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Simultaneous Interpretation
A mind-bending job
Updated: 2022.05.17
5 min read · Advanced
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Simultaneous Interpretation

What would you say are some of the world’s most intellectually stimulating occupations? Scientists have discovered that if we take as our primary criterion the number of brain zones activated in these occupations, simultaneous interpreters would score at or near the very top. Evidently, these professionals are not only required to listen and speak at the same time, but also memorize, analyze, and demonstrate creative thinking on the spot.

But before diving deeper into the benefits and pitfalls of this profession, let’s make sure we have a clear understanding of what the job entails.

When we use the word “translation,” we are usually referring to the process of rendering written information in another language, while “interpretation” entails oral communication. Moreover, the “simultaneous” nature of the job means that the interpreter has to convey the speaker’s address at the same time as it is being delivered with minimal delay. A stark comparison can be drawn with a consecutive interpretation process, in which the speaker pauses to let the interpreter convey the message.

While translation and consecutive interpretation have been around for millennia, the concept of simultaneous interpretation only appeared less than a century ago in the wake of World War II. Its primary purpose was and still is to facilitate diplomacy. It would take twice as long for negotiating parties to make headway [1] in their dialogue if they relied heavily on a sentence-by-sentence interpretation as opposed to a synchronized method.

In short, simultaneous interpreters orally translate speech on the spot, and are often employed in high-stakes situations. Needless to say, the job comes with cognitive benefits, a competitive salary, and prestige. Studies have shown that practicing bilinguals and trilinguals have a lower risk of suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia, and degenerative brain diseases later on in their lives. Additionally, this occupation carries a certain amount of prestige as it is conducted in diplomatic and business situations that deal with the most pressing issues of the time. Furthermore, considering the fact that these interpreters typically complete not more than a few 20-minute-long sessions a day, their compensation would seem impressive if divided by the hour. Fun fact: English-to-Korean interpreters are apparently the highest paid in the business.

However, like any other job, simultaneous interpretation comes with taxing challenges, including exhaustion, lofty responsibilities, and the state of being perpetually “switched-on [2].” Medical professionals have measured that a pulse of up to 160 beats per minute is nothing out of the ordinary for the laboring interpreter.

A few unique challenges arise depending on the peculiarities of the source and output language. In fact, these hurdles often correspond to the struggles foreign language learners face.

For example, the standard word order in Korean is subject-object-verb in comparison to the subject-verb-object structure in English. This means that if an interpreter is translating from Korean to English, and the speaker chooses a wordy object, they won’t be able to communicate any of that information until they hear the verb. An instance like this would call for the interpreter to not only retain large chunks of information in their head, but also to find a way to fill the silence in an attempt to make the listener’s experience as seamless as possible.

It is not unheard of for the interpreters to be kept in the dark [3] as far as the details of the upcoming event are concerned. Thus, simultaneous interpreters have to be well-versed in anything from politics and economics to sports and the environment. Unsurprisingly, these experts tend to set aside a sizable portion of their free time for self-development, keeping up with current affairs, and educating themselves on a variety of academic disciplines and social trends.

The interpreter’s worst nightmare is hearing the speaker say “It’s like in that joke…” When that happens, there are three ways out. The daring interpreters would go ahead with the word-for-word translation praying that the joke doesn’t end with an awkward language-specific pun. Other professionals might choose to tell an alternative time-proven anecdote, often unrelated to the matter but designed to lighten the mood. The remaining linguists profess: “The speaker is telling a joke. While incredibly funny, it is untranslatable, so please laugh.”

동시통역사라는 직업

세계에서 가장 머리를 많이 써야 하는 직업이 무엇이라고 생각하십니까? 만약 활성화되는 뇌의 영역 수를 일차적인 기준으로 삼는다면 동시통역사들이 최고점이거나 그에 가까울 것이라고 과학자들은 이야기합니다. 분명한 것은, 전문 동시통역사들은 들으면서 동시에 말을 해야 할 뿐만 아니라, 즉석에서 기억하고 분석하고 창의적으로 생각해야 한다는 것입니다.

하지만 이 직업의 장단점에 대해 더 깊이 알아보기 전에 동시통역가가 하는 일이 무언지 정확히 이해해보도록 합시다.

"번역"이라고 하면 보통 글로 쓰인 정보를 다른 언어로 바꾸는 과정을 말하는 반면, "통역"은 구두 의사소통을 수반합니다. 게다가 이 직업의 "동시”적인 성격은 통역사가 현재 진행되고 있는 연설을 최소한의 시차를 두고 곧바로 전달해야 함을 뜻합니다. 이것은 연속통역과 현저한 차이를 가지는데 연속통역에서는 통역사가 통역해서 뜻을 전달하는 시간을 주기 위해 화자가 말을 멈추고 기다립니다.

번역과 연속통역은 수천년간 있어 왔지만, 동시통역의 개념은 지금부터 불과 한 세기도 되지 않은 2차세계대전 여파로 나타났습니다. 이 행위의 주된 목적은 외교활동을 원활히 하기 위함이었고 지금도 마찬가지입니다. 협상을 할 때 동시적인 방법이 아닌 한 문장씩 하는 통역에 주로 의존한다면 대화를 진행하는 시간이 두 배 더 걸릴 것입니다.

간단히 말해, 동시통역사들은 즉석에서 구두로 연설을 번역하며, 종종 매우 중대한 안건이 걸려 있는 상황에서 일을 합니다. 말할 필요도 없이, 이 직업은 인지능력 향상에 좋을 뿐 아니라 경쟁력 있는 보수 그리고 명성이 따릅니다. 연구에 따르면 2개, 혹은 3개의 언어를 구사하는 사람들은 나중에 알츠하이머, 치매, 그리고 퇴행성 뇌질환을 겪을 확률이 더 낮습니다. 또한 이 직업은 당대의 가장 시급한 문제들을 다루는 외교 및 비즈니스 상황에서 수행되기 때문에 어느 정도의 명성을 동반합니다. 나아가 이러한 통역사들이 일반적으로 하루에 많아야 20분짜리 통역을 한두 건 수행한다는 사실을 고려하면, 시간당으로 계산된 그들의 보수는 놀랄 만한 수준입니다. 재미있는 사실: 영한 통역사는 통역분야에서 가장 높은 보수를 받는다고 합니다.

그러나 다른 직업과 마찬가지로 동시통역은 쇠진감, 무거운 책임감, 그리고 언제나 "정신을 바짝 차린" 상태를 유지해야 하는 것 등을 포함해서 상당한 부담감을 줍니다. 의료 전문가들에 따르면 맥박수가 분당 최대 160회까지 이르는 것은 통역사에겐 흔한 일이라고 합니다.

통역을 할 때는 두 언어가 지닌 특성과 그 차이로 인해 특유의 어려움이 발생합니다. 사실 이러한 장애들은 외국어 학습자들이 직면하는 고민들과 일치하는 경우가 있습니다.

예를 들어 문장의 어순을 보면 영어는 주어-동사-목적어 구조인 데 비해 한국어는 주어-목적어-동사입니다. 이것은 만약 통역사가 한국어를 영어로 통역하고 있는데 화자가 목적어를 아주 길게 말하고 있다면 통역사는 문장 마지막에 서술어를 듣기 전까지는 듣고 있는 어떤 정보도 영어로 옮겨 전달할 수 없다는 것을 의미합니다. 이런 예에서 볼 수 있듯이 통역사는 머릿속에 많은 양의 정보를 기억하고 있어야 할 뿐 아니라 듣는 이들에게 최대한 매끄러운 통역을 제공하기 위해 이런 공백을 메울 수 있는 방법을 찾아야 합니다.

다가올 행사의 세부사항들을 통역사들에게 알려주지 않는 것은 흔히 있는 일입니다. 따라서 동시통역사들은 정치와 경제에서부터 스포츠, 환경에 이르기까지 모든 분야에 정통해야 합니다. 당연하게도 동시통역 전문가들은 자기 계발에 시간을 많이 쏟는 편입니다. 일이 없을 때 그들은 시사문제를 익히고 다양한 학문들과 사회적 트렌드들에 관해서 공부합니다.

통역사의 최대의 악몽은 "이런 농담이 있는데…"라는 말을 듣는 순간입니다. 그럴 때 대처하는 방법은 세 가지가 있습니다. 대담한 통역사들은 그 농담이 그 언어에서만 가능한 말장난이 아니기를 기도하며 그대로 직역을 시작하기도 합니다. 다른 전문가들은 종종 그 문제와 관련은 없지만 분위기를 가볍게 하기 위해서 잘 알려진 다른 일화를 얘기할 수도 있습니다. 나머지 통역사들은 다음과 같이 고백합니다. "지금 이분은 농담을 하고 계십니다. 정말 웃기지만 다른 언어로 통역할 수 없는 것입니다. 그러니 그냥 웃어주세요."

Discussion Questions
Q1
In your own words, please briefly summarize the article.
여러분의 언어로 교재를 간단히 요약해 주세요.
Q2
Have you heard of different types of interpretation before? Can you explain the difference between translation, consecutive interpretation, and simultaneous interpretation?
다양한 유형의 통역에 대해 들어본 적이 있나요? 번역, 연속 통역, 동시 통역의 차이점에 대해 설명해 주실 수 있을까요?
Q3
What would you say are some of the world’s most mentally demanding and strenuous jobs? Is your job mentally taxing?
세계에서 가장 정신적으로 힘들고 고된 직업은 무엇이라고 생각하시나요? 여러분의 직업은 정신적으로 힘드신가요?
Q4
Have you ever tried interpreting text to or from English?
영어로 문자를 주고받으며 통역해 본 적이 있으신가요?
Q5
What are some of the benefits of being a simultaneous interpreter you can think of?
동시 통역사가 되면 어떤 이점이 있다고 생각하시나요?
Q6
What are some of the challenges of being a simultaneous interpreter you can think of?
동시 통역사로 일하면서 어려운 점은 무엇이라고 생각하시나요?
Q7
What are some of the aspects of your native language that are hard to translate?
모국어에서 번역하기 어려운 측면은 무엇인가요?
Q8
What are some of the aspects of English that are hard to translate into your native language?
영어에서 모국어로 번역하기 어려운 측면은 무엇인가요?
Q9
Would you be able to handle the responsibilities of an interpreter and not give into the immense pressure?
여러분은 통역사의 책임을 감당할 수 있고 엄청난 압박감에 굴복하지 않을 수 있을 것 같으신가요?
Q10
Is it always possible to translate jokes? Why or why not?
농담은 항상 통역이 가능한가요? 가능하거나 불가능한 이유는 무엇인가요?
Q11
Is it necessary for foreign language learners to educate themselves on a variety of non-linguistic subjects?
외국어 학습자는 다양한 비언어적 주제에 대해 스스로 교육할 필요가 있을까요?
Q12
Do interpreters deserve a high salary?
통역사는 높은 연봉을 받을 자격이 있을까요?
Q13
If you have a question or questions that you'd like to discuss during your class, please write them down.
궁금한 점이 있거나 수업 중에 얘기해 보고 싶은 질문이 있으면 적어주세요.
Expressions
make headway
to move forward or make progress
例文
1

After a months-long stalemate, we've finally made headway in the negotiations.

例文
2

There was concern that the police were making little headway in the investigation.

switched-on
alert and aware of what is going on
例文
1

This job requires you to be enthusiastic and switched-on.

例文
2

Every week, I get to work with amazing, switched-on people running businesses.

to be kept in the dark
to be left uninformed
例文
1

My friends kept me in the dark about our upcoming vacation – they wanted to make it a surprise.

例文
2

I hate being kept in the dark, and I need to know what is happening.

본 교재는 당사 편집진이 제작하는 링글의 자산으로 저작권법에 의해 보호됩니다. 링글 플랫폼 외에서 자료를 활용하시는 경우 당사와 사전 협의가 필요합니다.

What would you say are some of the world’s most intellectually stimulating occupations? Scientists have discovered that if we take as our primary criterion the number of brain zones activated in these occupations, simultaneous interpreters would score at or near the very top. Evidently, these professionals are not only required to listen and speak at the same time, but also memorize, analyze, and demonstrate creative thinking on the spot.

But before diving deeper into the benefits and pitfalls of this profession, let’s make sure we have a clear understanding of what the job entails.

When we use the word “translation,” we are usually referring to the process of rendering written information in another language, while “interpretation” entails oral communication. Moreover, the “simultaneous” nature of the job means that the interpreter has to convey the speaker’s address at the same time as it is being delivered with minimal delay. A stark comparison can be drawn with a consecutive interpretation process, in which the speaker pauses to let the interpreter convey the message.

While translation and consecutive interpretation have been around for millennia, the concept of simultaneous interpretation only appeared less than a century ago in the wake of World War II. Its primary purpose was and still is to facilitate diplomacy. It would take twice as long for negotiating parties to make headway [1] in their dialogue if they relied heavily on a sentence-by-sentence interpretation as opposed to a synchronized method.

In short, simultaneous interpreters orally translate speech on the spot, and are often employed in high-stakes situations. Needless to say, the job comes with cognitive benefits, a competitive salary, and prestige. Studies have shown that practicing bilinguals and trilinguals have a lower risk of suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia, and degenerative brain diseases later on in their lives. Additionally, this occupation carries a certain amount of prestige as it is conducted in diplomatic and business situations that deal with the most pressing issues of the time. Furthermore, considering the fact that these interpreters typically complete not more than a few 20-minute-long sessions a day, their compensation would seem impressive if divided by the hour. Fun fact: English-to-Korean interpreters are apparently the highest paid in the business.

However, like any other job, simultaneous interpretation comes with taxing challenges, including exhaustion, lofty responsibilities, and the state of being perpetually “switched-on [2].” Medical professionals have measured that a pulse of up to 160 beats per minute is nothing out of the ordinary for the laboring interpreter.

A few unique challenges arise depending on the peculiarities of the source and output language. In fact, these hurdles often correspond to the struggles foreign language learners face.

For example, the standard word order in Korean is subject-object-verb in comparison to the subject-verb-object structure in English. This means that if an interpreter is translating from Korean to English, and the speaker chooses a wordy object, they won’t be able to communicate any of that information until they hear the verb. An instance like this would call for the interpreter to not only retain large chunks of information in their head, but also to find a way to fill the silence in an attempt to make the listener’s experience as seamless as possible.

It is not unheard of for the interpreters to be kept in the dark [3] as far as the details of the upcoming event are concerned. Thus, simultaneous interpreters have to be well-versed in anything from politics and economics to sports and the environment. Unsurprisingly, these experts tend to set aside a sizable portion of their free time for self-development, keeping up with current affairs, and educating themselves on a variety of academic disciplines and social trends.

The interpreter’s worst nightmare is hearing the speaker say “It’s like in that joke…” When that happens, there are three ways out. The daring interpreters would go ahead with the word-for-word translation praying that the joke doesn’t end with an awkward language-specific pun. Other professionals might choose to tell an alternative time-proven anecdote, often unrelated to the matter but designed to lighten the mood. The remaining linguists profess: “The speaker is telling a joke. While incredibly funny, it is untranslatable, so please laugh.”

*本教材は、Ringleを使用して英語を学ぶ学習者向けに設計されています。