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One of our past students stated: “There are multiple challenges to the roles of interpreter and translator. I would put accuracy high on both lists. However, accuracy for the translator refers to the choice of a particular word. For the interpreter, accuracy relies on faithfully transmitting the spirit and cultural context of the spoken word in both languages.” Feeding off of your thought, interpreters need to convey not only the spoken message but also the feelings and emotions behind the words. This is a challenge and let’s demonstrate it in this way: Imagine you were with a physician and a Mrs. Perez. As the doctor starts the encounter he asks the patient how she is as he continues typing in his computer. With tears in her eyes the patient responds, “I’m fine”. What would you do in this case? To be a true conduit (an expression you will learn about next week), you need to give the physician the whole and complete picture of what was said. You would need to impart to the physician not only the content, but also the emotional color the patient gave those words…THAT IS A CHALLENGE!
Question for the class: how would you give the words, “I’m fine” the emotional color necessary to impart to the provider the way it was said? This expression, “I’m fine” can be said in a wide array of manners…from happy to sleepy, to sad, to sarcastic… How do we deal with these varying feelings and emotions in the way we interpret?
