Tips for Consecutive Interpreting

Four main skills to work on for consecutive are:

1. Listening Skills
As in sight translation, focus on the main idea.
Do not get hung up on individual words.
2. Memory Skills
Visualize what is being said
Timelines events can be helpful
Causal relationships can aid memory
Memory exercises
Chunking also helpful
3. Note-taking Skills
Essential, but do not overdo note-taking
The rule of thumb is:

*** Take as many notes as needed, but as few as possible ***

Always carry a notepad
Write down names & numbers
Vertical layout with hierarchical indents often recommended
Develop symbols to increase note-taking speed
Initially practice taking notes from a written text
Remember: Notes can be a great memory aid, but
they can be distracting
they can slow you down
4. Delivery
Smooth, even delivery
Pleasant voice
Be sure to record your performance it can be very instructive!!!
Why take notes?
Obvious helps increase what you can remember
Reduces the number of repetitions needed
Emphasizes your professionalism
**Keeping your eyes on your notepad encourages the parties to look at each
other rather than at you and makes you less intrusive