Requirements for a good interpreter and translator and some suggestions for huflit students majoring interpretation and translation

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGNLANGUAGES -INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GRAD ATION PAPER REQUIREMENTS FOR A GOOD INTERPRETER AND TRANSLATOR & SO E SUGG

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGNLANGUAGES -INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

GRAD ATION PAPER

REQUIREMENTS FOR A GOOD INTERPRETER

AND TRANSLATOR

& SO E SUGGESTIONS FOR HUFLIT STUDENTS MAJORING IN INTERPRETATION

AND TRANSLATION

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGNLANGUAGES -INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

~

1.1 What is translation?

1.1.1 Word-for-word translation1.1.2 Literal translation

1.1.3 Faithful translation1.1.4 Semantic translation1.1.5 Adaptation

1.1.6 Free translation1.1.7 Idiomatic translation1.1.8 Communicative translation

1.2 What is interpretation ?

1.2.1 Conference interpreting

a) Consecutive interpretingb) Simultaneous interpretingc) Whispering

d) Bilateral1.2.2 Community interpreting1.2.3 Court interpreting

1.2.4 Other types of interpreting

a) Media interpretingb) Remote interpretingc) Videoconference1.3 Interpreters versus Translators

2 2

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4 4

55

6 6 7

1116

1616161616

171718

CHAPTER TWO: REQUIREMENTS FOR A GOOD ENGLISH - VIETNAMESE I

VIETNAMESE - ENGLISH INTEPRETER &TRANSLATOR

20

a) Linguistic knowledge 20

2.1.2 Good knowledge of the fields they are involved in 262.1.3 High responsibility and the passion for their jobs 282.1.4 Great intellectual curiosity and ability to use various 29

information-providing sources effectively

2.2 Particular requirements for a good interpreter 30

2.2.1 Good listening and speaking skills 302.2.2 Good memory and note-taking technique 322.2.3 Broad social knowledge and sharp mind 332.2.4 Good power of concentration and quick reaction 332.2.5 Good health and ability to handle stress 34

2.3 Particular requirements for a good translator 35

2.3.1 Excellent reading comprehension ability 35

CHAPTER THREE: WHAT HUFLIT STUDENTS MAJORING IN INTERPRETATION 38

& TRANSLATION COULD APPLY IN REAL SITUATIONS

3.1 Overview of the curriculum of interpretation and translation 38major in the Department of English

3.2 Difficulties still faced by HUFLIT seniors when studying 42interpretation and translation

3.3 Problems faced by the seniors who have taken 50real jobs in interpretation and translation field

4.1 Some suggestions for improving interpretation 55and translation achievements

4.2 Some practical experiences of the professional interpreters 57and translators

CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION

5.1 Conclusion

5.2 Limitation and Implication

59

5961

Appendix

1 Exerecises to develop and improve simultaneous interpreting skills

2 Questionnaires

Bibliography

I would specially express my sincere thanks to Mr.:

Nguyen Tri Loi, my advisor, who provided me with materials

as well as gave me valuable suggestions, criticsm, comments,and correction

I wish to express my special gratitude to the sevenprofessors of HUFLIT and five professional interpreters andtranslators who saved their time for my interviews Thanks totheir ideas and experience, I could accomplish this paper

My special thanks also goes to Mr Nguyen Van Ly and

Ms Bui Thi Thanh Truc for providing me with useful materialsand advice

I would like to convey my thanks to my classmates fortheir help in filling out the questionaires

Last but not least, I would like to express my gratefulness

j to my family, especially my mother, and all my best friends for

j supporting me to fulfil this graduation paper

Going along with the global economic integration of our country is the increasing demand for good interpreters and translators As a HUFLIT student majoring in interpretation and translation I really want to know what the requirements for a good interpreter and translator are Therefore, this mini research aimed at (1) figuring out the requirements for a good English - Vietnamese / Vietnamese - English interpreter

five people working in the translation fields to find out the requirements for a good English-Vietnamese / Vietnamese -English interpreter and translator.

It was found that the common requirements for a good interpreter and translator are: having good command of the two languages, good knowledge of the fields they

and note - taking technique, good power of concentration and quick reaction, good health and ability to handle stress as well as broad social knowledge and sharp - mind; a good translator need excellent reading and writing ability and patience.

The two questionnaires were also designed for forty-two students of the class BA0001 to figure out their difficulties when studying interpretation and translation It

interpretation and translation are vocabulary, idioms, writing, listening, speaking and note - taking.

It is suggested that HUFLIT students majoring in interpretation and translation should be provided with the knowledge of one or two particular fields Some possible ways to improve interpretation and translation as well as some practical experiences

research could be done on special requirements for particular kind of interpreting like

Our mind is mainly fed by two ways, reading and listening How wecan approach the new advances in science and technology all over the world ifthe information about them is not translated into the language we know How

we can have chances to enjoy the world's famous books, novels, poems unlessthey are translated into the language we know Through their versions,translators help people from different cultures be able to exchangeinformation, knowledge

Besides translators, there is another "language messenger" whose job is

to help people speaking different languages contact directly, face to face Theyare called interpreters Whether two representatives from two countries aremeeting to discuss economic problems in an intimate setting or at a summitwhich is being held for leaders from dozens of countries, the interpreter' role ispivotal

Interpreters and translators really play an important role in globaleconomic integration as well as in cross-culture Therefore, in 1994, when theopen economic policy has been carried out for eight years, the firstInterpretation & Translation Company in Ho Chi Minh City was officiallycame into existence Up to now, our city has had more than 72 ones This figureshows that the demand for interpreters & translators is increasing

However, there's still no school providing a full curriculum for students

to be professional interpreters and translators in Ho Chi Minh City They areusually known as well-paid jobs but not everybody knows how they m:epractised and what their requirements are Many Vieh1amese people maythink that if they are good at English they can become good English -Vieh1amese / Vietnamese - English interpreters and translators In fact,linguistic skills only are not enough There are hundreds of students

graduating from School of Foreign Languages every year but not all of them

can become good interpreters and translators One of the reasons is that they

know quite little about the requirements for these professions and how to meet

them

This mini research was carried out

(1) to find out the requirements for a good English- Vietnamese/

Vietnamese-English interpreter and translator,

(2) to figure out what HUFLIT students majorIng in interpretation and

translation could apply in real situations,

(3) to give HUFLIT students some suggestions for interpretation and

translation achivement

It opens with an overview of interpretation and translation in chapter

one It goes on to present the requirements for a good English - Vietnamese /

Vietnamese - English interpreter and translator in chapter two What HUFLIT

students of interpretation and translation major could apply in real situations

are mentioned in chapter three and followed by some suggestions in chapter

four It closes with the conclusion in chapter five

This research paper was carried out by collecting relevant informationfrom books, newspapers and internet; making interviews and distributingquestionnaires

I Firstly, I read books, newspapers and surfed the net looking forinformation on translation and interpretation /

Secondly, I interviewed seven professors teaching translation andinterpretation in Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages andInformation Technology (HUFLIT) and five people working in the translationfields to find out the requirements for a good English - Vietnamese /Vietnamese - English interpreter and translator as well as the difficultiespeople usually cope with when translating or interpreting English intoVietnamese and vice versa

Thirdly, two / questionnaires were distributed to forty-two HUFLITseniors majoring in interpretation and translation}The first questionaire wasdesigned to,l find out their difficulties while studying interpreting andtranslation/Then, the second one was designed toAigure out some subjectivereasons that may cause those difficulties

/ Finally, the data were analyzed/based on comparision and percentage

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CHAPTER ONE

OVERVIEW OF INTERPRETATION & TRANSLATION

Leila Razmjou ( To Be A Good Translator. Online Translation Journal,

<http://accurapid.com!journaI/20edu.htm>) stated that a nation's cultureflourishes by interacting with other cultures Cultural variety opens our eyes tohuman rights, but cultural variety can only be recognized through discussions,which leads us to the major tool for discussion: "language." The role oflanguage in the developing world is materialized through "translating".Without a doubt, translation is essential for making communication betweenpeople of different cultures possible ( Translation Journal and the Author 2003on-line [accessed April 2004] Philosophy, Anthropology, and Linguistics in

<http://accurapid.com/journaI/27philosophy.htm> ) Therefore, translation isone of the oldest human practices both in written and oral forms The firsttraces of translation date from 3000 Be, during the Egyptian Old Kingdom, inthe area of the First Cataract, Elephantine, where inscriptions in two languageshave been found ( Peter Newmark Approaches to Translntion,3).

However, the significant roles of translators and interpreters were notalways highly evaluated According to Susan Bassnett - McGuire (TranslationStudies,13), translation has been perceived as a secondary activity, as amechanical rather than a " creative" process, within the competence of anyonewith a basic grounding in a language other than their own; in short, as a lowstatus occupation But that perception is changing now The more exchange ofinformation and cutural contacts are made all over the world the moreimportant translation and interpretation are

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As this research paper emphasizes on the requirements for a goodinterpreter and translator, it is necessary to mention the general knowledge oftranslation and interpretation

1.1 What is translation?

Translation is the transmission of a thought expressed in one language

by means of another language The language used to express the thoughtdirectly is called "the Source Language" (SL), and the language used totranslate that thought is called" the Target language" (TL)

(Translation 1 HUFLIT English Department, 2002)

According to Peter Newmark (Approaches to Translation, 1988), the mostcommon methods that have been used throughout the translation history are:word-for-word translation, literal translation, faithful translation, semantictranslation, adaptation, free translation, idiomatic translation andcommunicative translation They will be briefly discussed below

1.1.1 Word -for - word translation:

This is often demonstrated as interlinear translation, with the TLimmediately below the SL words The SL word order is preserved and thewords translated singly by their most common meanings, out of context Thismethod is normally effective only for brief, simple sentences where thegrammatical and lexical structures of the SL and TL happen to coincide

For example: I usually get up late on Sunday

T6i thuo-ng thfrc d~y tr2 vao chu nh~t

Most of the time, this method produces a very unnatural, awkward translation

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1.1.2 Literal translation:

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This is an improvement over word-for-word translation The SLgrammatical constructions are converted to their nearest TL equivalents butthe lexical words are again translated singly, out of context As a result, theversion is more comprehensible than a word-for-word translation but it is still,most of the time, unnatural and possibly misleading

For example: This car was repaired by Peter

Chi~c xe hoi nay duQ'c sua boi Peter ( Word-for-word translation)Chi~c xe hoi nay duQ'c Peter sua ( Literal translation)

1.1.3 Faithful translation:

A faithful translation attempts to reproduce the preCIse contextualmeaning of the original within the constraints of the TL grammaticalstructures It "transfers" cultural words and preserved the degree ofgrammatical and lexical "abnormality" in the translation It attempts to becompletely faithful to the intentions and the text-realization of the SL writer

For example: " Men eat like horses"

" Nam t1wc nhu h6"

1.1.4 Semantic translation:

This is a further improvement over faithful translation, attempting torender the exact contextual meaning of the original, as closely as the semanticand syntactic/ grammatical structures the TL allows It differs from" faithfultranslation" only in that it must take into account of the aesthetic value ( that isthe beautiful and natural sound) of the SL text, compromising on " meaning"where appropriate so that no assonance, word-play or repetition jars in thefinished version The main distinction between the two is that the first is

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For example: Could you speak louder, please?

Ong vui long n6i IOnhan Qugc khOng? (faithful translation)Xin 6ng vui long n6i IOnhan ( semantic translation)

1.1.6 Free translation:

Free translation has been adopted as a reaction to the limitations of theliteral translation It attempts to reproduce the matter without the manner, orthe content without the form of the original, thus resulting in a naturaltranslation Usually, it is a paraphase much longer than the original, a so-called

"intra-lingual translation", often lengthy and preten.tious, and not translation

at all

For example:

Banh chung: Square glutinous rice cake (filled with green bean

paste and fat pork)

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1.1.7 Idiomatic translation:

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111is method reproduces the "message" of the original, rendering alively, natural translation by preferring colloquiallisms and idioms where these

do not exist in the original By doing so, it tends to distort the nuances ofmeaning

For example: "As easy as ABC"

"D~ nhu tra ban tay"

1.1.8 Communicative translation:

This method attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of theoringinal in such a way that both content and language are readily acceptableand comprehensible to the readership In terms of techniques, it tries totransmit the thought expressed in the SL by means of the nearest TLequivalents, regardless of word order, uses of words and expressions, oftenses, structures and forms on the condition that the translation does notsound queer and awkward In other words, it is more concerned with thefunction than the form This method allows the translator to correct or improvethe logic, to replace clumsy with elegants structures, to remove obscurities, toexclude the less likely interpretations of an ambiguity, to eleminate repetitionand tautology, to modify and clarify jargon in an effort to produce a naturaltranslation To contrast semantic translation with communicative translation,Peter Newmark says that the former tends to over-translate while the lattertends to under-translate

For example: "CAm di tren co"

"It is forbidden to walk on the grass" (semantic h"anslation)

"Keep off the grass" (communicative translation)Among the eight methods mentioned above, semantic translation and

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communicative translation are considered as the most effective methods It ishard to say which one is better, but just which is more appropriate for aparticular situation

(Nguy~n Van Ly 2001.Approaches to Translation: Implications and Applications.

HUFLIT Thong Tin Khoa H9C;12/2001, 10, 11, 12, 13,14)

(Conference Interpreting: Principles and Practice. Crawford House Publishing

<http://www.chp.com.au/conf int.html> [accessed April 2004]) So far,conference interpreting is probably considered as the most widely known type

of interpreting It now can be performed in different modes, which are:

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a) Consecutive interpretingEither at a smaller gathering, during an official visit ordinner, the interpreter takes notes of the original speech andreproduces the entire statement in the target language Thistype of interpretation does not required any technicalequipment but does require note-taking skills in addition tolanguage ones Well-trained interpreters can render speeches of

10 minutes or more with great accuracy

Example 1:

3 delegates speak language A,

3 delegates speak language B;

the interpreter understands and speaks both languagesand allows everyone to communicate When delegate Aspeaks, the interpreter works into language B and viceversa

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one to interpret from language A to language B, one tointerpret from language B to language A

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b) Simultaneous interpretingSimultaneous interpretation was introduced for theNuremberg trials after the Second World War, when thenecessary technology was available The old hands of theLeague of Nations said disparagingly at the time that it was acrazy idea, would probably not work and would certainly beimpossible to keep up (Valerie Taylor-Bouladon ( Conference Interpreting: Principles and Practice ). Today, however, this type

of interpretation is the most common one used at conferences.Interpreters doing simultaneous interpreting always work

in a group of two or three and are seated in a soundproof boothideally overlooking the conference They receive the speaker'scontribution through headphones and interpret it into requiredlanguage for the participants The delegate in the meeting roomselects the relevant channel to hear the interpretation in thelanguage of his/her choice through headsets The mainadvantage of this type of interpreting is the simultaneity of theinterpretation that bring a saving in time, and the possibility ofhaving more than one language being interpreted at the sametimes

This is an example with three languages interpreted bothways.The delegates may speak in any of the three languagesand can listen to the language they prefer.There are manydifferent possible configurations of languages or languageregimes

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Picture 7 :Delegate A is speaking in language A which is simultaneously

interpreted into language B and language C

(i;\. Delegate A speaking ~ interpretingThe interpreterinto

/B\ , Delegate B listening A • language CThe interpreterinterpreting into

fC\.., Delegate C listening

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Picture 8 : Delegate B is speaking in language B which is simultaneously

interpreted into language A and language C

Page 13

-I

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Picture 11 : Interpreting booth

Many conference venues have built-in booths and equipment for simultaneous

Conference Albert Borschette (CCAB) has four meeting rooms with booths for

Picture 12 :The Commission's largest conference room in the Charlemagne

building has 22 booths

<http://europa.ell.int/comm/scic/interpreting/ fag en.htm»

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c) WhisperingThis type of interpreting is also called' chuchotage' inFrench It resembles the simultaneous mode but is suppliedperformed without a soundproof booth Realistically aninterpreter can only 'whisper' if being seated/ standingbetween up to three listeners at one time

d) BilateralThis type of interreting is used when accompany clients onspecific visits, such as: companies, visits of factories, banks,government departments, etc The interpreter works bothinto and out of his / her mother tongue

1.2.2 Community interpreting! Dialogue interpreting:

This type of interpreting derives its name from different settings Inwhich it is performed: hospitals, police stations, and for diferrentsclients: refugees, asylum seekers, etc either on the phone or on person toperson

on ad hoc basis, often with no time for preparation.Simultanous interpreting is also used at film festivals when

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there was neither time nor money to add subtitles to a film.Interpreters usually interpret the whole film on their own.Interpreting can also be performed via the Internet

b) Remote interpreting: TelephoneThis type of interpreting is quite cornman (e.g forpresidents, ministers, etc )

c) Videoconferencing

In this setting, the interpreter looks at a TV screen andinterprets for someone who is not in the same room Theinterpreter's performance can be influenced by specifictechnical difficulties, for example poor sound quality or just thefact that the speaker is not in the same environment and thereare fewer visual clues to speaker attitude etc

( lnterpreting[accessed April 2004] <http://www.aiic.net »

Among those types, conference interpreting, especially simultaneousintepreting, has been usually known as the most challenging one We cannotsay it is the most difficult one because the ability of every interpreter is no thesame When an interpeter can do simultineous interpreting well, it does notmean that he/ she can do well consecutive interpreting as lacking of excellentnote-taking technique Each type of interpreting has its own difficulties andspecific demands

Many people may think that interpretation and translation are just thesame except the difference in the medium: the interpreter translates orally,while a translator interprets written text Actually, besides medium, there aremore differences between them

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of variant translations or to recall just the right idiom in the target language.Any delay can cause loosing a few words, possibly a thought, that the speakeruttered In short, an interpreter must make a split-second decision about thebest word to use or the best way to phrase a statement Therefore, they shouldhave high concentration as well as ability to handle extreme stress If they donot have them, they cannot do their job well

Inspite of the vast differences in the skills of translators and interpreters,there is one more thing they must share, besides deep knowledge of bothlanguages: they must understand the subject matter of the text or speech theyare translating This is one of the reasons why the Automatic Translationprojects that were popular since 1950s failed

In addition, both interpreters and translators must have deep love for whatthey do otherwise they can easily get tired of their jobs, burnt out on them, andmove to other fields, after working for a short time

Translation and interpretation are not a matter of substituting words inone language for words in another It is a matter of understanding the thoughtexpressed in one language and then explaining it using the resources ofanother language( RIC IINTERNATIONAL INC < http://www.ricintl.com>).Sointerpreters and translators are not only the middle men but also the artistswho use their talents create oral and written versions to help people fromdifferent countries, from variety of languages understand each others as well

as exchange information, ideas and knowledge in all aspects

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CHAPTER TWO

REQUIREMENTS FOR A GOOD ENGLISH - VIETNAMESE I

VIETNAMESE - ENGLISH INTERPRETER & TRANSLATOR

The reqirements for good interpreters and translators presented in thischapter were collected from books, newspapers, internet and from theinterviews with seven professors teaching translation and interpretation atHUFLIT and five people working in translation fields

2.1 Common requirements for both interpreters and translators

As both interpreter and translator work as the middle men rendering athought expressed in one language by means of another language, they sharemost of the requirements

2.1.1 Good command of the two languages:

A good English - Vietnamese / Vietnamese - English interpreter andtranslator must be proficient in English and Vietnamese including linguisticknowledge and cultural literacy This is an absolute prerequisite

a Linguistic knowledge:

Linguistic knowledge is concerned with phonetics, phonology,morphology, syntactics, semantics, pragmatics and knowledge of varieties oflanguages However, it is not compulsory for interpreters and translators to belinguists so there is no need to discuss deeply every branch of linguistics here.All that interpreters and translators need is ability to use both English andViebHmese as native speakers.~n the "Nature of Human Language", Fromkin

et al stated that knowing a language means having the capacity to producesounds that signify certain meanings and to understand or interpret the

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Vietnamese is firstly presented through the ability to pronounce well Englishand Vietnamese So they must have general knowledge about speech soundsand how they are used in both English and Vietnamese Besides, it is veryimportant to them to master the grammar rules of the two languages It meansknowing how to combine words to form phrases and phrases to formsentences as well as knowing the order of words No matter how many wordsthey know they cannot make simplest phrases or sentences in Vietnamese andEnglish or understand what others say if they do not grasp the grammar rulesbecause no one says words in isolation and no dictionary can list all thepossible sentences (Fromkin An introduction to language) As interpreters andtranslators they have no chance to make grammatical mistakes especially in theorder of words Why? There are two reasons for this:

The first reason is that the arrangement of words in English is differentfrom that in Vietnamese If they do not know the order of words in eachlanguage they surely cannot produce meaningful phrases or sentences toreaders or listeners For example, in English we say " He is a wise man",

"wise", an adjective, is put before the noun "man" but into Vietnamese it istranslated into the Vietnamese as "Anh ta Iii mot ngu'oi khan ngoan", theadjective "khan ngoan" is put after the noun "ngu'oi" If we apply the words'order of the English sentence into Vietnamese sentence we will have thesentence "Anh ta Iii mot khan ngoan ngu'oi" which has no meaning inVieh1amese

The second reason IS that different orders of words lead to differentmeanings For example : "a dirty Vieh1amese book" is completely differentfrom" a Vitenamese dirty book" The first phrase implicates a Vieh1amese book

is made dirty by some reason whereas the second one implicates a depravedVieh1amese book It is also noted that the permutations of the meaning units of

a Vieh1amese sentence result in grammatically correct sturctures with different

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meanings Let's take a look at the following Vietnamese sentences:

_ BllO n6 t6i kh6ng di de'n d6 (Tell him I will not go there.)_ N6 bao t6i kh6ng di de'n d6 (He told me not to go there.)_ N6 kh6ng bao t6i di Mn d6 (He did not tell me to go there.)_ T6i kh6ng bao n6 di de'n d6 (I did not tell him to go there.)_ T6i bao n6 kh6ng di de'n d6 (I told him not to go there.)( Le Anh Minh, Giao Trinh Ngu Phap &Luy<$nDieh Anh van Thu'ong M~i)

We can see that the five Vietnamese sentences above are combined by theseven common words but the meaning of each sentence changes whenever theorder of words is changed

In addition to catching grammar rules, they must be able to analysegrammatical structures as different analysis of grammatical structures also lead

to different meanings For example : the sentence "He found her a reliablesecretary", we have two ways to analyse this sentence, and each way leads todifferent meaning

He found her a reliable secretary

( He thought that she is a reliable secretary.)

He found her a reliable secretary

( He found a relaible secretary for her.)

Besides grammar, the profiency in English and Vieh1amese is alsopresented through the ability to specify precisely what words mean, how theycombine into sentence meanings, and how these combine with contextualinformation to convey the speaker's or the writers' thoughts This ability takes

a very important role in translating process Mastering denotation andconnotation of words can help interpreters and translators find which is the

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For example: the two words "fat" and "obese", they have the same denotation

"overweight" but they are different in connotation "Fat" is used in neutralsituation while" obese" is used in formal situation or medical context Whenthey are translated into Vietnamese, "fat" is equivalent to "m~p" while" obese"equivalent to "beo phi" Moreover, interpreters and translators must be able

to take the right meaning of sentences in an ambiguous situation if they do notwant the ideas of the writers or the speakers is misunderstood

E.g _ "She cannot bear children" (1)

(1) can be paraphrased "She can't stand children" (Bil ffykhOng thieh tre con) or

"She is sterile" (Bil ffyvo sinh)

_ "Chung toi dn nude ngQt" (2)

(2) can be translated into English as "We need fresh water" or "We need softdrinks" because" nude ngQt" means" fresh water" or" soft drinks"

(Le Anh Minh, Giao Trinh Ngu Phap &Luy~n Djeh Anh van Thuong M<:ti)

Furthermore, interpreters and translators have to had extensivevocabulary in both source and target language A professional translator told

me that to the international standard an interpreter or translator must have atleast 5,000 general words and 1,500 terms of a specific field If they have a widevocabulary they will have much more time to find out about the topic they aregoing to translate

One more thing that English - Vietnamese / Vietnamese - Englishinterpreters and translator must be careful with is the differences betweenAmerican English and British English If the target language is English, theversion calU10t be a blend of these two English standard dialects, which aredifferent in their use of words, spelling, pronunciation and expressions Thisblend causes not only ambiguity but also unpleasanb1ess to the readers and thelisteners For example: "chie'n cljchth6ng thoang via he" can be translated as "a

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campargn to tidy up the pavements" in British English but it must betranslated as "a campaign to tidy up the sidewalks" in American Englishbecause the word "pavement" in American English refers to the hard surface

of streets and roads for vehicles ( Le Anh Minh Giao TrInh Ngu Phap & Luy<$nDjch Anh van Thu'ong M~i) If the target language is Vietnamese, they mustknow that English text was produced by an American or a British because themeaning can be very different Let's take a look at the following example:

"The play was a real bomb !"

The question is : did the speaker / writer like it or not? If it is produced by anAmerican person, you are in no doubt that the play was a total disaster.However, if it is produced by a British person, you can be sure that the playwas a tremendous success (David Crystal The Cambridge Encyclopedia ofEnglish Language, 1995)

The last thing should be mentioned in linguistic knowledge required for

an interpreter and translator is the knowledge of varieties of languages Insimple terms, an interpreter and translator have to know which words,expressions or sentences are suitable for which situations English is dividedinto five different language styles The first style is frozen style which is used

in very formal situations The second one is formal style which is used ininternational conferences, in diplomatic or political negotiation, in banquetspeeches or in seminar speeches The last three are consultative style, casualstyle and intimate styles Consultative style can be used in daily conversations,small discussions, in business or in communication with strangers Casual andintimate style are used in private talks between friends and family members.These two styles are usually not used in translation It is very difficult todistinguish clearly between frozen and formal styles but interpreters andtranslators should at least discriminate informal style from formal syles

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Linguistic knowledge is the basic requirement for interpreters and

translators Though interpreters and translators do not have to be linguists, themore they master every branch of linguistics, the more precise and better theirversions are

Language cannot be separated from culture Together with linguisticknowledge, the interpreters and translators must have cultural literacy of

English and Vietnamese

b Cultural Literacy:

Cultural literacy is good general knowledge of the culture of a society,especially a knowledge of the history, literature, art, politics, geography,science, religion and folklore Good translators and interpreters should befamiliar with the culture, customs, and social settings of the source and thetarget language speakers Jose Castro Roig stated that the single mostimportant aspect of being a translator is not the aspiration to master bothlanguages, but rather both cultures Only knowledge of both the source andtarget cultures can help us solve the puzzles that confront us when doing thetranslation or interpretation Due to an ignorance of the culture, translators andinterpreters can introduce incorrect words or expressions into their texts orentirely miss certain turns of phrase or cultural references (Online TranslationJournal, Volum 8, N°I, 2004) When describing a very rich person, Vietnamesepeople say" giau nhu Th(lch Sung" (Tlwch Sung was very rich man living inthe Tan dynasty in China) or" giau nut d6 d6 vach" whereas the Englishpeople use the idiom " as rich as Croesus" (Croesus was a king of Lydia,renowned for his riches) or the idiom" as rich as a Jew" (Formerly in England,the money leaders were Jews) An interpreter or a translator may notunderstand the expression "bruise the heel of Achilles" if he/ she does notknow the meaning of the idiom" Achilles' heel" which originates from the

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legend of Greece Many expressions in English originate from the legends ( e.g.the apple of discord) , from customs and habits (e.g my cup of tea), from theBible (e.g as proud as Lucifer) Culture really has a strong effect on language

So when translating from Vieh1amese into English the interpreters andtranslators must be careful with the difference in culture between Americanand British people For example, due to the difference in political systembetween America and Britain the two phrases "thl1\1ng nghj vit%n","h<:l nghj vit%n"are translated into American English as "the Senates" and " the House ofRepresentatives" but they are translated as "the House of Lords" and " theHouse of Commons" in British English

The less interpreters and translators know about the culture theytranslate, the less they understand its expressions and the more fearful they are

of translating them (Jose Castro Roig, Online Translation Journal, Volum 8,Nol, 2004) Leila Razmjou believed that the socio - cultural awareness canimprove the quality of the versions to a great extend (Online TranslationJournal, Volum 8, NOl, 2004)

In sum, the first demand for a good English - Vietnamese / Vietnamese

- English interpreter and translator is having comprehensive knowledge ofboth English and Vietnamese including linguistics and cultural literacy.However, general knowledge is not enough, they also need good backgroundknowledge of the fields they are involved in

2.1.2 Good knowledge of the fields they are involved in :Having good knowledge of the fields they are involved in, includingterminology and relevant knowledge, is very important to interpreters andtranslators Without it how they can fully understand the ideas of the speakers

or the writers As a result, they surely cannot produce precise versions

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as rendering the wrong meaning of a term without awareness or not knowinghow to interpret some terms

As for translators, though they have time to look up in the dictionaryand check what they do not know when doing translation, they also shouldhave good knowledge of the fields they work in It is because with goodbackground knowledge they can easily absorb the writers' ideas and producethe better translations Besides, not all the source texts are written withstandard grammatical structures A translator may not understand the writers'ideas when translating the texts written with non-standard language unlesshe/ she knows about the issues mentioned in them, According to LeilaRazmjou, successful translators usually choose one specific kind of texts fortranslating and continue to work only in that area; for example a translatormight translate only literary works, scientific books, or journalist texts (OnlineTranslation Journal, V,S, N° 2, 2004)

In fact, when we have knowledge of something we can understand whatpeople talk or write about it more easily than the others who know nothingabout it We cannot explain to someone a thought if we do not fullyunderstand that thought, nor can interpreters and translators rendersomething without mastery of the relevant subject master So the moreinterpreters and translators master the subject matter related to what are to be

-translated the better their )'erswns'cU"e't!.(.J./.'~\ ~ "7"'

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Besides knowledge, good interpreters and translators also need highresponsibility and passion for their jobs

2.1.3 High responsibility and the passion for their jobs:

The role of interpreters and translators is very important They helppeople of different languages exchange ideas or directly contact each others.What may happen if they make mistakes while doing their jobs like translatingwrongly some clause in a contract or interpreting wrongly the ideas of thespeakers in a negotiation? Everything can happen when people misunderstandeach others That is why interpreters and translators must have highresponsibility As for interpreters, it is presented through the carefulpreparation for the topics they are going to interpret including terms andrelevant information It also presented through checking with the speakersbefore interpreting an idea that they do not understand clearly As fortranslators, it is presented through finding out information related to the topic

of the texts, checking carefully any strange vocabulary or terms in the texts anddelivering their versions on time

In addition, the passion for their jobs is very necessary to intepreters andtranslators They surely cannot sit at a computer or in court day after dayturning words and phrases in one language into words and phrases in anotherwithout burning out on it if lacking that passion (Douglas Robinson Becoming

A Translator) If they do not love their jobs, how they can spend times readingbooks, materials or surfing the internet to look for information about some arearelated to the topics they are going to translate We only do well somethingwhen we really enjoy doing it It is also right to interpreters and translators It

is the passion for their jobs that motivate them unceasingly to update theirknowledge as well as improve their skills everyday in order to produce betterand better versions

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-,

Besides having good command of the two languages, good knowledge

of the fields they are involved in, high responsibility and the passion for their

jobs, good interpreters and translators also need great intellectual curiosity

and ability to use various information - providing sources effectively

2.1.4 Great intellectual curiosity and ability to use variousinformation - providing sources effectively:

Intepreters and translators work as the "language messenger" Their

medium is language Language changes along with social changes In addition,

to be effective, the interpreter and translator make the decision of how to best

convey both the meaning of the words and the context in which those words

are used This requires a high level of expertise in a subject area and current

knowledge of different cultures As a result their knowledge needs updating

everyday Without intellectual curiosity how they can enhance their

knowledge to keep up with the unceasing change and development of the

world

Besides, they need know how to use effectively various information

-providing sources to support for their works These sources include different

monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the internet Using

dictionary is a technical skill itself as words have different meanings in

different contexts Encyclopidias and internet are very useful for searching

information of all kinds But if we do not know how to use them we can waste

time without results Therefore, the interpreter and translator should catch the

best ways to take information they need from these two sources

We have just taken a look at some common basic requirements for a

good interpreter and translator They are good command of the two languages,

good knowledge of the fields they are involved in, high responsibility and the

passion for their jobs, great intellectual curiosity and ability to use various

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information - providing sources effectively Let's continue to figure out theparticular demands for each job

2.2 Particular requirements for a good interpreter:

2.2.1 Good listening and speaking skills:

As interpreters do oral translation, a good interpreter must have goodlistening and speaking skills if they want to interpret precisely the speakers'ideas

Firstly, they have to be "sharp - eared" It does not mean that they have

to hear every words of the speakers but they must know what the central ideasare It means that they have ability to simultaneously listen and analyse whatthe speakers say then render them into target language Besides, people fromdifferent regions speak with different accents In Vietnam people living in theSouth sometimes cannot understand what people living in the Central say It isalso right to English Not every English learners can speak English with thestandard accents like British or American Most of the English learners speakEnglish with their mother accents Therefore, a good interpreter is the one whoalways catches all the chances to speak English with people from differentcountries to enhance his or her listening skill

Together with good listening skill is good speaking skill A goodinterpreter not only listen well but also speak well Good speaking skill isfirstly presented through ability to pronounce well That means they must beable to pronounce all sounds especially difficult sounds of both English andVieh1amese clearly Some Vieh1amese people may get confused whenpronouncing the Vieh1amese consonants like" d" and" v"; "r" and IIg"; "s" and

"x"; "I" and"n", and some English learners may find it difficult to pronouncecorrectly the sounds such as /t!/, /8/, /d/ that do not exist in Vieh1amese