Experience sharing
What I Learned from the Interpretation Workshop
by Marty Ho
For most of Angelenos, the spring of 2021 was lively and full of growth. As the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Los Angeles continued to improve, businesses started to re-open and people could finally return to workplaces. Interestingly, it was also a lively time of growth for our translation team of DDM LA Center. In March and April, after our team longing for a long time, Angela Chang from DDM Toronto Center offered us a workshop of Mandarin-English interpretation. Thanks to the internet conference technology, the entire workshop was held online. There were also guest participants from Taiwan and Singapore. The workshop was a success, and all the participants were very grateful for Angela's generous teaching and sharing.
Angela was a very nice teacher. She was strict sometimes, yet she genuinely cared about her students. She prepared a lot of materials for each workshop class, to the extent that I felt it almost like taking a class in college. Each class was of full solid three hours. Sometimes Angela would even go overtime a bit only to cover all the points she wanted to deliver. The atmosphere of the class was interactive, fun and engaging. Often, all of us had a lot to share and forgot about the time. Yet, like a gift for us, she offered us one additional class so that we could complete what was planned for. Very generous of her! After the class, she would also spend time checking the progress of our practice. It was not easy to catch up with her pace, and I wished that I could spare more time from the day for my practice.
To me, the workshop provided quite a few opportunities to learn. The workshop classes were designed well. It gave an excellent overview of the recommended skills for consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. There were ample examples and demonstrations on how to apply the skills taught in the class to the actual delivery. Particularly, I learned a lot from the comment section of each group exercise. Since each of us has a different interpretation capability, Angela would give her comments and advice tailored to each person. Additionally, she also encouraged us to comment other people's delivery. Having her comments and practicing giving comments for the same context was very helpful. After two weeks of practicing, I can clearly see an improvement in my speed of listening and speaking in daily conversation. My overall interpretation capability is growing as well – I know it takes time and perseverance to see an outcome, yet our systematic approach gave me the confidence that it will happen.
One important concept that Angela taught us is that simultaneous interpretation is teamwork. No one can handle this task on his/her own for an extended period, even for professionals. Preparation is crucial to the quality of the interpretation delivery, and it is often better done as a team. I am grateful for being a member of our translation team. We all share the common goal of delivering the dharma to people in need, and we strive for it. After all, nothing is more rewarding than a listener coming to us and saying thank you. It brings a profound meaning to our work, and all the time and preparations that we dedicated.
For most of Angelenos, the spring of 2021 was lively and full of growth. As the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Los Angeles continued to improve, businesses started to re-open and people could finally return to workplaces. Interestingly, it was also a lively time of growth for our translation team of DDM LA Center. In March and April, after our team longing for a long time, Angela Chang from DDM Toronto Center offered us a workshop of Mandarin-English interpretation. Thanks to the internet conference technology, the entire workshop was held online. There were also guest participants from Taiwan and Singapore. The workshop was a success, and all the participants were very grateful for Angela's generous teaching and sharing.Angela was a very nice teacher. She was strict sometimes, yet she genuinely cared about her students. She prepared a lot of materials for each workshop class, to the extent that I felt it almost like taking a class in college. Each class was of full solid three hours. Sometimes Angela would even go overtime a bit only to cover all the points she wanted to deliver. The atmosphere of the class was interactive, fun and engaging. Often, all of us had a lot to share and forgot about the time. Yet, like a gift for us, she offered us one additional class so that we could complete what was planned for. Very generous of her! After the class, she would also spend time checking the progress of our practice. It was not easy to catch up with her pace, and I wished that I could spare more time from the day for my practice.
To me, the workshop provided quite a few opportunities to learn. The workshop classes were designed well. It gave an excellent overview of the recommended skills for consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. There were ample examples and demonstrations on how to apply the skills taught in the class to the actual delivery. Particularly, I learned a lot from the comment section of each group exercise. Since each of us has a different interpretation capability, Angela would give her comments and advice tailored to each person. Additionally, she also encouraged us to comment other people's delivery. Having her comments and practicing giving comments for the same context was very helpful. After two weeks of practicing, I can clearly see an improvement in my speed of listening and speaking in daily conversation. My overall interpretation capability is growing as well – I know it takes time and perseverance to see an outcome, yet our systematic approach gave me the confidence that it will happen.One important concept that Angela taught us is that simultaneous interpretation is teamwork. No one can handle this task on his/her own for an extended period, even for professionals. Preparation is crucial to the quality of the interpretation delivery, and it is often better done as a team. I am grateful for being a member of our translation team. We all share the common goal of delivering the dharma to people in need, and we strive for it. After all, nothing is more rewarding than a listener coming to us and saying thank you. It brings a profound meaning to our work, and all the time and preparations that we dedicated.