口译课程，Interpreting Program

Interpretation Program

Undergraduate programs in Hong Kong will extend from 3 years to 4 years starting in 2009. In light of this change, a surge in demand for teaching staff; administrative staff and course development is expected. This is an opportune time to examine how an interpretation program should be designed.

It is the author's observation that students typically have a poor command of language and/or possess a narrow knowledge base. Students who major in Interpretation/Translation hardly know anything about the hard sciences, mathematics, finance, economics, accounting, law etc. Non I/T majors on the other hand usually tend to have weaker language skills. Ideally, students should have a good grounding in the hard/soft sciences before focusing on developing interpretation skills.

There are good reasons for the above requirements. First of all, the conference industry is very diverse. Corporate results announcements use an abundance of accounting; finance terms such as: EBITDA, CAGR, ARPU, IRR etc. The local Trade Development Council hosts a range of events such as the annual Toy, Stationery, Jewelry, Fashion, Design and Book Fairs. On the academic side, local universities organize various international exchanges on topics such as architectural studies; legal comparison studies; education etc. The practicing interpreter therefore needs to be familiar with a broad spectrum of subjects. Second, having a broad based education lays the foundation for future life-long study. Part of the job of being an interpreter is a career long commitment to individual study. Certain fields such as Information Technology evolve at a very rapid pace, and interpreting on these occasions demand very thorough preparation.

Even with the best preparation, an interpreter can still be caught unprepared. For example, I was once called upon to interpret for a confidential meeting. All I knew before the meeting was the time, date, venue and it would be about a medical topic. As it turned out, the meeting was organized by a global pharmaceutical company conducting drug testing protocol training. Even though the subject matter was about new medication, the ideas were of a statistical nature. I had prepared a medical glossary, but would never have guessed statistics would be involved. Luckily, I had taken a statistics course in my undergraduate years.

The following courses are suggested for a 4 year undergraduate program:

Year 1

Semester 1 Semester 2

Chinese Literature 101 Chinese Literature 102

English Literature 101 English Literature 102

Calculus 101 Calculus 102

Accounting/Finance/Economics 101 Accounting/Finance/Economics 102

Physics/Chemistry/ Biology 101 Physics/Chemistry/Biology 102

Putonghua/French/German 101 Putonghua/French/German102

Year 2

Semester 1 Semester 2

Chinese Literature 201 Chinese Literature 202

English Literature 201 English Literature 202

Statistics 201 Statistics 202

Introduction to Translation 201 Introduction to Translation 202

Introduction to Interpretation 201 Introduction to Interpretation 202

Putonghua/French/German 201 Putonghua/French/German 202

Year 3

Semester 1 Semester 2

Overseas Exchange/Apprentice Overseas Exchange/Apprentice

As interpreting is a skill to be honed, a one year overseas exchange program would allow the students to have complete language immersion to further develop their understanding of a foreign language and culture. If overseas exchange is not available, then an apprentice or work program in the students' intended career field should also be considered.

After the exchange/apprentice program, students should have a better understanding of their aptitudes and abilities. At this point they should be able to make a rational decision on whether to continue their I/T studies. Should they wish to focus on Interpreting, I suggest the following:

Year 4

Semester 1 Semester 2

Introduction to Consecutive Interpreting 401 Introduction to Consecutive Interpreting 402

Introduction to Conference Interpreting 401 Introduction to Conference Interpreting 402

Introduction to Chinese Philosophy 201 Introduction to Western Philosophy 201

Electives Electives

Putonghua/French/German 401 Putonghua/French/German 402

The guiding thought in this suggested program is to achieve a balance in the humanities and sciences, while developing linguistic and interpretation skills. It caters to the needs of a budding interpreter and helps her build up a solid framework in which further development is possible. During the exchange year, the student is encouraged to broaden her horizons through participating in campus activities, interacting with the local student population and taking courses not normally available in Hong Kong; thus gaining a vernacular grasp of the foreign language she intends to work in and maximizing the educational experience. Students choosing the apprentice option should find work in the interpretation or translation field, where they can apprentice under an experienced mentor; thereby gaining firsthand experience in their selected careers, which should improve their employment prospects upon graduation. The reader will also notice that most of the workload is in the first 3 years, with the last year allowing the student a lighter load and, hopefully, more time for independent thinking.