VIDEO of Simultaneous Interpretation
Simultaneous Interpretation - Armed Robbery
Overview
Prosecutor's closing statement recorded at approximately at 133 words per minute. Armed robbery at a local jewelry store.
Overview
Title image by Freepik
Mock closing statement by the Prosecution in an armed robbery trial.
Accompanying recording is included at 133 words per minute, 5 minutes. The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) exam is approximately 120 WPM and the durantion is 8 minutes.
There are 80 scoring units which represent objective characteristics of language that interpreters must understand and render appropriately during the interpretation. For more information on scoring units, please visit this LINK. The majority of these scoring units come from Quizlet sets available HERE.
**The script and recording are for practice purposes only! It should not be perceived as legal advice. If you have any law questions or concerns, you should contact an attorney.
Instructions
Instructions
REFRESHER: If students need a refresher on simultaneous interpretation, the video produced byt the US Courts is excellent (and short!) LINK
1) Students should first open the Google Doc, but not scroll down to the script.
2) They should get ready to simultaneously interpret from English into their foreign language and record themselves while doing so. A free, web-based, user-friendly app for voice recording is www.vocaroo.com.
3) Then students should listen to their own rendition while looking at the script. They should listen for how they interpreted the 80 scoring units and mark if they did so correctly, incorrectly, or if they omitted it all together.
4) Lastly, they should reflect on their own performance. What areas should they improve? Should they work on their vocabulary? Their speed? Their accuracy? And how was the use of the formal verb tense (for example, in Spanish "usted", in Portuguese "você")?
Suggestion: Look over the Oral Proficiency Levels in the Workplace poster published by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Medical Interpreter is at an Advanced-Mid level of oral proficiency.
https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/guidelines/OralProficiencyWorkplacePoster.pdf
About the author
Fátima Cornwall arrived from the Azores Islands, Portugal in 1993. Since then her academic achievements include a M.A. in Spanish Literature from University of California - Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in Spanish from Boise State University.
Fátima has many years of experience in different areas of the interpreting profession. She is a Federal Court Certified Interpreter, as well as an Idaho Court Certified Interpreter Master Level in Spanish and Certified Portuguese Interpreter. She is also a Certified Medical Interpreter through the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI). She has been serving as faculty for different workshops and training sessions for new and experienced interpreters and judges for the past five years. Fátima is also an interpreter assessment specialist and a rater for a national credentialing program for interpreters.
Fátima has a great passion for teaching and learning, having published articles in the subject. She is a clinical assistant professor at Boise State University where she works as the Spanish Language Coordinator and teaches Portuguese and Spanish upper-division courses, including Introduction to Court Interpretation and Spanish for Healthcare.
For any feedback, including corrections, suggestions and so forth please feel free to contact Fátima at fcornwal@boisestate.edu