Skill Building Overview and Note-taking

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BASICSOFINTERPRETATIONLESSON7

SkillBuildingOverviewandNote-taking Earlier, we learned that there are three main modes of interpreting: Sight Translation,Simultaneous,andConsecutive.Tomaster these interpretingmodes,an interpreterneeds todevelopsomeessentialskillsandtechniquesandlearnhowandwhentoimplementthem.Inthislesson,we’llgiveyouageneraloverviewofsometechnicalskillsinvolvedininterpretingandgothroughsomeDo’sandDon’tsthatwillhelpyoubuildandimproveyourskillset.Later,duringourinterpretingexercises,wewilltalkaboutsomeofthesetopicsinmoredepth.

Westartwithsighttranslationbecausethisinterpretingmodewillhelpyouthinkquickerandlearnhowtomanipulateandrestructuresentences,anessentialskillthatwillprepareyouforperformingsimultaneousinterpretinglater.Wetackleconsecutiveinterpretinglastbecauseweneed to spend more time and energy on mastering this mode. The main reason is thatconsecutiveinterpretingistheprimarymodeof interpretationinhealthcaresettingsandthelargestportionofthenationaloralexam. SightTranslation Aswelearnedearlier,thisinterpretingmoderequirestheoraltranslation(interpretation)ofreadingmaterialrightonthespot.Inotherwords,you’llbegivenwrittentexttoconvertitintothe target language in spoken form. Let's underscore this last part, “spoken form,” and notwrittenform.

Sometimessighttranslationcanbecomechallengingandfrustratingbecausewetryto"orallytranslate"thedocumentasatranslatorwould:westruggletofindtheperfectmatchforallthewordsandgrammarstructuresinthetext.Althoughweshouldstrivetointerpretthedocumentasaccuratelyaspossible,it’spracticallyimpossibletodeliveraperfecttranslationifwedon’thavesufficienttimetocarefullyanalyzeeachsentenceanddictionariestoconsult.

Themostdifficulttaskinsighttranslationistomaintainthesameformalityofthewrittentextandconvertlongsentenceswrittenincomplexgrammarintooralcommunicationinthetargetlanguagerighton thespot.Butdon’t feel intimidatedbyhigh-registerwordsor complicatedgrammar. Keep in mind that most of these documents are meant to be translated and notinterpreted.Consequently,trytothinklikeaninterpreterthatdeliversthemeaningofawhatyouarereadingandnotjustthewordsinthetext.Gettingfamiliarwiththedocumentsyouarefrequentlyaskedtosighttranslatewillhelpyoudoabetterjob.Forexample,intheworkers’compensationfield,interpretersareaskedtohelpthepatientfilloutmanyformsandquestionnaires,whichareusuallythesameformseverytime.Youmaywanttoaskastaffmembertogiveyouacleancopytotakehomeandstudy,soyouaremorepreparedthenexttime.Keepinmindthatquestion-answerformswillrequirethatyouwritedownthepatient’sanswersinEnglish,sobrushinguponyourspellingofhigh-frequencywordsisvital.


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Herearesometipsthatwillhelpyoudeliversmoothersighttranslations:

Do’s Don’ts

First, read the whole document carefully. Youcannotaffordtojustskimthroughitand"sortofunderstandit."

Don't cold sight translate. That means tointerpretwithoutreadingthedocumentfirst.

Payattentiontowherethecomplexgrammarinthe document is, so you can get ready toreformulatethesentenceinadvance.

Don'tgotoofast,toosloworacombinationofboth. When your speed fluctuates, you maysoundinexperienced.

Keep a nice and easypace with a professionalandwarmtone.

Don't think about how well or bad you aredoing.Onlyinterprettothebestofyourability.

Trytosoundasnaturalaspossible,asifyouwereactuallyreadinginthetargetlanguage.

Don't false start. That is when you starttranslating a sentence without having acompletethought.Thiswillmakeyoustopandstartalloveragain.

Breakdownlongsentencesintosmallchunksifpossible.

Don'tapologizeifyoumakeamistake.Simplysay: “interpreter correction” or use theword“rather”tochangethewordorphrase.

Get into the full interpreting role. Projectconfidenceandprofessionalism.

Don't freak out over unknown terms. Don’tskipthemeither;justrepeattheminthesourcelanguageandmoveon(examorexerciseonly).

Payattentiontothepunctuationahead,asitwillhelp you figure outwhere a thought or phraseends.

Don’t translate word for word. Instead,interpretunitsofmeaning.

Takeadvantageofcommasandperiodstocatchyour breath and to analyze the upcomingsentence.

Don’tusefillerwords.Thesearethesoundsweusually make when we are hesitating, forexample,ah,uh,um,eh,er,etc.

Pleasenotethatsomeofthesetechniquescanbeimplementedinotherinterpretingmodesaswell. SimultaneousInterpreting Inapreviouslesson,welearnedthatweusesimultaneousinterpretinginavarietyofhealthcaresettings. We also learned that sometimes we need to quickly switch from consecutiveinterpreting to simultaneous in emotionally charged situations when it’s impossible,impractical,orevendangeroustostopthespeaker. Themainreasonweswitchfromconsecutivetosimultaneousistopreservetheaccuracyandcompletenessofthediscourse.Whenpeoplestartspeakingtoofast,andthere’snowayforyoutostopthem,youmayhavetoswitchtothesimultaneousmodetoensurethatyourlistenerisnot going tomissanydetailsof the speech.Changing to simultaneous ismoreefficient thanwaitingforthelongnarrativetoendandthenprovideonlyasummarybecauseyouwereunabletoobtainandretainalltheinformation.


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It’simportanttomentionthatjumpingfromconsecutivetosimultaneousmaybeconfusingforsome patients, such as mental health patients, children, and the elderly. They may notunderstandwhysuddenlyyouaresortofwhisperingontheprovider’sear.Thismaycausesomepatientstostoptalkingbecausetheyfeeluncomfortableorupset.Nevertheless, for thesakeofaccuracyandcompleteness,youshouldswitch tosimultaneouswhenyoucannotcontrolthespeaker(s).Ifthespeakerstopsbecauseofyou,asktheprovidertohelpyouexplainwhat’shappeningandaddressanynecessarychanges.In healthcare interpreting, there are basically two types of narrations you interpret in thesimultaneous mode. One of them is when the provider is giving a continuous influx ofinformationinacohesiveandorganizedmanner,likeinaneducationalsessionandinsomesideconversations,asweexplainedbefore.Whenyouinterpretinthesesituations,it’simportantnottoleavelongblanksthatmaypreventyouraudiencefromunderstandingthespeakers’trainofthought.Ifnecessary,summarizeasmallsectiontomaintainthecohesionofthespeech.Whenprovidersare reading fromslidesordocuments, try to focuson themeaningand, ifneeded,simplifythemessagebecauseitwouldbealmostimpossibletointerpret inthesimultaneousmodewhatisintendedtoberead.The second type is when we interpret in emergency situations or when there’s a suddenemotionaloutpouringofinformation.ThistypeofSIistypicallymorechallengingbecauseyouwillencounterdisjointedsentences,made-upwords,unintelligible thoughts,andevenroughlanguage.Inthesecases,don’tgetpanicky,justtrytointerpretasmuchasyoucanandfocusontheessenceofthemessage.Ifawordtripsyouover,repeatitinthesourcelanguage,andmoveon.Don’tspendtoomuchtimetryingtointerpretitbecauseyoumaygettoofarbehindandmissvitalinformation.In terms of developing or improving your skills in the simultaneousmode, there aremanytechniquesyoucanlearnandexercisesyoucando.Butthemostfundamentalskillsyouneedtomastersimultaneousinterpretingislisteningandspeakingatthesametime.Aswementionedbefore, there is an exercise known as “shadowing or parroting,” in which you listen to thenarrationandrepeatwhatyouhearinthesamelanguage.Thisexercisewillhelpyoutrainyourearandgetusedtospeaking,listening,andunderstandingwhatyouhear,allatthesametime.Herearesometipsthatcanhelpyoudeliversmoothersimultaneousinterpretations.

Do’s Don’ts

Goforqualityandnotquantity.Thenumberofwordsdoesnotequalfaithfulnesstotheoriginal.

Don’t expect to interpret everything perfectly thefirsttime.Youmayneedtorepeatthesameexerciseafewtimestogetagoodrendition.

Always make sense. Try not to give disjointedsentences or phrases that don’t mean anything,unlessthat’showthespeakeristalking.

Don’t feel deflated or disappointed. Even themostseasonedinterpretersmakemistakeseveryonceinawhile.

Weknowthatsummarizingshouldbeusedonlyasthelastresort.So,ifyouaregettingstuck,getoutofitbysummarizing. It’sbetteryousaysomethingtokeepthetrainofthoughtthansayingnothingatall.

Don’tbacktrack. Ifyoualreadystartedinterpretingandfindaproblem,trytoresolveitwithinthesamesegment. That is, try not to start all over againbecauseyou’llmissthenextsegmentofinformation.


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Ifyoumustsummarize,alwaysexpressthemainideaofthesourcelanguageinaclear,concise,andnaturalway.

Don’tmumble;words have to be pronounced niceandclearandinanappropriatevoicelevel.

Try to interpret in short sentences.The longer thesentenceisinthesourcelanguagethemoredifficultit is to reformulate. So, if you can break longsentencesintosmallones,goahead.

Don’tfocusonhowgoodorbadyouaredoing,justkeep on going. Instead, if possible, assess youraudienceforunderstanding.

Projectprofessionalism,calmness,andaplomb;evenifyouaremessingupalittle.

Don’tchangeyourspeedunlessthesourcespeakerdoesit.Keepasteadyspeed.

Monitor yourself. Think of your audience: are youdeliveringacoherentandclearmessage?

Don’tinterpretloosewordswithoutunderstandingthe meaning of the phrase, unless that’s how theoriginalmessageis.

Convey the emotions and the intensity of themessage,evenifthespeakerisbeinginarticulate.

Don’t imitate the speaker’s gestures, handmovements, or yelling to try to convey sourcespeaker’semotions. If thespeakeryells, speak inaforcefulvoicebutwithoutyelling.

Lag behind the speaker. Remember that you needtimetounderstandandreformulatethestructureofthemessageinyourtargetlanguage.

Don’tfreezewhenyouhearawordyoudon’tknowhowtointerpret.Repeatthewordorphasesinthelanguageyouheardit.

Practice a lot of shadowing and simultaneousexercises.

Don’t sound flat like a robot. Use a nice tone andintonation to convey the speaker’s emotions.Imagineyouaretheactualspeaker.

Remember:thesimultaneousportionofthe(CCHI)certificationexamisonly13%. ConsecutiveInterpreting As previouslymentioned, the consecutive interpretingmode is themost used in healthcaresettings.Thus,masteringthisinterpretingmodeisindispensabletohelphealthcareprovidersandLEPpatientsachievemutualunderstanding.However,developing the skillsyouneed tobecomeadeptinthismodeisnotaneasytask,anditdoesn’thappenovernight.Consecutiveinterpretingcanbechallengingformanynewinterpretersbecauseitrequiresyouto use several skills every time you interpret one single segment. For example, consecutiveinterpretinghappensintwophases:understandinganddelivering.Andwithineachofthesetwophases,thereareseveralcognitiveeffortsthattakeplaceatthesametime.Duringphaseone,theinterpreterhastocarefullylisten,understand,takenotes(optional),andstoreinshort-termmemory.Insimplewords,youhavetopaycloseattentiontomakesenseofthemessageandthenretainthatinformationinyourhead(andnotepad).Immediately, youmove to phase two, where youwill have to: remember, read your notes,convert,anddeliver.Inessence,youwillhavetobringbackthewholesegmenttoyourmind,with the help of your notes, to reformulate it into the target language. And almostinstantaneously,renderacompleteandaccurateinterpretation.

Additionally, the interpreter’s renditionmust be delivered in a nice and clearmanner. Theinterpretershouldself-monitorhisorherenunciation,intonation,andclarity.


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Now,let’sgooversomebasicguidelinesthatwillhelpyoulayastrongfoundationtodevelopyourconsecutiveinterpretingskills.Afterthat,we’llgiveyouanintroductiontonote-takingformedical interpretingandsomesuggestionsonhowtodevelopapersonalandefficientnote-takingsystem.Herearesometipsandrecommendationthatcanhelpyoudelivermoreaccurateandcompleteconsecutiveinterpretations:

Do’s Don’ts Listentoremember.Weareusedtolisteningtorespondwhenweareinconversation,butkeepinmindthatwearelisteningtointerpretwhatwehear,andnottoreactandreply.

Don't overtake notes. You will loseconcentration on listening. It’s not dictation,justquicknotes.Sometimeslessismore!

Visualizewhat you are listening to. If youputimages in yourmind, it'll be easier for you torecallthediscourse.

Don't feeldiscouragedifyounoticeyou'renotdoingtoogood.Alwaysthinkthatyou'llhaveachancetomakeituponthenextsegment.

Focus on themain ideas and intention of thespeakers,ratherthanintheirwords.

Don't wait too long to render yourinterpretation. The longer youwait, themoredifficultitbecomestoretrieveinformation.

Ifpossible,dividetheinformationintochunks.Trytoseethewholesegmentinsmallunitsofinformationandnotasalongandword-loadedsegment.

Don’t let oneof your languages interferewiththe other, such as using false cognates orincorrect idioms. This will result in awkwardinterpretationsthataretooliteral.

Writedowndifficult thingstoremember,suchasnumbers,dates,names, anddosages.Theseelementsmustalwaysbeaccurate.

Don't panic if you hear a difficult word orphrase. Instead, listen carefully to figure outhowtointerpretthesegmentasawhole.

Trytotakenotesinthesourcelanguage.Inthatway,youcanfullyfocusonlisteningandunderstandingthemessage.

Don'tsplithairs.Sometimeswegetcaughtupintrying to deliver the perfect translation.Remember: we are interpreters and nottranslators.Weinterpretmeaningformeaning.

Anticipate! If you hear a question requiringinformation like who, when, where, or howmany, be ready for names, places, dates, ornumbers.

Don'toveruserepetitions.Askingfortoomanyrepetitionswillmakeyousoundinexperienced.Itcanalsomakeyouloseconfidenceinyourself.

Removealldistractionsaroundyou.Makesureyou're100%engagedinthetaskathand.

Don'tsummarize.Inconsecutiveinterpreting,itisimperativetobecompleteandaccurate.

Strive to preserve all the elements of theoriginal message, such as register, tone,emphasis,andintonation.

Don’t paraphrase. Avoid interpreting themessage inyour own way and in your ownwords.Remember:noadditions,omissions,oreditions.

Practice, practice, and more practice! It takestime to develop a good formula.Particularly,note-taking.

Don't rely onnote-taking alone.Use it only totriggeryourmemory.Listeningcarefullyisyourbestbet!


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Note-takingforMedicalInterpreters Firstandforemost,it’simportanttoestablishthatthemostessentialskillweneedtodeveloptomaster consecutive interpreting is active listening. Your ability to carefully listen to themessage,recognizethemainideas,andcapturetheintentionofthespeakerwillsignificantlyhelpimprovethequalityofyourinterpretations.

Asasupportingtool,manyinterpretersusenote-takingtoleavecuesonapieceofpaperthatwilltriggertheirmemoryduringtheirrenditions.However,note-takingisadouble-edgedswordthatcanworkinyourfavorortoyourdetriment.Ifyoufocusexcessivelyonnote-taking,youwillpaylessattentiontowhatthespeakersaresayingandmisspartsoftheirmessage.Yourmainfocusshouldbelistening,andnotnote-taking.Forthatreason,wearegoingtotalkalittlemoreaboutthissubjectnowbeforeyoustartinterpreting,andbeforeyoustartdevelopingbadhabits.

Thefirstthingyouneedtolearnaboutnote-takingisthatit’snotthegoldenkeytodeliveringcompleteandaccurateinterpretations.Note-takingisjustatoolthathelpsussparkourmemorysothatwecanretrievetheinformationwepreviouslylistenedto.

WhenIstartedinterpreting,IthoughtthatifIwroteeverythingthepersonwassaying,Iwouldinterpreteverythingperfectly.So,Ilookedonlineforshorthandcoursesandnote-takingcoursesfor interpreters.That’swhatanynew interpreterwoulddo, right?Andsureenough, I foundbooks,videos,courses,andwhatnot;buthere’s the thing: Ididn’tknowthat therewere twotypesofconsecutiveinterpreting:longconsecutiveandshortconsecutive.

Longconsecutiveisamodeofinterpretationthatisusedincertainkindsofconferences,likemediaconferencesordiplomaticmeetings.Inthesesettings,thespeakerdeliversaspeechforseveralminuteswhiletheinterpretertakesnotes.Afterfive,ten,oreventwentyminutes,thespeakerstops,andthentheinterpreterrenderstheinterpretationofthatlongspeechusingthenotes—it’sanimpressiveandfascinatingfeat!

However,that’snotwhatwedoinhealthcaresettings.Inmedicalinterpreting,thesegmentsweinterpretareusuallyshort.Theytypicallylastbetweenfivetotwentyseconds,andthenumberofwordsrangesfromonetosixty.Additionally,medical interpretersworkinamorerelaxedenvironment where the main point of the encounter is to help the patient; therefore, thehealthcareproviderorpatientwon’tgetupsetifyouaskforrepetitions,clarifications,orshortersegments.

Thereby,weneedtolearnhowtotakenotesforshortconsecutiveinterpretingandnotforlongconsecutive.Weshouldseenote-takingasasupportingtool,andnotasthemostimportantpartof this interpreting mode. Your taking of notes should not keep you from listening,understanding, and analyzing the message properly. Below you can find some of myrecommendationsonhowtotakenotesforshortconsecutiveinterpreting.

Whenshouldyoutakenotes?

Note-takingisnotpossibleallthetimeinahealthcareenvironment.Forthatreason,youshouldnotrelyonitandassumethatyouwillbeabletotakenotesineverymedicalencounter.


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You should only take notes when you are interpreting in conversations where the flow ofcommunication can be easily managed. For example, if you are interpreting in emotionallychargedsituationswhereyoumaybeswitchingbetweensimultaneousandconsecutive,avoidtakingnotesifpossible.Likewise,ifyouareintheERorworkingwithaphysicaltherapistwhereyouaregoingtobestandingforalongtimeandtheutterancesareusuallyshort,note-takingisnotrecommendedeither.

Whatshouldyoutakenotesof?

Themostimportantconceptyouneedtounderstandabouttakingnotesisthatitisnotthesameastakingdictation.Writingeverythingyouhearisvirtuallyimpossibleandaburdensometask.Aside fromthat, if you take toomanynotes,youwilloverloadyourbrainwithmorementalprocessesandloseconcentrationonyourlistening. Youshouldonlytakenotesofthoughtsyouhavealreadyunderstood.Inotherwords,don’tstartwritingwithoutknowingwhatyouarewritingabout.However,youshouldalwaysbereadytowrite down names and numbers because they are easy to forget. You can also write theabbreviationofsomekeywordsthatwillhelpyourememberasegmentorawordyouknowit’sgoingtobechallengingtorecall. Howshouldyoutakenotes?

Ifyoulookatthenotepadsofotherinterpreters,youprobablywon’tbeabletodeciphertheirnotes and reconstruct the message because you are not going to find complete phrases orsentences.Instead,youaregoingtoseealotofsymbols,dots,lines,arrows,andabbreviationsthatwillnotmakemuchsensetoyou. Note-takingisahighlypersonalsystemthatcannotbetaughttoanotherinterpreterbecauseweall see the world differently. Nonetheless, there are some fundamentals of note-takingdevelopedbyseniorconferenceinterpreterJean-FrancoisRozan,inwhichheproposessevenprinciplesfornote-takinginthelongconsecutivemode.Inthisparticularlesson,I’mgoingtodistillsomeofthesenote-takingprinciplesandfocusonwhatIthinkisessentialformedicalinterpreterstoknow.Iwillalsosharewithyoumypersonalapproachonnote-takinginhealthcaresettings.IfyouwanttoreadRozan’sbooktolearnmoreabouthistechnique,Idon’tthinkitwouldhurt.Only,keepinmindthatthebookisgearedtoconferenceinterpretersdoinglongconsecutive.Thenotepad:Oneveryimportantthingweneedtolearnishowtousethenotepadorscrappaperappropriately.Becausetherearemanysizesofnotepadsandnotebooks.I’mnotgoingtoshowyouhowtouseoneinparticular.Instead,wewilldividethemintotwogroups:largeandsmall.Let’sstartwiththelargeones,whichareusuallyaround8.5by11,justlikearegularpieceofprintingpaper.Thefirstthingyouaregoingtodoistosplitthepaperintotwobydrawingavertical line fromthe top to thebottom. Ifyouareusingasmallnotepad, there’snoneedtodividethepage,youcanusethewholepagetowriteyournotes;however,manyinterpretersalwaysdividetheirpages,evenonsmallnotepads.


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Nowthatyourpageissplitinhalf,you’llhaveoneleftandonerightpanel(let’scallitapanel).Whenyouarereadytostarttakingnotes,youwillstartatthetopoftheleftpanelandjotdownyourcuesdiagonally.Thatmeansthatthesubjectoftheideawillbeonthetopleft-sideofthepanel,theverboractionwillgoonthelinebelowinthemiddle,andalldetailswillgoonthelinebelowverticallyontheright-sideofthepanel.Pagepatternexample:

Afteryouaredonetakingnotesaboutaunitofmeaning,drawalineunderthelastthingyouwrotetoseparateitfromthenextone.Wheneveryouarereadyforanewunitofmeaning,yougobackto the left, likea typewriter(for thosewhoknowwhat that is)andrepeat thesametechnique. Once you have nomore space on the left panel, youmove to the right panel. Byfollowing this pattern, you’ll be taking your notes diagonally and vertically, one of Rozan’ssuggestions.However,thisidealstructureisnotalwayspossiblebecause,asyoucanimagine,manytimesweareonlygivenanumber,aname,oradiffidentgrammaticalstructure.Sodon’tfeelconstrainedtofollowthispatternallthetime.Thechoiceoflanguage:shouldwetakenotesinthesourceortargetlanguage?There’sactuallynotadefiniteanswertothiscommonquestion.Mosttrainersadvisetheirstudentstodiscoverforthemselveswhatworksbetterforthem—thesourcelanguage,thetargetlanguage,orevenacombinationofboth.However,allowmetosharewithyouthereasonIprefertakingnotesinthesourcelanguage.WhenItakenotesinthesourcelanguage,Icanfullyconcentrateonthespeakerandthemessageheistryingtoconvey.ListeningisallIhavetofocuson,andnotinterpretationyet.Whereas,ifyoutakenotesinthetargetlanguage,you’llbelistening,doingasimultaneousinterpretationinyour head, and taking notes. Adding another task to your brain in this crucial phase maydiminishyourabilitytolistencloselyandunderstandthemessage.Thus, inmyopinion, it’sbetteryoufocusonunderstandingthemessagefirst,andtakesomequicknotesinthesourcelanguage.


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Nevertheless,Iencourageyoutotryothertechniquesincasemylogicdoesn'tmakesensetoyou. For instance, some people feel more comfortable taking notes in their native tongue(languageA)thanintheirforeigntongue(languageB),andothersprefertouseEnglishonlybecauseit’smorepractical.So,whateverthecaseis,rememberthatyouneedtodowhatworksbestforyou.TheSymbols:wepreferusingsymbolsbecausetheycanevokeideasandconceptsratherthansinglewords.Theyareeasiertowriteandread,andtheyalsotakeuplessspace.Symbolsareusuallylanguageneutral,soyoucanusetheminmorethanonelanguage.However,letmestressthattryingtolearntoomanysymbolswillonlyfrustrateyouandoverwhelmyou.Youonlyneedtolearnafewgoodones,especiallyrootsymbolsthatallowyoutoexpandthemtodescribealongerutterance.Thiswillmakeyourlifeeasier.Forexample,tome,thesetwolines/\representabuildingbecauseitlookslikearoof.Thisisarootsymbol.FromthisrootsymbolIcancreateahospital/H\,abank/$\,aclinic/+\oranykindofmedicalfacility.IfIaddabackarrow<—/+\,nowImayhave“[I,he,she]wenttotheemergencydepartment”.Bearinmindthatyouwillhavetodevelopyourownpersonalnote-takingsystem.Youwillneedtogetcreativewithyourrootsymbolsand“accessory”symbolslikearrows, lines,anddots.Nonetheless,wewillprovideyouwithabasic listofsymbolsforyouinspiration.Trytousesymbolsthatonlyneedoneortwopenstrokestojotdown.Inotherwords,don’tdrawa detailed picture to denote one word or phrase. For example, if you hear the sentence “Irecommendyoueatabalancedandhealthydiet,”don’tdrawapersonsittingatatableeatingallkindsoffruitsandvegetables.Symbolshavetobequickandsimple,andnotasubstitutionforwords.There’snopointinhavingasymbolforeveryword;remember,it’snotdictation.Abbreviations: There are many abbreviations you can use frommedicine and from otherindustries.Forexample,EKGforelectrocardiogram;TBDfortobedecided;orIDKforIdon’tknown.However,I’mverycautiouswhenusingabbreviationsbecausetheyaremostlylanguagespecific. Also, be carefulwith abbreviations that stand formore than one term, such as CT,because it may get confusing. For some people, this abbreviation may stand for ComputerTomography,ChemotherapyorConnectiveTissue.Therearetimeswhenyou’llneedtocreateyourownabbreviationifyoudon’thaveoneforanimportantkeytermoratechnicalword.Whendoingso,firstmakesurethatthewordisworthspendingtimeonit,andthenabbreviateitbyeliminatingthevowelsintheword.Forexample:fvr,bld,swln,rbts(fever,blood,swollen,Roberts).Ifyoudon’tknoworcan’trememberhowtospellanameorakeyword,writephoneticse.g.,cshr(Seizure), Hemenz (Jimenez), kumadn (Coumadin).We can’t afford to waste time trying torememberhowtospellawordorname,theimportantthingistopronounceitcorrectlysothattherecipientunderstandsthemessage.

Links:Oneveryimportantpartofaspeechisthelinkingwordsthatshowtherelationshipbetweenideas,suchas“if,”“as,”“but,”“tho,”“cos,”“so,”“+ly,”and“thus.”Theselinkingwordsareusedtoshowcontrast,reason,consequence,oraddition.Ifyoucanclearlywritedowntheselinks,itwouldbeeasierforyoutocapturetherestoftheideasinthesegment.Professionalinterpretersusuallywritetheselinksinthemarginofthepage.


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Intensifiers:Thereareafewlinesthatcanhelpyoudenotenegationandtheintensificationofan action, adjective, or object. For example, a simple horizontal line over a symbol orabbreviationcanmean,no,negative, stop,ornomore.Forexample:ex (noexercisingorstopstrenuousactivities).Awavylineundertheitemmaydenote,moreorless,kindof,notsomuch.Astraight lineunder the itemcouldmeanvery,many,substantial.Andtwo linescouldmeanextremely,huge,severe.Forexample:ill(alittlesick)-ill(verysick)-ill(extremelysick)or(alittleblood)-(alotofblood)-(ahemorrhage).KeepListening:Whenyoudecidetotakenotes,don’tshiftyourattentiontoyourpenandnotepadandstoplistening.Instead,youshoulduseonlyalittlebitofyourbrainpowertojotdownyournoteswhilekeepingyourearsopen.Takingnotesisaddingatasktotheinterpretingequationandshouldnot be a substitution for listening. The largest part of your brain power should be focused onlisteningandunderstandingwhiletheothersmallpartontakingquicknotesofsomethingimportantoreasytoforget.Overtime,thiswillcomeassecondnaturetoyou,andyouwon’tthinktoomuchaboutit.Atthesametime,yourshort-termmemorywillgetbetterandbetter;andasaresult,you’llneedfewernotes.KeepitDiscreet:Anotherissuetoconsiderwhentakingnotesisthatsomehealthcareprovidersandpatientsmayfeeluneasyorconfusedas towhyyouarewritingdownwhat theyaresaying.Therefore,ifyouneedtotakenotes,doitdiscreetlywithoutmakingtoomuchnoisewithyourpenandpaper.Also,makesureyou’renotlookingdownatyournotepad,readingorwritingallthetime.Alwaysprojectsomeinterestintheconversation.Ifyounoticethatsomeoneisuncomfortableaboutyour note-taking, tell them that you’re only writing cues to help you deliver a completeinterpretationoftheirstatements,andthatyouareobligatedtodestroythemafterwards.

TelephonicandVideoInterpreting:Interpretersworkingthroughthesemodalitiesusuallytakemorenotesthaninterpretersworkingin-personbecauseit’smoredifficulttocontroltheflowoftheconversation.Therefore,learninghowtotakenotesefficientlyisamust.Atthesametime,youmustlearnhowtopolitelyaskforshortersegmentsandwhentojumpintointerpretifthespeakerkeepstalkingwithoutstopping.

Conclusion: Masteringthesethreeinterpretingmodestakesalotoftimeandpractice.Don’tfeeldisappointedifinthisearlystageofyourinterpretingcareeryoucan’tinterpreteveryexerciseperfectly.Noonewasbornaprofessionalinterpreterandversedinthreemodesofinterpretationfromthestart.Myadviceisthatyourepeattheexercisesinthisprogramnotonceortwice,butafewtimes.Rememberthatyouarelearningtodosomethingnew,likelearninghowtoswimorrideabikeforthefirsttime.Itmayseemscaryanddifficultatfirst,butwithpatienceandpracticeyouwilldobetterdaybyday.Keep inmind that note-taking isnot themost central part of short consecutive interpreting inhealthcaresettings.Note-takingisatoolthatyoucanuseinconjunctionwithyouractivelisteningand short-term memory. Taking too many notes will only hinder your ability to listen andunderstand.Alotofnoteswillnothelpyourenderamorecompleteinterpretation.Sometime,lessismore!Remember that completeness does not mean translating word for word but rendering a truereflectionoftheoriginalmessage.Therefore,it’sessentialthatyoulearntothinklikeaninterpreterthattransfersmeaningfromonelanguagetoanother.


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SYMBOLS & ABBREVIATIONS FOR NOTE-TAKING

Find some inspiration in the following items. You can use what you like or modify them if you please.

SYMBOL POSSIBLE DEFINITIONS

Prescribe, prescription, medication, meds

Heart, cardio, love, like a lot

Diabetes, blood sugar, diabetic

+ More, additionally, also, positive, hospital, clinic

OK, good, fine, normal, clear, understood

Talk, speak, discuss, consult, say, tell

See, watch, observe, saw, notice, look at, looks like, vision

The same, equal, similar, looks like, equivalent

Inflammation, swollen,

Injury, injured, broken, fracture, accident, hurt, wound

At the beginning, start

Complication, problem, trouble, complicated, problematic

In pain, sad, dissatisfied

Infection, virus, bacteria

Improve, increase, get better

Decrease, get worse, decline

Times

Surgery, operation, invasive, open, incision

At the end, finish, eventually

Worried, concerned, nervous

Water, fluid, edema

Deadly, life-threatening, really bad


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Later on, tomorrow, future, move on, next, after

Yesterday, in the past, back, last, before

Came back, returned, relapse, flare-up

Increase, higher, growing, larger, bigger

Decrease, lower, shrinking, smaller

Exams, studies, test, labs, bloodwork, labwork

Medical History, chart, records

Results, reaction, outcome, consequence, as a result, ramification

Safe, safety, secure, non-threating, harmless, unharmed, safe and sound

Urgent, crucial, necessary, pressing, imperative, very important

Think about, analysis, ponder, judge, consider, make a decision

Any male (e.g., husband, uncle, son, father)

Any female (e.g., daughter, sister, mother, aunt)

Schedule, make an appointment, plan, consultation, sessions

Food, nutrition, diet, nourishment, nutrients, meals

Disorder, upsetting , disruption, obstruction, wrecking, stoppage

Sleep, doze off, nap, drowsy, groggy, sleepy, sedated

Greater than, a lot, much more, a lot more, plenty, a bunch of

Less than, a little, insufficient, fewer, reduced, lacking, inadequate, poor

Weakness. Write under a symbol or abbreviation to reduce or lessen emphasis

Significant. Write under a symbol or abbreviation to show emphasis

Exaggeration. Write under a symbol or abbreviation to show magnification

Thankful, hopeful, appreciative, content, satisfied


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Examples of Abbreviations

Abbreviation Expansion

(Capital letter) x Fx (fracture); Dx (diagnosis); Px (prognosis); Bx (biopsy); Hx (history); Sx (surgery)

1xd – 2xd -3xd Once a day, two times a day, three times a day (2xw = twice a week)

2moro Tomorrow

B4 Before

BL WK Blood work

BM Bowel movement

BP Blood pressure

CBC Complete blood count

Chol Cholesterol

CX Cervix or complaint of

CXR Chest X ray

FBS Fasting blood sugar

GB Gallbladder

GI Gastrointestinal

IDK I don’t know

LMK Let me know

LMP Last menstrual period

NPO Nothing by mouth

NVD Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

OP Outpatient

PT Physical therapy

r/o Rule out

ROM Range of motion

SOB Shortness of breath

THR Total hip replacement

TKR Total knee replacement

Documents

Skill Building Overview and Note-taking