Can anyone be an interpreter?
This question has been widely disputed, along with the matter of whether interpretation should be considered an art or a science, a skill or a gift, a craft or a vocation. Not surprisingly, it is a little bit of all these things. As a science or skill, it consists of a number of specific techniques that can be taught, learned and practiced successfully by a person who has a thorough knowledge and mastery of two languages. However, anyone who has had the opportunity to listen to a truly masterful interpretation understands that in its best form, interpretation calls for much more than mere technique. The art or gift lies in the ability to gain an intuitive understanding of what the speaker is trying to convey, manage to express that same message in an entirely different language that has different cultural traditions, and do so eloquently, gracefully and with a minimum of distortion.
Related Questions
- At my middle school, sometimes I ask a DHH student to stay after class for a minute or two, but the interpreter is unable to stay longer than a few seconds because s/he has to dash to the next class. How can I speak privately with a DHH student when the interpreter always has to leave?
- If a teacher endangers a student, or otherwise breaks a local, state, or federal law, how will the interpreter handle that?
- I want to become an interpreter. What is the process?
