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Notes, as an external storage
mechanism of our memory, are present in many areas of human activity, from simple shopping lists to sophisticated business note taking systems. Despite this, note taking is sort of a neglected stepchild of con- secutive interpreting. As interpreters, we learn early on that taking notes is beneficial, even crucial, to the overall success of our performance and optimal quality of our work for the benefit of the customer, but we are seldom introduced to the various tech- niques available. Granted, note taking styles differ from person to person. In the absence of any standards or typ- ical schemes to follow, individuals develop their own technique and style. The problem with this is that we tend to develop habits that might make our interpreting more difficult and less effective, and, in some cases, nearly impossible. The main problems we typically see include:
- Writing too much.
- Writing unstructured notes.
- Noting words instead of ideas.
- Using nonstandard abbreviations, which are difficult to decipher when we look at our notes later.
- Taking notes on random or loose pieces of paper.
This article, although by no means exhaustive, includes some basic infor- mation and tips to better your note taking technique.
The Basics
Structured note taking is suitable for any consecutive interpreting sce- nario. Although we may have an
Note Taking for
Consecutive
Interpreting
By Hana Laurenzo
assignment where hardly any notes need to be taken, it is good practice always to have a notepad and pen available just in case we need to jot down numbers or names. In most cases, however, taking notes consti- tutes an inseparable part of the inter- preting process. Interpreters also take notes during simultaneous inter- preting, but these typically consist of short messages only, and the notes lack the structure that is necessary for interpreting larger chunks of speech during consecutive interpreting. Students sometimes ask if their need to take notes makes them look unprofessional. The answer is absolutely not. Quite the opposite. Taking notes shows your client that you are doing everything you can to deliver the message in the target lan- guage accurately and completely.
Note Taking Tools A consecutive interpreter must be prepared to take notes sitting down or standing up, so a simple piece of paper will not do. A 6”x9” spiral- bound steno pad is recommended, with the spiral located along the top side of the pad. The pad should have a cardboard back, which makes it pos- sible to write while standing up. In addition, the spiraling at the top of the page will allow you to flip pages down, instead of over the hand. The individual pages of the pad should be numbered at the bottom. During a fairly large chunk of speech, an interpreter will go through several pages of notes. When it is time to go back to the beginning of your notes and interpret, you will be able to use the numbers at the bottom of the page as a reference point to make sure that nothing is skipped in the final rendi- tion. In addition, make sure you bring several pens with your favorite color ink to each interpreting assignment.
Chances are one or two of them will not work, so you will need a backup.
Notes Are Not Everything Do not rely solely on your notes. An interpreter should first and foremost rely on his or her memory, the capacity of which can be strengthened through the use of proper visualization tech- niques. (See the links on page 29 for more information on memory training techniques.) Let us remember that, to a certain degree, note taking interferes with listening. Active listening, of course, is the cornerstone of proper interpreting. You must first hear and understand the message within a spe- cific context to be able to interpret it effectively. Therefore, writing a min- imum amount of notes as opposed to writing almost everything is key. To maximize the success of your interpreting performance and to mini- mize the need for taking notes, request background materials from the client so you can study them ahead of time and research the topic. Aside from being able to do a better job overall, you will enjoy a boost in your confidence and the feeling of having things under control. It is also a good idea to try to have a short conversation with the speaker before the start of the event. This is an excellent way to “tune” your ear to the speaker’s accent and intonation to enhance your listening experience, while finding out more about the speaker’s message.
The Language of Our Notes Most interpreters prefer writing notes in the target language. Writing notes in the original language works just as well for others. Just avoid mixing the languages and using both, which, in an already stressful situa- tion, can cause you to forget which language you are interpreting into.
Find Out What Suits You There is no unified note taking system to suit everyone’s needs. Since everybody’s memory works differ- ently, has varied capacity, and stores information using different methods, it would be impossible to come up with a one-size-fits-all approach. Every interpreter eventually comes up with his or her own system, solidified through practice and experience, and finds out what impulses trigger retrieval of stored information from memory.
Notes Are Just for You Contrary to popular belief, the notes you write are not intended for use by other interpreters or clients. Notes are written in a personalized way and are often illegible to others, and that is just fine. As long as you can read and understand them, there is no need for anyone else to be able to decipher your writing.
Why Take Notes? Interpreting works best when we let the speaker deliver a mean-
Taking notes shows your client that you are doing
everything you can to deliver the message in the target
language accurately and completely.
and recurring ideas. Examples include:
Verbs (want, desire)
(suggest, propose)
Nouns O (world, planet) $ (money) (consequence, result)
For example, to represent recurring ideas in a speech about Rotary Clubs in Texas, the interpreter could come up with two simple symbols, such as RC and TX, to save time when writing notes. Limited to one particular speech, the RC symbol will not be con- fused with anything else, while TX can be used at any time to denote Texas. One of the most versatile symbols is the arrow, which is used more fre- quently than most other symbols. Some examples of its use include:
(increase, rise, grow, etc.)
(decrease, fall, decline, drop, etc.)
(leads to, consequence of, therefore)
(return, come back, reverse)
(relations, exchange, mutual)
The arrow can modify meaning in many different scenarios. Figure 5 on page 28 uses examples taken from Jean Francois Rozan’s pivotal work, Note-taking in Consecutive Inter- preting. (Note: The word the arrow designates appears in bold.) Figure 6 in page 28 shows more symbols you can use for various con- cepts.
Take-home Tips
Here is a rundown of some basic tips highlighting the areas covered in this article.
Use Symbols
- Figure out which symbols work for you and practice using them in advance of the assignment. Never
improvise during the speech.
- Symbols must be clear and easy to draw.
- Be consistent when using symbols. If “I” denotes “industry,” do not use “I” somewhere else in your notes to stand for “international.”
- Symbols create associations in your mind, so have a set of sym- bols that you have made your own. Since we are all unique, with dif- ferent educational backgrounds and life experiences, no one’s system will be exactly alike.
- Note the degrees of importance of the symbols you use through underlining. For example:
Figure 3
Police
arrested
drug smugglers
________________________
Police dogs
helped
officers
Figure 4
You must first hear and understand the message
within a specific context to be able
to interpret effectively.
COS Police
used
dogs
____________________________________________
_
have been investing
drug training
____________________________________________
police dogs
assist
in all drug ops
“The police used the dogs because they have been investing in canine drug-sniffing
training. Consequently, our police dogs now assist in all drug-related operations.”
increase
sharp increase, jump (for instance in prices)
= dramatic rise, skyrocket
.... faltering, unsteady rise^
Write Down the Most Important Items
- Title of the speech (if any).
- Ideas and concepts, rather than words.
- Link words.
- Modal words and verb tenses.
- Who the speaker is, proper names, numbers, dates, and lists.
- Terms and words about which you are unsure (and that you might be able to decode from further con- text).
- The last sentence (punch line).
Use Effective Note Taking Techniques
- Practice on written text first, get- ting your mind used to noting the S-V-O structure. 2. Make a deliberate effort to locate parts of the speech that you will be able to recall fairly easily using minimal notes. 3. Review your notes and decide
Note Taking for Consecutive Interpreting Continued
Figure 5
Country a country’s development
duties an increase in duties
science scientific progress
patient the patient’s recovery
salaries a rise in salaries
living stard an improvement in the
standard of living
prices Inflated prices
Figure 6
People:
(Pleased, happy)
(Annoyed, unhappy)
(Very unhappy, disgusted)
Mathematics:
+ (addition to)
% (percentage)
< (less than)
> (greater than)
= (equal to)
Geography:
N (North)
S (South)
E (East)
W (West)
Currencies:
$ (dollars)
£ (pounds)
Rs (rupees)
€ (euros)
Keyboard:
@ (at)
# (number)
& (and)
% (percent)
© (copyright)
® (trademark)
Country codes:
D (Germany)
UK (United Kingdom)
F (France)
PL (Poland)
DA (Denmark)
CH (China)
CAN (Canada)
Currency codes:
SFR (Swiss franc)
USD (U.S. dollar)
DEM (German mark)
AUD (Australian dollar)
GBP (pound sterling)
JPY (yen)
CZK (Czech koruna)
Text message shorthand:
RU (are you)
OK
2 (to)
U (you)
4ever (forever)
B/C (because)
b4 (before)
Chemical symbols:
CO (carbon monoxide)
H 2 O (water)
Na (sodium)
Fe (iron)
CO 2 (carbon dioxide)
