Training of Military Interpreters in the Danish Defence

1. Training of MilitaryInterpreters in the Danish Defence Claus Mathiesen Head of Curriculum Institute of Languages Royal Danish Defence College

2. DEPLOYMENT MILITARY INTERPRETER MILITARY CULTURAL ADVISOR MilitaryInterpretation Operational Cultural Analysis Development Economics & Environment - Methods of Field Works Function-orientedLanguage MilEng, Intro Lang/Dialects Tactics - Strategy& MilOpsLeadership & Management Advanced Language Religion - Social Structures Basic LanguageHistory & Politics Basic Military Training OFFICER

3. Language elementsProficiencylevelsaimed at (STANAG/ILR) SL->Da Da->SL SL->Da Da->SL *general language**militarylanguage Total number of lessons: approx. 1370

4. Main elements of the training programme

5. Students profile • Age 20-30 • Male/female • Upper secondaryschool or higher • Partly or totallycompletedhighereducation • Selectionprocess • 1 out of 2, up to 1 out of 5, applicantsadmitted • Highly motivated • Psychological and physical tests

6. Interpretation and translation aretwodifferentmatters! • the interpreter knows and workswithin the group of peoplehe is supposed to ”serve” • ofteninformallanguage, • the interpreter can ask for explanations and repetitions whileinterpreting • time pressure! • disturbingsurroundings! • ”youwillhearthisonlyonce”! • youdon’tknow the angle of argumentation and the overall intention – youare ”blind”!!

7. First of twoFAQs • How is the interpreter able to remember all that has beensaid, whenhe is interpretingconsecutively? Answer: • He isn’t – he is usingmnemo-techniques and a specialized note-takingtechnique for interpreters

8. Note-takingtechniques– ”new info” – and whatelse? • Lists!! • Names!! • Dates!! • Numbers!! • LAST PART of the message!!

9. Hierarchy of difficulty

10. Hierarchy of difficulty

11. The interpreter’s ”basicsins” • Misunderstandings! • Omissions! • Misinterpretations! M.O.M.!!

12. From mothertongue to foreignlanguage: m-O-M From foreignlanguage to mothertongue: M-O-m Direction of Interpretation

13. PERFORMANCE”Audience’s and user’simpression”

14. INFORMATION How much must the interpreter knowabout the meaning of a word to ”operate” with the wordduring interpretation?

15. What is Mt KILIMANJARO? 5as with 4, + located in Tanzania, 6010 m, a little S of Equator, easy to climb 4 as with 3, + ”an extinctvulcano” ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. A mountain in Africa, the highestpeak of the continent ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. A mountain 1. Somethinggeographic (0. No idea)

16. HICCUPS and TOOLS!

17. expressionsdescribingrealities, e.g. geographic, ethnographic, socio-economic, etc proper names persons, locations addressingpeople idiomaticexpressions* situationalexpressions metaphores terminology acronyms ”Hiccups”- the tough things to interpret *must beinterpreted as a whole, not word by word!

18. Second of twoFAQs • How does the interpreter knowwhateverything is called in the foreignlanguage? Answer: • He doesn’t – he is using his ”interpreter’stools”

19. INTERPRETER’S TOOLS

20. Sorry, mate: P– GEAC– LO! ghkjksk

21. TOOLS • paraphrasing • generalising • exemplifying • antonymising • concluding • literal translation • omission

22. TOOLS

23. TOOLS? ???

24. TERMS in MILITARY TEXTS • ”Besides the general problems of translation and interpretation, the question of terminology is probably the most importantone in anymilitarycontext. • One specific feature of different kinds of militarytexts is the frequency of all sorts of military terms.” (G.M.Strelkovsky: ”Theory and Praxis of Military Translation and Interpretation”, Moscow1979)

25. Impression by user/audience: Interpreter’s reality: THE PROCESS ”Talkingmachine” ”Talkingmachine” ???

26. The interpreter’s personality • extrovert? • introvert? • curious!!!!!

27. The interpreter and his ”client(s)” • The interpreter shares with his ”client” the responsibility to get the fulleffect of the interpreter’swork • the interpreter must guide his ”client” (short passages, slower pace, repetition) • goodcooperationduring the preperation with the ”client” is the bestway to ensurethat the interpreter willbeseen as the ideal ”talkingmachine” • content, language, psychology, expectations

28. The interpreter’s ”client” • convulutedlanguage by the ”client” may not happenbecause of bad intentions, but due to lack of understanding!

29. Training interpretersFocus points • short introduction to basic principles • also the obviousones • lots of practical training • along with the progress in knowledge of militarymatters and relatedterminology • exercises as realistic as possible • using all techniques and ”tools” • focus on quality and performance • goodindividual feedback and guidance on alle aspects of the profession

30. GOODPERFORMANCE ”Interpreter’s TOOLS” THE MILITARY INTERPRETER Mnemo- and Notetaking Techn. Adaptability Quick perception and analyticalskills Specificmilitaryterminologyrelated to the topic (sufficient) Knowledge of the specificmilitarytopic(sufficient) Ability to prepare himself and his ”user” optimally General militaryterminology Sufficient general languageproficiency to not interrupt or substantially hinder the communication for purelylinguisticreasons GENERAL KNOWLEDGE of MILITARY MATTERS GENERAL KNOWLEDGE and COMMON SENSE

31. Miscellaneous • English! • Equipment! • Ethics and morale!

32. The Danish Military Interpreter