How interpreters juggle two languages at once - Ewandro Magalhaes

Kako se tolmači spopadajo z dvema jezikoma naenkrat - Ewandro Magalhaes

Translator: Mateja Peršolja Reviewer: Matej Divjak

In 1956, during a diplomatic reception in Moscow,

Leta 1956, med diplomatskim sprejemom v Moskvi,

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev told Western Bloc ambassadors,

je sovjetski voditelj Nikita Hruščov predstavnikom zahodnega bloka rekel:

"My vas pokhoronim!"

"My vas pokhoronim!"

His interpreter rendered that into English as,

Njegov tolmač je to v angleščino prevedel kot:

"We will bury you!"

"Pokopali vas bomo!"

This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world,

Ta izjava je pretresla Zahod

heightening the tension between the Soviet Union and the US

in povečala napetost med Sovjetsko zvezo in ZDA,

who were in the thick of the Cold War.

ki sta bili sredi hladne vojne.

Some believe this incident alone set East/West relations back a decade.

Nekateri menijo, da je samo ta dogodek poostril odnose med Vzhodom in Zahodom.

As it turns out, Khrushchev's remark was translated a bit too literally.

Izkazalo se je, da so Hruščovo opazko prevedli nekoliko preveč dobesedno.

Given the context, his words should have been rendered as,

Glede na kontekst bi njegove besede morali prevesti kot:

"We will live to see you buried,"

"Mi bomo živeli, ko boste vi že pokopani,"

meaning that Communism would outlast Capitalism,

v smislu, da bo komunizem preživel kapitalizem,

kar je manj grozeča pripomba.

a less threatening comment.

Though the intended meaning was eventually clarified,

Čeprav je bil pravi pomen navsezadnje razjasnjen,

the initial impact of Khrushchev's apparent words

so prve posledice besed, ki jih je Hruščov domnevno izrekel,

put the world on a path that could have led to nuclear armageddon.

postavile svet na pot, ki bi lahko peljala do jedrskega uničenja.

So now, given the complexities of language and cultural exchange,

Torej, glede na to, kako zapletena je izmenjava jezika in kulture,

how does this sort of thing not happen all the time?

kako to, da se take stvari ne dogajajo ves čas?

Much of the answer lies with the skill and training of interpreters

Razlog se skriva predvsem v znanju in usposobljenosti tolmačev,

to overcome language barriers.

da premostijo jezikovne prepreke.

For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively,

V preteklosti je tolmačenje potekalo predvsem konsekutivno;

with speakers and interpreters making pauses to allow each other to speak.

govorci in tolmači so eden drugega čakali, da so lahko govorili.

But after the advent of radio technology,

Ko pa so izumili radijsko tehnologijo,

a new simultaneous interpretations system was developed in the wake of World War II.

so na začetku druge svetovne vojne razvili nov sistem simultanega tolmačenja.

In the simultaneous mode

V simultanem načinu

interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words

tolmači nemudoma prevedejo govorčeve besede

into a microphone while he speaks.

v mikrofon, medtem ko on govori.

Without pauses, those in the audience can choose the language

Premorov ni; občinstvo pa lahko izbira jezik,

in which they want to follow.

v katerem želijo poslušati.

On the surface, it all looks seamless,

Na zunaj vse deluje preprosto,

but behind the scenes,

ampak v ozadju tolmači iz mesa in krvi neprestano delajo,

human interpreters work incessantly

to ensure every idea gets across as intended.

da bi zagotovili, da se vsako sporočilo pravilno prenese.

And that is no easy task.

In to ni lahka naloga.

It takes about two years of training for already fluent bilingual professionals

Za dvojezične govorce traja približno dve leti,

to expand their vocabulary and master the skills necessary

da obogatijo besedišče in osvojijo potrebna znanja,

to become a conference interpreter.

da postanejo konferenčni tolmači.

To get used to the unnatural task of speaking while they listen,

Da bi se privadili neobičajne naloge govorjenja med poslušanjem,

students shadow speakers

učenci opazujejo govorce in dobesedno ponavljajo besede.

and repeat their every word exactly as heard in the same language.

In time, they begin to paraphrase what is said,

Čez čas začnejo parafrazirati, kar je povedano,

making stylistic adjustments as they go.

pri čemer vnašajo stilistične popravke.

At some point, a second language is introduced.

Na neki točki se doda drugi jezik.

Practicing in this way creates new neural pathways in the interpreter's brain,

Tak način vaje tvori nove nevronske povezave v možganih tolmača

and the constant effort of reformulation gradually becomes second nature.

in nenehno treniranje parafraziranja postopoma postane nekaj običajnega.

Over time and through much hard work,

Čez čas in zaradi veliko trdega dela

the interpreter masters a vast array of tricks to keep up with speed,

tolmač obvlada celo paleto trikov, da dohaja hitrost,

deal with challenging terminology,

se spopada z zahtevno terminologijo

and handle a multitude of foreign accents.

in obvladuje množico tujih naglasov.

They may resort to acronyms to shorten long names,

Lahko se zatekajo k akronimom, da skrajšajo dolga imena,

choose generic terms over specific,

izberejo splošne namesto specifičnih terminov,

ali si pomagajo s slikovnim gradivom.

or refer to slides and other visual aides.

They can even leave a term in the original language,

Termin lahko celo pustijo nepreveden,

while they search for the most accurate equivalent.

medtem ko iščejo najbolj primerno ustreznico.

Interpreters are also skilled at keeping aplomb in the face of chaos.

Tolmači so tudi izurjeni, da v kaosu ohranijo zaupanje vase.

Remember, they have no control over who is going to say what,

Nimajo namreč vpliva nad tem, kdo bo kaj rekel,

or how articulate the speaker will sound.

ali kako jasno bo govorca slišati.

A curveball can be thrown at any time.

Kadarkoli jih lahko kaj preseneti.

Also, they often perform to thousands of people

Poleg tega, pogosto nastopajo pred tisoči ljudi

and in very intimidating settings,

in na zelo zastrašujočih dogodkih,

like the UN General Assembly.

kot je Generalna skupščina OZN.

To keep their emotions in check,

Da ohranijo čustva pod nadzorom,

they carefully prepare for an assignment,

se temeljito pripravijo za nalogo,

building glossaries in advance,

vnaprej si pripravijo slovarje,

strastno berejo o tematiki

reading voraciously about the subject matter,

and reviewing previous talks on the topic.

in pregledujejo stare govore na isto temo.

Finally, interpreters work in pairs.

Poleg tega tolmači delajo v parih.

While one colleague is busy translating incoming speeches in real time,

Medtem ko se en ukvarja s prevajanjem govorov,

the other gives support by locating documents,

mu drugi pomaga tako, da išče dokumente, besede

looking up words,

and tracking down pertinent information.

in pomembne informacije.

Because simultaneous interpretation requires intense concentration,

Ker simultano tolmačenje zahteva intenzivno koncentracijo,

every 30 minutes, the pair switches roles.

vsakih 30 minut par zamenja vlogi.

Success is heavily dependent on skillful collaboration.

Uspeh je zelo odvisen od spretnega sodelovanja.

Language is complex,

Jezik je zapleten;

and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation,

če abstraktne ali specifične besede napačno prevedejo,

the consequences may be catastrophic.

so posledice lahko katastrofalne.

As Margaret Atwood famously noted, "War is what happens when language fails."

Znan citat Margaret Atwood pravi: "Do vojne pride, ko jezik odpove."

Med vsemi ljudmi se konferenčni tolmači tega najbolj zavedajo

Conference interpreters of all people are aware of that

and work diligently behind the scenes to make sure it never does.

in trdo delajo v zakulisju, da do tega nikoli ne pride.