(Over)Note-Taking in Consecutive Interpreting

Abstract

Interpreting trainees usually need some time and a lot of practice before they fully realize that note-taking in consecutive interpreting is only an aid to memory and a result of fully understanding what has been said, without paying too much attention to how it has been said. One full implication of this process is that a near-native knowledge of the foreign language(s) is indispensable, given the fact that a poor understanding of what the speakers are saying is incompatible with remembering it and, for that matter, even with taking proper notes. The purpose of this article is to insist on the need to start interpreting training after the foreign language and culture have been rally assimilated and to make sure that students realize from the start that note-taking is not an end in itself. Two practical examples are discussed, one from a business interview and one from a medical situation.

Keywords

• Note-Taking; Memory; Comprehension; Retention; Discrimination