WHISPERING INTERPRETING

1. Whispering and the Origin of Simultaneous Interpreting Chuchotage is French for whispering, i.e., whispered interpreting. The Professionals use of the French term is a reminder of the influence of French interpreters on the development of modern conference interpreting. Ill use the English word because, for one thing, whispering is not confined to Professionals. In whispered interpreting..., the interpreter sits or stands next to the small target-language audience whilst whispering a simultaneous interpretation of the matter to hand; this method requires no equipment. (Though this method requires no equipment, lightweight equipment is sometimes used to enhance it.) The small target-language audience is often, indeed is ideally, a single person, because whispering doesnt carry far. The maximum is three or four people grouped close to the interpreter. Despite this limitation, it can be used to advantage when there are only very few people in a gathering who need the interpretation. Since it needs no equipment and is usually done by a single interpreter, its very economical. Besides conference interpreting, its used in court and liaison interpreting. Like all simultaneous interpreting, it offers the advantage that it takes up much less time than consecutive. In fact its widely used, and many interpreter agencies offer it: see the ads on Google. When we look at it more closely, we observe some finer distinctions. For example, besides true whispering theres also murmuring. In whispering, besides its low volume, the enunciation is, as linguists say, devoiced; that is to say, the resonance of vowels and certain consonants is reduced or eliminated: z becomes s and so on. In murmuring, the voicing is retained and only the volume is reduced. Another distinction is in the manner of translating. The definition quoted above says its simultaneous, and so it is in the sense that the interpreter whispers while the speaker is still talking. But the interpreter may stick very closely behind the speaker and whisper continuously, or may translate in short bursts with interruptions. There is also summarizing, where the interpreter doesnt render all thats said but only delivers bursts of summary. In general, whispering hasnt been studied much and I dont know any research that has looked into these finer distinctions. So whispering has its usefulness, but what are its drawbacks? First and foremost, it is obviously, the limitation on the size of its audience. Any attempt to increase it requires the interpreter to speak louder, and then its no longer whispering. Worse than that, loud whispering disturbs the listening and concentration of people around whom are not targeted, including the speaker. Nothing could be more annoying. Second, its a mode of simultaneous interpreting, and like all SI it requires great concentration to listen, translate and speak at the same time, even if the translation is only summarized. Therefore its very tiring. Furthermore, "while it takes less effort to produce a whisper, it tires out the vocal cords more quickly." I said above that its commonly done by a single interpreter unfortunately so, because that interpreter ought to have a relief if it goes on for very long. (In my experience, short consecutive interpreting is less tiring.) There was a
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good discussion in a Kudoz forum a while back about the load on a single interpreter and the professional pay for it (see References). Third, the listener too has to concentrate because of interference from the ambient noise and the voice of the speaker. What then should interpreting students be taught and practice, beyond the basic skill of simultaneous translation? The most important extra skill, and for some people the most difficult, is prolonged voice control. If you're concentrating on listening and translation, your voice volume may rise without your noticing it and you may even slip from whispering into murmuring. In that case you'll usually be called to order by black looks from the other people around who don't want to hear you. Some people have naturally loud voices, which they must make an extra effort to dampen Chuchotage or whispered interpreting is a form of whispered simultaneous interpreting for which no interpreting equipment is required as the interpreter, who is positioned right next to the listener, simply whispers to the listener precisely what the speaker is saying. Chuchotage is used when, on account of there being only one or two users of a specific language involved, this renders consecutive interpreting impractical and the use of simultaneous interpreting equipment uneconomical. Chuchotage, however, may well involve portable interpreting equipment, with its use being ever more on the increase. Such interpreting can be viewed as a sub-variant of whispered interpreting. It permits significant flexibility since no interpreting booth is required. It is for instance ideal for guided plant tours. The interpreter stays close to the speaker and in a low voice interprets what is being said into a wireless microphone. Listeners in the vicinity hear what is being interpreted via headsets. Preferably, however, this mode of interpreting is used only under specific circumstances and for a maximum of c. 25 listeners. Benefits: No simultaneous interpreting booth is required Great flexibility (hence particularly well suited for guided tours at industrial plant) Drawbacks: The whispered interpreting may distract other participants (the interpreter is not housed in a sound-proof booth, as would normally be the case) The interpreter may similarly be somewhat distracted, being exposed to a great variety of noises (and the original is not transmitted via a microphone to the interpreters headset as would be the case in an interpreting booth). Consequently, the interpreter always needs to be positioned close to the speaker, and all participants need to exercise a significant degree of discipline. Interpreting can only be into one language Fields of use: Seminars/conferences/events with a very small number of participants who are in need of language assistance, and who themselves do not intend to take the floor Guided plant tours

It is an interpreting option that works on anything from international business to travel tours. It entails the use of simultaneous translation while the speech content is whispered by the interpreter sitting close by. There are a number of advantages to this mode of interpretation, namely the freedom and flexibility to understand a new language with the assistance of a live person. Given the nature of whisper interpretation, it is designed for small gatherings lasting a short duration. However, one of the limitations on whisper interpretation is the difficulty of implementing the service when there are numerous interpreters in a single room. The cross chatter and lengthy discussions can sometimes render this mode of interpretation problematic. This form of interpreting is a special form of simultaneous interpreting, differing in the fact that no conference equipment is used. The interpreter sits next to the person who needs to listen in a language that he or she understands and whispers practically simultaneously the content of the speech.Depending on duration, one or two interpreters are required. In the interests of the other listeners, who may be disturbed by the whispering, this form of interpreting is suitable for maximum three persons. Use of a so-called whispering unit, which is not soundproof, is to be recommended in many instances. Listeners hear the spoken word via earphone. Whispering interpreting is suitable for medium and small events, for works visits, training on equipment etc. Escort interpreting is a special version of whisper interpreting. This form of interpreting is suitable for visits to exhibitions and tours with small numbers. Whispering interpretation is used when the meeting is taking place in one language (English, for example) and one or two delegates speak a different language. The interpreter sits beside the delegate or in the case of site visits, walks with the delegate and whispers the interpretation to him or her during the meeting. Its a less formal type of language interpretation. Sometimes called by its French name, chuchotage, whispering interpretation is used in small meetings and informal settings. Whispering interpretation is often the technique of choice for: Business negotiations or Site visits (workshops, factories, etc) or One-to-one or small group meetings. Whispering interpreting requires no special equipment, no booths or headphones or microphones. It is convenient and informal. Best where only two languages are being used (usually English and one other language). It is most helpful when a small number of foreign language speakers need interpretation not more than one or two.

Whispering is an interpreting mode whereby the interpreter is seated next to one or two meeting participants and whispers the interpretation of the speech. This mode is used mainly when only very few people need interpretation. Whispering is not recommended when there are more than two listeners or when several interpreters need to work at the same time in the same room (since this could create too much noise and is as unpleasant for the interpreters as for the audience). A team working in this mode requires at least two interpreters. Since this technique is hard on the vocal chords, it is only appropriate for very short meetings. There are some situations and venues where simultaneous interpretation can be done without a booth, depending on the needs of the meeting. The most common examples are
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1. Site visits, trade shows, factory tours, and poster sessions, etc. Where the participants and interpreters are on the moves. 2. Brief meetings (for example, lunch or dinner speeches) 3. Small meetings with ten or fewer participants (for example, board of directors or committee meetings) Working without a booth is much more strenuous for the interpreters. Chuchotage is a technique that consists of whispering the content of an ongoing conversation, meeting or speech into the ear of the recipient. The interpreter is situated close to listener, and will whisper the translation to them while the speaker(s) continue to talk. The interpreter will render an accurate summary of what is being said, rather than producing a verbatim translation. This can only be truly effective if only a single listener requires interpretation. Whispering interpreting is an alternative to simultaneous interpreting and is usually carried out with the help of a portable whisper set. The costs of the renting the equipment required are relatively low. The interpreter sits among the participants and speaks into a wireless microphone. This type of interpreting is suitable for events such as tours conducted in two languages or where there is a small group of listeners. If whisper sets are not used, the group of listeners has to be limited to two people. The interpreter sits beside or behind the listeners and interprets in a low voice.

Where? Whispered interpreting services are suitable for small conferences, where there are one or two speakers of a different language that need interpreting, guided plant tours etc.

Characteristics: Advantages:

No time is lost (the interpreting takes place at the same time as the speech) No need for special equipment Usually one interpreter is enough

Disadvantages:

The interpreter may get easily distracted by the noise around him/her or their whispering may distract the others

2. Relay Interpreting Using an Intermediary Person The term relay interpreting is used when more than one "interpreter" is needed to convey the message. This technique is used whenever the patient does not understand interpreting or the interpreter has difficulty understanding the voice or the signing of the patient. The reasons for using relay interpreting might be:
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the patient has lost vision recently, can no longer rely on visual sign language and is uncomfortable with tactile sign language but understands a relative or friend the patient has a neurological condition that makes the sign language or speech deviate from normal the patient needs the support or presence of a family member who may be involved in part of the interpreting although some of the interpreting usually goes directly via the interpreter a patient with minimal language skills (MLS) who needs an interpreter who knows his limited vocabulary.

Usually the second person helping in the communication is a family member, teacher or social worker. However, even if they use sign language they should not function as the only interpreter because it is not humanly possible for such a person to be impartial in the examination process. They usually function as advocates which are a different role than that of an interpreter. Also, we cannot expect that they know how to interpret our medical terminology well enough to cover all of the questions and/or to function properly in the different test situations. When relay interpreting is used, the time for communication increases as does the possibility of losing some information on the way. Both the interpreter and the physician have to be very alert and sensitive and help the relay person rephrase questions using simple, more common concepts if the patient does not seem to understand. Since we have to use the simplification method, it is important to get practice in simplifying the contents of our different questions without losing the exactness of their meaning. The use of a relay person is one of the most delicate situations in communication. The person is unlikely to know the ethics of interpreting and, even if these rules are known, cannot apply them in communication when there are close, personal ties. We have to accept the fact that the relay interpreter sometimes talks for and instead of the patient. In this case we have to try to rephrase the question, gently suggesting that the question in its new form might be "easier for the patient to understand and answer". We use the relay person as our communication cable and we do not want to break the communication by disturbing the person who is having a hard time even without any additional critical comments on his performance. In situations where the relay interpreter is deaf and the answers have to be voiced, it is helpful if the interpreter says who is speaking because the doctor usually has to watch the reactions of the patient and cannot keep track of how much the patient is signing.

Figure 5. Relay interpreting. A. The interpreter voices the signing of a deaf person who can read the signs of the deaf patient.
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B. The deaf relay person signs the information signed by the interpreter.