Introduction to Interpretation I

Which of the assertions below is false?

• Simultaneous interpreting requires no electronic equipment

• In time, new neural pathways maybe created in the interpreter’s brain

• Good interpreting requires good teamwork

• Interpreters may on occasion leave a term in its original language

How long does someone who is already fully bilingual have to train to become a conference interpreter?

• Interpreters are born, not made. No training needed

• Two years on average

• Three years of college plus six months on-the-job training

• Six months of supervised on-the-job training

Given the intense concentration required, interpreters take turns every ___ minutes, on average.

• 20

• 30

• 15

• 60

According to Canadian writer Margaret Atwood “War is what happens when language fails.”

• War. What is it good for?

• War is what happens when language falls.

• War is what happens when language fails.

• War is what happens when language fights.

An important milestone in the development of simultaneous interpretation was:

• Champollion’s deciphering of the Egyptian hieroglyphics.

• The advent of computers

• The development of radio communications in the wake of World War II

• The new patterns brought about by globalization

For most of history, interpretation was done consecutively rather than simultaneously.

• True

• False

Which of the following is not true with regard to conference (simultaneous) interpretation?

• Interpreters work in teams of at least two

• A poorly interpreted sentence may have serious consequences

• Interpreting is a high-stress occupation

• Simultaneous interpretation requires sophisticated machine equipment

In ................. mode interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words into a microphone while he speaks.

• sight translation

• consecutive

• instantaneous

• simultaneous

To become a conference interpreter, it is enough to expand your vocabulary.

• True

• False

Which is not a skill that an interpreter does not need to master?

• tricks to keep up with speed

• dealing with challenging terminology

• control who is going to say what

• handle a multitude of foreign accents