, the remuneration paid to simultaneous interpreters is generally 4000 yuan per day, which is the average income of three people in each group. If you complete the translation task independently without an assistant, the maximum amount can reach more than 10 thousand yuan per day. The time is calculated according to the 8-hour working day, from the beginning of the meeting to four hours, which is half a day, and from four hours to eight hours, which is a day. In addition, the customer will pay the accommodation, air tickets, ground transportation and other related expenses for simultaneous interpretation. In general, the income is still considerable. "

Not short of money, but short of people.

Simultaneous interpretation talents are scarce all over the world and one of the most difficult talents to train. There are more than 2,000 professional simultaneous interpreters in the world, especially in China. According to incomplete statistics, there are about 30 professional simultaneous interpreters in China. As for the international popular professional simultaneous interpreters who are good at economy, trade, science and technology, politics and law, there is still a blank.

With the increasing communication between China and the world and the improvement of China's international status, no matter where international conferences are held now, Chinese is indispensable, and simultaneous interpretation from China is indispensable. There are international conferences almost every day in the world, and more and more international conferences are held in China. It can be said that simultaneous translation is huge in both domestic and international markets. It is said that the European Union and Australia even asked China to train them in simultaneous interpretation, and the market prospect of simultaneous interpretation is becoming more and more promising.

The demand for simultaneous interpretation has increased exponentially, but the number of qualified simultaneous interpretation has increased very slowly. According to reports, at present, professional simultaneous interpreters are mainly concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. There are not many simultaneous interpreters who hold international conferences in other cities, so they need to be hired from Beijing and Shanghai. Yu Yang told the Beijing Morning Post that he had done simultaneous interpretation in Shanghai, xiamen, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Harbin, Wuxi, Changshu and Xi 'an. During the one-hour conversation with reporters, he was invited to attend three meetings, but due to the time conflict, he finally accepted only one of them. Many enterprises or institutions are looking for excellent simultaneous interpreters with high salaries, but it is often difficult to get enough.

If you want to do simultaneous interpretation, the word "difficult"

The reason why simultaneous interpretation can get absolute high salary is because there are few talents, and the reason why there are few talents is because it is "difficult". It is too difficult to do simultaneous interpretation.

The first condition for obtaining the qualification of simultaneous interpretation is to pass the advanced translation qualification examination, and then try "simultaneous interpretation". After that, it's entry. In fact, passing the primary translation qualification examination is equivalent to TEM-8 for English majors. Judging from the four examinations conducted in the past two years, the passing rate is less than 10%, and those who have passed the advanced translation qualification are rare. On this basis, the choice of "simultaneous interpretation" can be said to be the pinnacle. A teacher from the School of Advanced Translation at Beijing Foreign Studies University said.

Teacher Wu Xiaocui, who is in charge of simultaneous interpretation teaching in beijing language and culture university, told the Beijing Morning Post that the major of simultaneous interpretation in beijing language and culture university only recruits 15 graduate students every year, and their courses are also very elaborate. "First, practice your mother tongue, follow the news broadcast, and then practice the follow-up reading in other languages. Stick to 15 minutes every day to ensure that 1 is good; Then practice translation for three semesters. " Teacher Wu showed the reporter the specific process of three semesters. In the first semester, he took out the manuscript and translated it. Then enter the translation box, conduct translation training, and adjust your words, sentences and pronunciation. In the second semester, the teacher trained to react quickly. At this time, the teacher did not provide the manuscript. After reading it, the students enter the translation box to listen to the sound and translate. In the third semester, there is no manuscript and translation. We speak in the form of interview or discussion, and students translate directly. "This kind of training process is summed up by the Japanese authorities and is very effective in improving students' ability. "

The teacher of Beijing Foreign Studies University told the reporter that even with such harsh requirements, there are not many graduate students who can engage in simultaneous interpretation after graduation. "The threshold for simultaneous interpretation is quite high. You can only enter this industry after receiving relevant training or passing the certificate of simultaneous interpretation at the postgraduate level, "Yu Yang told reporters. "When choosing simultaneous interpreters, companies or customers attach great importance to the meeting experience they have participated in. If an inexperienced interpreter has just graduated from school, he has little capital to enter the simultaneous interpretation circle. "

In addition to having mature conference experience, entering the simultaneous interpretation industry also requires good interpersonal relationships. Teacher Wu Xiaocui agrees with this very much. "Someone must take you into simultaneous interpretation."

Can only succeed, can't make mistakes.

At present, there is no fixed institution in China responsible for the related issues of simultaneous translation, and there is no unified standard to evaluate the work of simultaneous translation. Whether simultaneous translation is competent or not will be directly evaluated by the parties to the conference he serves. After the conference, organizers, conference presidents, experts and delegations from China and other countries will express their gratitude for the simultaneous interpretation. If you think your work is excellent, they will give warm praise, and some will directly invite you to cooperate with them next time. If the simultaneous translation is not good, there will be reactions at the meeting, including stamping, coughing and talking.

"Outsiders look at simultaneous interpretation and think that we are a group of people at the top of the pyramid. We went to luxury hotels to attend international conferences, and our income in January was higher than others. However, it is unusual to enter the simultaneous interpretation industry, and the pressure in the industry is well known. You can't fail here. " Yu Yang told reporters.

Yu Yang recalled to reporters a failed simultaneous interpretation. It was at an international economic forum. At that time, an interpreter who worked with him was inexperienced, and many terms were not translated correctly during the translation process, and he was not sure about the content of the representative's speech, so the translated content was rather confusing. After the meeting, a foreign guest complained angrily: "I spent150 thousand yuan to bring my skilled workers to the meeting, but we didn't know anything because of the translation problem. This loss is irreparable."

Yu Yang believes that this is also the cruelty of this industry. If you experience a failure, it will not only cause economic and mental losses to the delegates, but also create psychological obstacles for translators in future translation, and fewer customers are willing to find him. So in a general meeting, there are two or three simultaneous interpreters 15 minutes to half an hour, and then you need to change partners. Because once the brain is tired, it is difficult to adapt to such high-speed and high-pressure operation.

Simultaneous interpretation should also pay attention to small details. The movements in the translation box should be quiet, because the Mike in the translation box is very sensitive, and even the sound of turning pages gently is a huge noise to the delegates, so translators should try to avoid small moves or bumps, and female translators should even prevent wearing big earrings to avoid noise.

Make an appointment in advance with a daily salary of 5000 yuan: reveal the occupation of simultaneous interpretation

2005 10 month

27 China members of the International Association of Conference Interpreters.

Investigation background

Only 27 people have obtained international qualifications, mainly in Beijing and Shanghai.

"Outsiders look at simultaneous interpretation and think that we are a group of people at the top of the pyramid. We went to luxury hotels to attend international conferences, and our income in January was higher than others. However, it is unusual to enter the simultaneous interpretation industry, and the pressure in the industry is well known. You can't fail here. " Yu Yang, a simultaneous interpreter of China Foreign Translation Publishing Company, told this reporter.

Simultaneous interpretation has been facing the market for a long time, but in the eyes of many people, it is still a mysterious profession. The reporter visited a number of colleges and universities that interpret and cultivate simultaneous interpretation. They all told reporters: "It is lucky to enter simultaneous interpretation, but it is a challenge to stick to it."

Simultaneous interpretation and work: simultaneous interpretation challenges mental and physical strength.

■ Time delay: both length and length are risky.

When the time is prolonged, the interpreter's short-term memory burden is heavy, and when the time delay is short, the sentence understanding may be insufficient.

165438+1October 12, at the international soil seminar, the reporter felt the charm of simultaneous interpretation. As soon as the speaker begins to speak, the audience can hear speeches in almost the same speed and different languages through headphones.

"Under normal circumstances, there will be a time delay of 2 to 3 seconds from the speaker's speech to the interpreter's interpretation. Some translations will follow closely, and the delay is relatively short; Yu Yang, a simultaneous interpreter of China Foreign Translation Publishing Company, told reporters: "Some interpreters started late and used them for a relatively long time." . "A long delay can help them master the structure and overall meaning of the sentence well, but its risk is that the continuous influx of information may cause a greater burden on the short-term memory of the interpreter; On the other hand, a short time delay has less pressure on the interpreter's short-term memory, but he faces the risk that he may not fully understand the sentence as a whole and is prone to rash advance. Although the strategies are different, it is hard to say which form is better, and it should be chosen according to the different characteristics and habits of translators. "

Interpreters are very receptive to information, that is, they quickly absorb the content of the speech, organize the language in their brains, and blurt it out quickly. Ran Xu, who has just entered the threshold of simultaneous interpretation after studying abroad, said: "What simultaneous interpreters need most is short-term memory. Think of one thing, say it at once. If too much content is stored in your brain, your brain will explode.

■ Phonetic accent: the biggest headache for translators.

Speaking with a strong dialect accent and speaking too fast is a test for translators and their partners.

At an international conference held in Shanghai, Feng, a simultaneous interpreter, met a representative from China, who spoke very fast and had a strong Shanghai accent. "What he said is not Mandarin, but Shanghai Mandarin. This accent problem is a headache for interpreters, but we have to deal with it. " According to Feng's own experience, because of his poor accent and speed of speech, he would inevitably hear a word wrong, but when he said the next sentence, he quickly understood the meaning of the word and adjusted it quickly.

At an ASEAN-8 international conference attended by Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Bangladesh, Yu Yang met foreign representatives with strong English pronunciation, and Yang Yuxiao called some foreign representatives "interpreters". "The representative of one of the countries almost didn't recognize the British, but the representative spoke with passion, which made my partner and I quite complain."

The representative speaks too fast, which also gives the translator a headache. At the international power and energy summit forum, one representative spoke like a machine gun because of the limited speaking time. "Some delegates ignored the translation, so we had to adapt to the rhythm. Later, a China guest on the stage came to see us during a break to show his understanding of our heavy work. He said not to translate it into English. Even the representative's Chinese speech is too fast to keep up. "

■ Work partner: Success or failure lies in cooperation.

When a person translates, his partner can help him remember some numbers or difficult concepts.

Ran Xu said: "In a general meeting, there are two simultaneous interpreters, each of whom works 15 minutes to half an hour, and then needs to change partners. Because once the brain is tired, it is difficult to adapt to such high-speed and high-pressure operation. "

"It is very important to choose a good partner when translating. Sometimes it means that when an interpreter speaks some numbers or concepts that are not easy to remember, his partner may help him record some key figures on paper, which can help other interpreters to some extent. " Yu Yang recalled to the reporter the story of a partner's failure that he knew. At an international economic forum, a translator who worked with him at that time was inexperienced, and many terms were not translated correctly during the translation process. The content of the representative's speech was not well grasped, so the translated content was very confusing. After the meeting, a foreign guest complained angrily: "I spent150 thousand yuan to bring my skilled workers to the meeting, but we didn't know anything because of the translation problem. This loss is irreparable."

Yu Yang believes that this is also the cruelty of this industry. If you experience a failure, it will not only cause economic and mental losses to the delegates, but also create psychological obstacles for the translators themselves in future translation, and fewer customers are willing to find him.

Simultaneous interpretation should also pay attention to small details. The movements in the translation box should be quiet, because the Mike in the translation box is very sensitive, even the sound of turning pages gently is a huge noise to the delegates, so translators should try to avoid small moves or bumps, and female translators should even avoid wearing big earrings to avoid noise.

Income from simultaneous interpretation: an annual income of 500,000 yuan is common.

The interpreter's salary for meetings is 5000 yuan per day. During the peak period of meetings, the schedule is very full.

The reporter learned from the teachers of New Oriental School that the salary of a simultaneous interpreter is equivalent to the income of a white-collar worker for one month. "They can earn five or six thousand a day, but they may work two days a month because there are not so many international conferences to attend." The teacher of New Oriental Teaching Band 6 joked.

Yu Yang told reporters that what the teacher said a few years ago may be true, because there were really not so many international conferences at that time, but now his meetings seem to be in a hurry. "My salary for attending a one-day meeting is 5,000 yuan, and the salary for some meetings will be higher. When meetings are busy, such as March to July and September to 65438+February, the schedule is often very full, and some meetings need to be booked more than one month in advance, "Yu Yang said. "The monthly income of excellent translators can reach 40,000 yuan or more at the peak of the conference, so it is not surprising that the annual income of excellent translators is 500,000 yuan or more."

According to the professional website of simultaneous interpretation, at present, professional simultaneous interpretation is mainly concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and there are few simultaneous interpretation in other cities to hold international conferences, so it needs to be hired from Beijing and Shanghai. Yu Yang told reporters that Shanghai, xiamen, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Harbin, Wuxi, Changshu, Xi and other cities have all been there and have done simultaneous interpretation. When the reporter talked to him, he was invited to attend three meetings within an hour, but because of the time conflict, he finally accepted only one of them.

Noun interpretation: simultaneous interpretation

It means that with the help of special equipment, the information content in the source language is almost synchronously and accurately translated into the target language. The international practice is to work in groups of three for three hours, rest for two hours and then work for three hours.

Translation frame

Simultaneous interpretation requires a special set of simultaneous interpretation equipment to convey the required language to many participants. International conference simultaneous interpretation equipment is mainly composed of three parts: host, translator and receiver. Sometimes a "translation box" is needed to maintain good translation sound effects. The interpreter listened to the representative's speech and translated it into different languages.

Simultaneous interpretation and training: choose the best among the best, and reach the peak.

The first condition for obtaining the qualification of simultaneous interpretation is to pass the advanced translation qualification examination, and then try simultaneous interpretation.

■ Three semesters of rigorous training

Wu Xiaocui, a teacher in charge of simultaneous interpretation teaching in beijing language and culture university, told the reporter that the major of simultaneous interpretation in beijing language and culture university only recruits 15 graduate students every year, and their courses are also very elaborate. "First, practice your mother tongue, follow the news broadcast, and then practice the follow-up reading in other languages. Stick to 15 minutes every day to ensure that 1 is good; Then practice translation for three semesters. " Teacher Wu showed the reporter the specific process of three semesters. In the first semester, he took out the manuscript and translated it. Then he enters the translation box, conducts translation training, and adjusts his words, sentences and pronunciation. In the second semester, the teacher trained to react quickly. At this time, the teacher did not provide the manuscript. After reading it, the students enter the translation box to listen to the sound and translate. In the third semester, there is no manuscript and translation. We speak in the form of interview or discussion, and students translate directly. "This kind of training process is summed up by the Japanese authorities and is very effective in improving students' ability.

■ Passing the "high transfer" exam is the first level.

A teacher from the School of Advanced Translation at Beijing Foreign Studies University said that senior translators and interpreters hold high positions. Judging from the way of training advanced simultaneous interpretation in Beijing Foreign Studies University, the qualification to join the "simultaneous interpretation" study is to pass the advanced translation qualification examination. Passing this interactive exam is only the first step, and then we have to try "simultaneous interpretation". After that, you can get started. In fact, passing the primary translation qualification examination is equivalent to TEM-8 for English majors. Judging from the four examinations conducted in the past two years, the passing rate is less than 10%, and those who have passed the advanced translation qualification are rare. On this basis, the choice of "simultaneous interpretation" can be said to be the pinnacle.

● Threshold of simultaneous interpretation

Meeting experience is capital.

Teacher Wu Xiaocui advocates that simultaneous interpreters should have high language skills, including organizing language, standardizing words, translating quickly, expressing easily and enjoying reading. "People who like reading books will involve different knowledge. When attending conferences in various fields, interpreters must also participate."

The teacher of Beijing Foreign Studies University told the reporter that not many graduate students who read simultaneous interpretation can engage in simultaneous interpretation after graduation.

"The threshold for simultaneous interpretation is quite high. You can only enter this industry after receiving relevant training or passing the certificate of simultaneous interpretation at the postgraduate level, "Yu Yang told reporters. "When choosing simultaneous interpreters, companies or customers attach great importance to the meeting experience they have participated in. If an inexperienced interpreter has just graduated from school, he has little capital to enter the simultaneous interpretation circle. "

In addition to having mature conference experience, entering the simultaneous interpretation industry also requires good interpersonal relationships. Teacher Wu Xiaocui agrees with this very much. "Someone must take you into simultaneous interpretation."

International certification is very demanding. Most interpreters recognize the International Association of Conference Interpreters. However, the reporter saw from its website that only 27 people in China became members of the association, including Beijing 17 and Shanghai 10. In the rules for joining the association, the reporter learned that the applicant must have more than 150 days of international conference experience and have worked with three association members at the same time, which requires the approval of the association members. "It's very demanding, because the members of these associations are top interpreters, and they need opportunities to partner with them. The first is the improvement of one's own ability. A successful 150-day international conference is enough to temper an immature interpreter. At the same time, it is not easy to achieve this step, "Yu Yang told reporters. "It can be achieved, because the better the interpreter circle, the smaller the circle, and everyone in the circle knows it.

● Simultaneous interpretation and linking

Shortage of teachers

Due to the high professional requirements of simultaneous interpretation, there is a shortage of teachers in China. Professional websites show that only a few universities in China, such as Beijing Foreign Studies University, Shanghai International Studies University and Guangzhou University of Foreign Studies, offer professional training courses in simultaneous interpretation. It is reported that there is a great shortage of simultaneous interpreters at present, especially frontier interpreters.

Teacher Liu from Beijing Foreign Studies University told reporters that they have not had enough teachers to offer simultaneous interpretation. "Because many teachers usually need reference books for translation, and simultaneous interpretation needs to give up reference books for direct translation, the ability requirements for both languages are too high, and a very good environment is needed to train simultaneous interpreters."

United Nations translation relay

In the United Nations, English, French, Spanish and Russian are all translated in pairs, because these languages are all translated in one direction, that is, the English translation box is only responsible for translating all other languages that the box can understand into English for the audience, and so on, but the translation boxes of these four languages are generally not responsible for translating Chinese and Arabic into their own boxes. This requires that Chinese and Arabic boxes should be translated into English or French respectively, and the translators of the first four language boxes should be translated into their own boxes. This is called "translation relay"; At this time, if the first translation is English, then the English frame will not work.