Using Youtube Videos for
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As part of our degree training, we did a couple of interpreter training exercises to get a feel for what it was like to interpret. When we did our training, we would go into a small room, listen to a speech played back on a cassette tape, and use that tape to do whatever exercise we were supposed to do that day, whether it was shadowing, or interpreting (or in my case, a sad, sad excuse for interpreting).
The one thing about the tapes, though, was that they were cumbersome. It was hard finding the right spot, you couldn't easily go back and go over a spot you wanted to try again, and it was difficult if you wanted to record yourself trying to interpret because that meant you had to deal with two tapes.
Well, luckily, the Internet (and technology in general) has given interpreters some more convenient tools for simultaneous interpreter training. Now you don't have to go to a separate room somewhere and use specialized equipment to at least find out if interpreting is something that you like to do or get more advanced training in.
One of the online tools that interpreters can use to practice their interpreting skills is the online video site, Youtube.com. There are tons of videos on Youtube in all sorts of different languages where people are discussing all kind of topics. There are commentary-like videos, more casual videos, instructional videos, etc.
What's cool is that you can take these videos and use them as your source langauge material, and then try to interpret what is said. If you're using a computer, you can turn on the microphone and record your interpretation effort, and then play it back to see how well you did. THen you can go back and try it again for as many times as you like and see what parts you're having trouble with.
I have to admit that I wasn't the first person to come up with this idea. I was trying to look for some Spanish-language videos on Youtube a few days ago and ran across a video of Rafael Nadal, the Spanish professional tennis player, gibing a press conference after a major tournament loss.
As you can see in the video below, the nearly 9 minute-long press conference is entirely in Spanish.
Someone then took that video and decided to use it as a simultaneous interpreter training exercise. The person recorded her voice over the actual press conference and interpreted the whole thing, questions and answers, into English.
As you can tell by watching the simultaneous interpretation, it's not an easy thing to do! Sports has it's own language in and of itself and it can be hard to come up with equivalents on the fly.
So in the end, if you're interested in becoming a better interpreter and don't have access to fancy facilities for simultaneous interpreter training, feel free to use the resources you have at your hands, such as the Internet, and Youtube videos especially. There are videos on all different subjects and really practicing with these different videos will give you some good initial experience.
Back from simultaneous interpreter training.