Abstract:
Note-taking plays a pivotal role in consecutive interpreting, particularly where methodical note-taking is used. In the absence of Iranian research in this respect, the present study investigated the process of note-taking in Persian-English consecutive interpreting in order to clarify how exactly the notes are taken by the professional interpreters and how much they are familiar with note-taking and the related concepts. For the purpose of this study, five professional Iranian interpreters were participated and through the observation and phone interviews, the required data were collected. Next, the notes taken by the professional interpreters were reviewed and classified based on several factors such as the use of abbreviations and symbols and the source or target language preference; also, the replies given via the phone interview were transcribed, codified and later analyzed. The research findings showed that the majority of Iranian professional interpreters had passed no course regarding to the note-taking skill in general and they rarely used symbols in their notes and wrote words in letters, mostly in full forms in target language. The findings showed that they took notes based on their experiences irregularly rather than the rules and principles. The findings of the study suggest that there is an urgent need for a note-taking guideline, especially for Persian-English consecutive interpreting venture. Considering the effect of note-taking on their performances, Iranian interpreters should be more familiar with the academic aspect of this skill which could be gained through workshops or some guidelines given to the students and practitioners of this field.
Machine summary:
In the absence of Iranian research in this respect, the present study investigated the process of note-taking in Persian-English consecutive interpreting in order to clarify how exactly the notes are taken by the professional interpreters and how much they are familiar with note-taking and the related concepts.
Next, the notes taken by the professional interpreters were reviewed and classified based on several factors such as the use of abbreviations and symbols and the source or target language preference; also, the replies given via the phone interview were transcribed, codified and later analyzed.
The research findings showed that the majority of Iranian professional interpreters had passed no course regarding to the note-taking skill in general and they rarely used symbols in their notes and wrote words in letters, mostly in full forms in target language.
Moreover, in this paper the researchers attempted to answer some questions like: (a) How are notes actually taken in Persian-English consecutive interpreting by professional interpreters, (b) What are professional interpreters’ opinions about note-taking in Persian-English consecutive interpreting; Therefore, according to Ary, Jacobs, Razavieh, and Sorensen (2010) the present investigation is labeled as basic qualitative (interpretative) study.
Interview Question Five</H2> Do you use any special method or principle while taking notes in Persian-English consecutive interpreting?
Interview Question Seven</H2> Do you believe that the existing methods and principles of note-taking are applicable in Persian-English consecutive interpreting or they should be localized for that situation?