【英语趣味课堂】和语言打交道-Working with Languages

Todd: OK, Deanne, so you are a translator?

 

Deanne: Interpreter¹.

 

Todd: Interpreter.

 

Deanne: Yeah.

 

Todd: What's the difference between a translator and an interpreter?

 

Deanne: The interpreter serves as a medium between two different people and it's done spoken. Translators work on their own and they translate documents and sometimes they use dictionaries but interpreters² follow people and they translate from one language to another for two people who don't speak the same common language.

 

Todd: OK, so you're a translator?

 

Deanne: Interpreter.

 

Todd: Interpreter. I'm sorry.

 

Deanne: It's OK.

 

Todd: OK, so you're an interpreter.

 

Todd: OK, and what languages are you an interpreter for?

 

Deanne: I do English and French and Italian.

 

Todd: And you can do any combination³? You can do English to Italian and Italian to French, et cetera?

 

Deanne: Yes. Yes.

 

Todd: Wow, that's pretty amazing.

 

Deanne: Yes, I love languages.

 

Todd: What language are you most comfortable with?

 

Deanne: I'm most comfortable with English but also French because I grew up in a French province so I've always had French in my education, so English, yeah, more comfortable with English but French is pretty much there too.

 

Todd: OK, and how do you become an interpreter?

 

Deanne: How do you become? Well, you have to study. Well, first you have to learn the languages. It helps if you're native.

 

Todd: OK, but like, assuming⁴ that somebody already is bilingual. They're really good at languages.

 

Deanne: OK, well you study it. You can do a certificate⁵. You have to find a, for example in your university, at a nearby university or a particular translator-interpreter school, they have programs where you can study. I don't - the one I took was about three years. Sometimes you can even do a degree in Hispanic Studies if you want to become a Spanish interpreter. You don't necessarily⁶ need the title immediately but if you have the abilities and the complete knowledge, the vocabulary you can. You can. People will hire you. You don't necessarily need the qualification⁷ depending on where you're applying for a job. It depends.

 

Todd: OK, cool.

 

Todd: And you know, what's the best thing about being an interpreter?

 

Deanne: Well, the fact that you meet different types of people. And you know what everybody's talking about. You never feel left out because you're the one who has to transfer⁸ the information. And interpreter is a really fun job because sometimes you escort⁹ people to fun places like to parties, to restaurants, train stations. You can be a tour guide. I've done that too. You can do lots of really fun things and just because you speak the languages which they don't so it's really fun and you eat good food cause they pay for that, so.

 

Todd: Sounds cool.

 

Deanne: Yeah, it's real fun.

 

 

1 interpreter   

n.翻译；口译者

参考例句：

• We must allow him to be a good interpreter.我们必须承认他是个好译员。
• We employ her as an English interpreter.我们雇用她作英语翻译。

2 interpreters   

口译工作者( interpreter的名词复数 )； 口译译员； 演绎（音乐、戏剧中人物等）的人； 解释程序

参考例句：

• Interpreters found they could not interpret half of what he said. 口译员们发现他说的话他们连一半都翻译不出来。
• And dream interpreters still say the same today. 梦的解析者今天仍然这么说。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

3 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

4 assuming   

如果

参考例句：

• You were mistaken in assuming it. 你这样臆断是错了。
• The country's industry is assuming a new aspect. 该国的工业正在呈现新的面貌。

5 certificate   

n.证书，证明书；vt.发给证明书，认可，鉴定

参考例句：

• She proudly displayed her degree certificate to her parents.她自豪地向父母展示了学位证书。
• No one had seen her marriage certificate.没人看到过她的结婚证书。

6 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

7 qualification   

n.合格条件，资格，限制

参考例句：

• They had every qualification for success.他们具备获得成功的各种条件。
• He has no qualification to teach college students.他没有具备教大学的资格。

8 transfer   

n. 迁移, 移动, 换车; v. 转移, 调转, 调任

参考例句：

• He has been kicking against this transfer for weeks. 几周以来他一直反对这次调动。
• I intend to transfer the property to my son. 我想把这笔财产转给我儿子。

9 escort   

n.护卫者，护送者；vt.护送，护卫

参考例句：

• The prisoner was taken under escort to the jail.罪犯被押送到监狱。
• Her escort to the party was a tall young man.陪同她参加晚会的是一位高个子男青年。