INTERPRETING

PRACTICE 1
WEEK 2: MEMORIZING
NOTE-TAKING
INTERPRETING PROCESS

1. Phase 1: Listening Phase

CI = L (listening) + M (short-term memory) + N (note-taking)

2. Phase Two- Reformulation

CI = R (remember) + R (read the notes) + P (produce the speech in the target language)
MEMORY

• Memory holds an important role in each phase of the interpreting process.

• Types:
• Long-term Memory
• Short-term Memory
LONG-TERM MEMORY

Long-term memory:
• allows for information to be held for a lifetime.
• seems to have unlimited capacity to store information.

Purpose:
• Understand
• Integrate new information -> LTM database
SHORT-TERM MEMORY

Short-term memory:
• is where most information processing takes place.
• is where we try to give meaning to what we see/hear -> converting this info into
something significant -> filling the blanks with elements from long-term memory.
MEMORY TRAINING

• Visualization
• Segmentation 
• remembering sentences in chunks, as smaller bits of information are easier to remember
• e.g.: break phone numbers down into groups

• Shadowing
• listening to a speaker (TV, on a radio show, podcast) - and pausing the audio (at natural breaks)
to repeat exactly what he or she said.
NOTE-TAKING SKILLS

• Taking notes simply means quickly writing down information as a record or reminder.
• Taking notes is a way to support your memory.
• Notes:
• improve concentration + prevent distraction -> facilitate the reception and analysis of the
speech
• relieve the memory: recording the specific details and data such as proper names, numbers,
figures, lists of things, or specialized terms, technical expressions, etc.
• highlight missing details
NOTE-TAKING SKILLS

• (i) what to note;

• (ii) how to note
• (iii) when to note.
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
• Main Ideas
• Non-contextualized Information (Numbers/Figures, proper names, lists of things and
terminologies)
• The Links (consequently, as a result, because, due however or nevertheless)
• Verb Tenses
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
PRACTICE 1:
TAKE NOTES OF PROPER NAMES
• Listen to the listening text “Careers’ 95 Seminar” and write down all the proper names
that you can hear.
PRACTICE 1:
TAKE NOTES OF PROPER NAMES
•Brian Green •MC • -
•Sheraton Hotel •Venue • Khách sạn Sheraton
•Hong Kong Careers’ 95 Seminar •Event • Hội thảo nghề Hong Kong năm 95
•Hong Kong Schools Association •Host • Hiệp hội trường học Hong Kong
•Ms Suzy Lee •Speaker 1 • -
•Account Director •Occupation of S1 • -
•Good Communications •Company of S1 • Công ty Good Communications
•Mr. Peter Lam •S2 • -
•Singapore Bank Building •Name of a Building that S1 designed • Toà nhà ngân hàng Singapore
•Admiralty •A location in Hong Kong • Khu Kim Chung – Khu Admiralty
•Design Architect •Occupation of S2 • Kiến trúc sư
•General Architectural Company •Current Company of S2 • Công ty kiến trúc General Architectural
•Ms Cathy Chan •Speaker 3 • -
•Hong Kong Interpreters Ltd. •Speaker 3’s own company • Công ty Phiên dịch viên HK – Công ty HK
Interpreters
PRACTICE 1:
TAKE NOTES OF PROPER NAMES
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
PRACTICE 2:
TAKE NOTES OF NUMBERS/FIGURES
• Listen to the listening text and write down all the numbers/figures that you can hear.
 PRACTICE 2:
TAKE NOTES OF NUMBERS/FIGURES
• Fertility rate = live births/1000 women (15-
44 yo)
• US: 65.8 births/ 1k wm (15-44) – 1976
• Iran: 205 b/ 1k wm (15-49) – highest - 1975
• Aus: 58/ 1k wm (15-49) – very low – 1976
• US:
• 1975: 114.7b/ 1k wm (20-24)
• 1955: > x2 1975
• Fertility rates – wm in 20s – highest - (↘︎
thereafter)
PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF PROPER NAMES AND FIGURES
• Listen to the listening text and write down all the proper names and figures that you can
hear.
PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF PROPER
NAMES AND FIGURES

1,000

1883

38,000

57

1815 71,000
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
WHAT TO NOTE
NON-CONTEXTUALIZED INFORMATION
PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF LISTS OF THINGS
Listen to the listening text about Tet Holiday and note down:
• Special holiday foods
• Customs
• Things to do
• Things to avoid
 PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF LISTS OF THINGS
• Special holiday foods:
• square rice cake
• Vietnamese sausage
• dried young bamboo soup
• sticky rice
• boiled chicken
 PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF LISTS OF THINGS
• Customs:
• Visiting a person’s house - 1st day
NY
• Ancestral worship
• Wishing NY’s greetings
• Giving lucky money – children+
elderly ppl
 PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF LISTS OF THINGS
• Things to do:
• Clean the house
• Buy kumquat trees/ peach blossom
-> decorate house
• Buy new clothes – everyone
• Welcome back the kitchen god –
ong Tao
 PRACTICE 3:
TAKE NOTES OF LISTS OF THINGS
• Things to avoid:
• Sweeping = sweeping away luck
-> clean b4 NY
• Ppl exp-ed recent loss of fam
member -> no visiting anyone else
HOW TO NOTE

• Abbreviations and Symbols

HOW TO NOTE

• Abbreviations and Symbols

HOW TO NOTE

• Abbreviations and Symbols

HOW TO NOTE

• Abbreviations and Symbols

 HOW TO NOTE
NOTE ARRANGEMENT
• DIAGRAM: • Example:
 HOW TO NOTE
NOTE ARRANGEMENT
• VERTICALITY • Example:
 HOW TO NOTE
NOTE ARRANGEMENT
• Diagonal Layout: • Example:
Subject “Prime Minister Pham Van Khai's 2005 visit to Washington
Verb reflected the significant improvement in bilateral relations”.

Object
HOW TO NOTE
NOTE ARRANGEMENT
Left-hand Margin
• Example:
“Hungary has complained that its steel exports
to the European Union are not able to develop
because of excessively restrictive tariff quotas.
But the Union representative pointed out that
quotas are still underused by 27 Hungary by a
large margin, so the tariff quotas themselves
didn’t appear to be creating the difficulties”
could be noted:
REFERENCE

• Nguyen, Q. H. (2007). Hướng dẫn kỹ thuật phiên dịch Anh - Việt Việt - Anh. NXB Tổng
hợp thành phố Hồ Chí Minh;