How interpreters juggle two languages at once - Ewandro Magalhaes

Translator: Winnie Ling Reviewer: Alan Watson

In 1956, during a diplomatic reception in Moscow,

喺 1956 年莫斯科嘅一個外交接待上

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev told Western Bloc ambassadors,

蘇聯領袖赫魯曉夫 對西方集團嘅大使講︰

"My vas pokhoronim!"

「Мы вас похороним!」

His interpreter rendered that into English as,

佢嘅傳譯員咁樣翻譯成英文︰

"We will bury you!"

「我哋會將你哋埋葬！」

This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world,

呢句話喺西方世界引起軒然大波

heightening the tension between the Soviet Union and the US

而且當時蘇聯同美國處於冷戰狀態

who were in the thick of the Cold War.

呢句說話加劇咗兩國嘅緊張局勢

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

有人相信單係呢次翻譯錯誤

令東、西方關係倒退咗十年

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

之後，赫魯曉夫嘅傳譯 被指太過照字面翻譯

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

按照內容，佢嘅說話應該翻譯成 溫和啲嘅講法︰

"We will live to see you buried,"

「我哋會親眼睇住你哋被埋葬」

meaning that Communism would outlast Capitalism,

意思係共產主義會比資本主資更長久

a less threatening comment.

Though the intended meaning was eventually clarified,

雖然最後原本嘅意思釐清返

the initial impact of Khrushchev's apparent words

但係赫魯曉夫傳譯員嘅錯誤 就足以引發核戰

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

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

既然語言同文化交流係咁複雜

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

點解錯譯唔咪成日發生呢？

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

答案就係靠傳譯員嘅技巧同訓練去避免

to overcome language barriers.

For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively,

以往傳譯嗰陣，講者同傳譯員 會輪流停低畀對方講

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

令到傳譯斷斷續續咁進行

But after the advent of radio technology,

但係第二次世界大戰之後

無線電科技進步嘞

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

發明咗新嘅即時傳譯系統

In the simultaneous mode

喺即時傳譯入面

interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words

傳譯員會喺演講者講嘢同時 透過一支咪即時翻譯

into a microphone while he speaks.

Without pauses, those in the audience can choose the language

觀眾可以揀咩語言嚟聽

in which they want to follow.

On the surface, it all looks seamless,

聽起上嚟，成件事好完美咁

but behind the scenes,

但係喺背後，傳譯員不停工作

human interpreters work incessantly

to ensure every idea gets across as intended.

確保每一個意思都準確傳譯

And that is no easy task.

但呢項工作並唔容易

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

就算本身流利講兩種語言嘅人

都需要接受訓練兩年

to expand their vocabulary and master the skills necessary

去豐富詞彚同精通需要嘅技巧

to become a conference interpreter.

然後至可以做會議傳譯員

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

而且，為咗習慣邊講邊聽

students shadow speakers

學生會用同一種語言 重複講者講過嘅每一隻字

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

In time, they begin to paraphrase what is said,

之後，佢哋會用第二啲句子 去複述返同一句嘢

making stylistic adjustments as they go.

兼且會改埋原本講者嘅說話風格

At some point, a second language is introduced.

到一個位，佢哋就會開始 用第二種語言講同一句說話

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

咁樣嘅練習令傳譯員個腦 發展出一條新嘅神經路徑

and the constant effort of reformulation gradually becomes second nature.

同時，複述做得多會變成一種本能

Over time and through much hard work,

所以經過一段時間嘅努力之後

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

傳譯員會掌握到大量嘅技巧

而務求保持傳譯速度、處理艱難嘅術語

deal with challenging terminology,

and handle a multitude of foreign accents.

同埋應付不同嘅外國口音

They may resort to acronyms to shorten long names,

傳譯員可能只取 頭一個字母去代替長嘅名

choose generic terms over specific,

選擇通用而非專業嘅用語

or refer to slides and other visual aides.

或者參考投影片同其他視覺輔助工具

They can even leave a term in the original language,

喺佢哋搵緊最準確嘅翻譯之前

while they search for the most accurate equivalent.

佢哋甚至可以用返原本個字

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

傳譯員亦都訓練到識得 喺混亂中沉著應戰

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

記住，佢哋控制唔到邊個講啲咩

or how articulate the speaker will sound.

控制唔到講者會點樣發音

A curveball can be thrown at any time.

變幻隨時都會出現

Also, they often perform to thousands of people

傳譯員通常喺幾千人面前翻譯

and in very intimidating settings,

而且環境好嚇人

like the UN General Assembly.

譬如話聯合國大會咁

To keep their emotions in check,

傳譯員為咗情緒要保持平靜

they carefully prepare for an assignment,

佢哋會喺工作之前做好準備

building glossaries in advance,

例如準備詞彙表

reading voraciously about the subject matter,

讀大量嘅相關資料

and reviewing previous talks on the topic.

同埋回顧之前相同題材嘅演講

Finally, interpreters work in pairs.

最後，傳譯員要一對咁工作

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

當一個同事忙於即時傳譯

the other gives support by locating documents,

另一個就要做支援

looking up words,

負責搵文件、查字、搵相關資料

and tracking down pertinent information.

Because simultaneous interpretation requires intense concentration,

因為即時傳譯要高度集中

every 30 minutes, the pair switches roles.

所以每三十分鐘就會互換角色

Success is heavily dependent on skillful collaboration.

成功好靠熟練嘅合作

Language is complex,

語言係複雜嘅

and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation,

當抽象或微妙嘅概念冇被翻譯

the consequences may be catastrophic.

後果可以係好嚴重嘅

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

就好似 Margaret Atwood 嘅一句名言

「戰爭就喺語言失效嘅時候發生」

Conference interpreters of all people are aware of that

會議傳譯員都意識到呢個道理

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

所以佢哋喺背後都好努力工作

確保呢種事唔會發生