Main aspects of oral translation

Interpretation is not an easy job, especially when we talk about synchronous interpretation. See you have to translate a person’s direct speech and in no way should you distort it.

The knowledge of the language, professional terminology and very often the slang should be very broad. On top of all of that the interpreter in such cases replaces the speaker, speaking for him/her and being in the center of public attention, which adds extra psychological pressure.

Interpretation can be either sequential, where the interpreter translates the speaker’s words in short pieces of text following the utterance of the same by the speaker or synchronous, where the speech is translated along with the speaker.

During sequential interpretation the interpreter can work with short phrases, long sentences or larger chunks of text.

In any case the volume of text needed to be memorized is not big. This type of interpretation is common during standard communication in life, office, during visits to companies, supermarkets, during informal meetings and receptions and is the most frequently used method of interpretation.

Synchronous translation is called the highest class of interpretation: for the uninitiated this type of translation is the most difficult and is surrounded by a mist of mysteriousness or even inconceivability.

This type of translation requires special and unique skills and abilities in an interpreter, as well as vast working experience.

Generally synchronous interpretation is used at such occasions as: Conferences; Seminars; Forums; Presentations

It is always used when you want the process of negotiations to be maximum saturated and to consume the least of time.

Synchronous interpretation is a totally different ball game. Good knowledge of foreign languages is not the only factor directly responsible for the success of a synchronous interpreter. His/her main problem is related to his/her reaction and more specifically to his/her responsiveness.

The synchronous translator has to react to every translated phrase, momentarily switch brains and simultaneously juggle with thoughts and understandings; this is why such interpretation scares off people with slower reaction, even if they have an excellent grip over the language.

To successfully interpret in this manner the interpreter must be proficient in languages, be knowledgeable, have good reaction, memory, ability to quickly find the most suitable option in difficult situations and foresee with sufficient amount of confidence, where the speaker is heading to. For the purpose it is necessary to know in detail the subject matter in advance and it does not mean only the terminology, but the essence of the affair.

Oral translation does not base on the availability of sufficient time on hand to think over and understand the phrases, because reconfirmation of the sense of the words said is considered to be a sign of flaw and during synchronous translation this is impossible.

Another very important task is to comprehend the tone of the speaker, to understand if he is speaking ironically or furiously, pass on his emotions or indifference, holding back your personal opinion of the participants of the discussion or the topic of discussion.

As you might have already understood that oral translation is a serious job, which not every translator can accomplish.

At Perevodim.Pro we guarantee that our experts have all the necessary professional skills and experience required to understand the essence of the speech and to quickly pass it on to the listener, opting for the best suitable words, structure and grammatical form, keeping in mind the event’s format and the emotional specter of the words uttered.

Types of translation.

Due to the continuing evolvement of the translation industry there are now certain terms used to define specialist translations that do not fall under a general category. This brief guide offers an explanation of some of the more common translation terms used.

Administrative translation.The translation of administrative texts. Although administrative has a very broad meaning, in terms of translation it refers to common texts used within businesses and organizations that are used in day to day management. It can also be stretched to cover texts with similar functions in government.

Commercial translation. Commercial translation or business translation covers any sort of document used in the business world such as correspondence, company accounts, tender documents, reports, etc. Commercial translations require specialist translators with knowledge of terminology used in the business world.

Computer translation. Not to be confused with CAT, computer assisted translations, which refer to translations carried out by software. Computer translation is the translation of anything to do with computers such as software, manuals, help files, etc.

Economic translation. Similar to commercial or business translation, economic translation is simply a more specific term used for the translation of documents relating to the field of economics. Such texts are usually a lot more academic in nature.

Financial translation. Financial translation is the translation of texts of a financial nature. Anything from banking to asset management to stocks and bonds could be covered.

General translation. A general translation is the simplest of translations. A general text means that the language used is not high level and to a certain extent could be in layman's terms. There is no specific or technical terminology used. Most translations carried out fall under this category.

Legal translation. Legal translations are one of the trickiest translations known. At its simplest level it means the translation of legal documents such as statutes, contracts and treaties. A legal translation will always need specialist attention. This is because law is culture-dependent and requires a translator with an excellent understanding of both the source and target cultures. Most translation agencies would only ever use professional legal to undertake such work. This is because there is no real margin for error; the mistranslation of a passage in a contract could, for example, have disastrous consequences. When translating a text within the field of law, the translator should keep the following in mind. The legal system of the source text is structured in a way that suits that culture and this is reflected in the legal language; similarly, the target text is to be read by someone who is familiar with another legal system and its language.

Literary translation. A literary translation is the translation of literature such as novels, poems, plays and poems. The translation of literary works is considered by many one of the highest forms of translation as it involves so much more than simply translating text. A literary translator must be capable of also translating feelings, cultural nuances, humor and other subtle elements of a piece of work. Some go as far as to say that literary translations are not really possible. In 1959 the Russian-born linguist Roman Jacobson went as far as to declare that "poetry by definition [was] untranslatable". In 1974 the American poet James Merrill wrote a poem, "Lost in Translation," which in part explores this subject.

Medical translation. A medical translation will cover anything from the medical field from the packaging of medicine to manuals for medical equipments to medical books. Like legal translation, medical translation is specialization where a mistranslation can have grave consequences.

Technical translation. A technical translation has a broad meaning. It usually refers to certain fields such as IT or manufacturing and deals with texts such as manuals and instructions. Technical translations are usually more expensive than general translations as they contain a high amount of terminology that only a specialist translator could deal with.