TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Ewandro Magalhaes: How interpreters juggle two languages at once

Unscramble the Blue Letters

In 1956, during a diplomatic rceoepitn in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita kehcrhhusv told Western Bloc ambassadors, "My vas pokhoronim!" His interpreter rendered that into English as, "We will bury you!" This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world, heightening the tension between the sveiot Union and the US who were in the tcihk of the Cold War. Some believe this incident alone set East/West riaeoltns back a decade. As it turns out, Khrushchev's remark was translated a bit too llieltary. Given the context, his wrods should have been rnreeedd as, "We will live to see you buried," meaning that Communism would outlast ciatlasipm, a less threatening comment. Though the intended meaning was eventually clraeifid, the initial iacmpt of Khrushchev's apparent words put the world on a path that could have led to nuclear armageddon. So now, given the cepeimxltois of lgagnuae and cultural exchange, how does this sort of thing not happen all the time? Much of the aswenr lies with the silkl and training of ieentrrrptes to overcome language baeirrrs. For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively, with speakers and interpreters making pauses to allow each other to speak. But after the advent of radio technology, a new simultaneous irntrtnipetoaes system was developed in the wake of World War II. In the simultaneous mode interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words into a microphone while he speaks. Without pauses, those in the audience can choose the language in which they want to floolw. On the sruafce, it all looks ssemelas, but behind the secens, hmaun interpreters work incessantly to ensure every idea gets across as idnteend. And that is no easy task. It takes about two years of training for already fluent bilingual professionals to expand their vocabulary and master the slkils necessary to become a conference ipeneetrtrr. To get used to the unnatural task of speaking while they lietsn, students shadow speakers and repeat their every word exactly as heard in the same language. In time, they begin to paraphrase what is said, making stylistic adjustments as they go. At some point, a second language is introduced. Practicing in this way creates new neural pathways in the interpreter's brain, and the constant effort of reformulation gradually becomes second nature. Over time and through much hard work, the interpreter masters a vast array of tricks to keep up with speed, deal with cilngnhleag terminology, and handle a multitude of foreign accents. They may resort to acronyms to shorten long names, choose generic terms over specific, or refer to slides and other visual adies. They can even leave a term in the oariignl language, while they search for the most aurcacte equivalent. Interpreters are also skilled at keeping aplomb in the face of chaos. Remember, they have no control over who is going to say what, or how articulate the speaker will sound. A cuevablrl can be trohwn at any time. Also, they often perform to toundashs of people and in very inamtdinitig settings, like the UN General Assembly. To keep their emotions in cehck, they carefully ppreare for an assignment, biildung glossaries in advance, reading voraciously about the subject matter, and reviewing peivuors talks on the topic. Finally, interpreters work in pairs. While one colleague is busy translating incoming speeches in real time, the other gives support by locating documents, looking up words, and tracking down pertinent information. Because simultaneous irettpatrnoien requires intense concentration, every 30 minutes, the pair switches roles. Success is heavily dependent on skillful collaboration. Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced cceptnos get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic. As Margaret Atwood famously noted, "War is what happens when language fails." Conference interpreters of all people are aware of that and work diligently behind the scenes to make sure it never does.

Open Cloze

In 1956, during a diplomatic _________ in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita __________ told Western Bloc ambassadors, "My vas pokhoronim!" His interpreter rendered that into English as, "We will bury you!" This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world, heightening the tension between the ______ Union and the US who were in the _____ of the Cold War. Some believe this incident alone set East/West _________ back a decade. As it turns out, Khrushchev's remark was translated a bit too _________. Given the context, his _____ should have been ________ as, "We will live to see you buried," meaning that Communism would outlast __________, a less threatening comment. Though the intended meaning was eventually _________, the initial ______ of Khrushchev's apparent words put the world on a path that could have led to nuclear armageddon. So now, given the ____________ of ________ and cultural exchange, how does this sort of thing not happen all the time? Much of the ______ lies with the _____ and training of ____________ to overcome language ________. For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively, with speakers and interpreters making pauses to allow each other to speak. But after the advent of radio technology, a new simultaneous _______________ system was developed in the wake of World War II. In the simultaneous mode interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words into a microphone while he speaks. Without pauses, those in the audience can choose the language in which they want to ______. On the _______, it all looks ________, but behind the ______, _____ interpreters work incessantly to ensure every idea gets across as ________. And that is no easy task. It takes about two years of training for already fluent bilingual professionals to expand their vocabulary and master the ______ necessary to become a conference ___________. To get used to the unnatural task of speaking while they ______, students shadow speakers and repeat their every word exactly as heard in the same language. In time, they begin to paraphrase what is said, making stylistic adjustments as they go. At some point, a second language is introduced. Practicing in this way creates new neural pathways in the interpreter's brain, and the constant effort of reformulation gradually becomes second nature. Over time and through much hard work, the interpreter masters a vast array of tricks to keep up with speed, deal with ___________ terminology, and handle a multitude of foreign accents. They may resort to acronyms to shorten long names, choose generic terms over specific, or refer to slides and other visual _____. They can even leave a term in the ________ language, while they search for the most ________ equivalent. Interpreters are also skilled at keeping aplomb in the face of chaos. Remember, they have no control over who is going to say what, or how articulate the speaker will sound. A _________ can be ______ at any time. Also, they often perform to _________ of people and in very ____________ settings, like the UN General Assembly. To keep their emotions in _____, they carefully _______ for an assignment, ________ glossaries in advance, reading voraciously about the subject matter, and reviewing ________ talks on the topic. Finally, interpreters work in pairs. While one colleague is busy translating incoming speeches in real time, the other gives support by locating documents, looking up words, and tracking down pertinent information. Because simultaneous ______________ requires intense concentration, every 30 minutes, the pair switches roles. Success is heavily dependent on skillful collaboration. Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced ________ get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic. As Margaret Atwood famously noted, "War is what happens when language fails." Conference interpreters of all people are aware of that and work diligently behind the scenes to make sure it never does.

Solution

original
intended
curveball
language
skill
scenes
answer
barriers
listen
concepts
thick
follow
thousands
khrushchev
check
soviet
intimidating
seamless
interpretations
thrown
previous
interpreters
surface
human
words
building
complexities
rendered
interpretation
impact
interpreter
challenging
literally
capitalism
skills
accurate
reception
relations
prepare
clarified
aides

Original Text

In 1956, during a diplomatic reception in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev told Western Bloc ambassadors, "My vas pokhoronim!" His interpreter rendered that into English as, "We will bury you!" This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world, heightening the tension between the Soviet Union and the US who were in the thick of the Cold War. Some believe this incident alone set East/West relations back a decade. As it turns out, Khrushchev's remark was translated a bit too literally. Given the context, his words should have been rendered as, "We will live to see you buried," meaning that Communism would outlast Capitalism, a less threatening comment. Though the intended meaning was eventually clarified, the initial impact of Khrushchev's apparent words put the world on a path that could have led to nuclear armageddon. So now, given the complexities of language and cultural exchange, how does this sort of thing not happen all the time? Much of the answer lies with the skill and training of interpreters to overcome language barriers. For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively, with speakers and interpreters making pauses to allow each other to speak. But after the advent of radio technology, a new simultaneous interpretations system was developed in the wake of World War II. In the simultaneous mode interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words into a microphone while he speaks. Without pauses, those in the audience can choose the language in which they want to follow. On the surface, it all looks seamless, but behind the scenes, human interpreters work incessantly to ensure every idea gets across as intended. And that is no easy task. It takes about two years of training for already fluent bilingual professionals to expand their vocabulary and master the skills necessary to become a conference interpreter. To get used to the unnatural task of speaking while they listen, students shadow speakers and repeat their every word exactly as heard in the same language. In time, they begin to paraphrase what is said, making stylistic adjustments as they go. At some point, a second language is introduced. Practicing in this way creates new neural pathways in the interpreter's brain, and the constant effort of reformulation gradually becomes second nature. Over time and through much hard work, the interpreter masters a vast array of tricks to keep up with speed, deal with challenging terminology, and handle a multitude of foreign accents. They may resort to acronyms to shorten long names, choose generic terms over specific, or refer to slides and other visual aides. They can even leave a term in the original language, while they search for the most accurate equivalent. Interpreters are also skilled at keeping aplomb in the face of chaos. Remember, they have no control over who is going to say what, or how articulate the speaker will sound. A curveball can be thrown at any time. Also, they often perform to thousands of people and in very intimidating settings, like the UN General Assembly. To keep their emotions in check, they carefully prepare for an assignment, building glossaries in advance, reading voraciously about the subject matter, and reviewing previous talks on the topic. Finally, interpreters work in pairs. While one colleague is busy translating incoming speeches in real time, the other gives support by locating documents, looking up words, and tracking down pertinent information. Because simultaneous interpretation requires intense concentration, every 30 minutes, the pair switches roles. Success is heavily dependent on skillful collaboration. Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic. As Margaret Atwood famously noted, "War is what happens when language fails." Conference interpreters of all people are aware of that and work diligently behind the scenes to make sure it never does.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
interpreters work	2

Important Words

abstract
accents
accurate
acronyms
adjustments
advance
advent
aides
ambassadors
answer
aplomb
apparent
armageddon
array
articulate
assembly
assignment
atwood
audience
aware
barriers
bilingual
bit
bloc
brain
building
buried
bury
busy
capitalism
carefully
catastrophic
challenging
chaos
check
choose
clarified
cold
collaboration
colleague
comment
communism
complex
complexities
concentration
concepts
conference
consecutively
consequences
constant
context
control
creates
cultural
curveball
deal
decade
dependent
developed
diligently
diplomatic
documents
easy
effort
emotions
english
ensure
equivalent
eventually
exchange
expand
face
fails
famously
finally
fluent
follow
foreign
general
generic
glossaries
gradually
handle
happen
hard
heard
heavily
heightening
history
human
idea
ii
impact
incessantly
incident
incoming
information
initial
instantaneously
intended
intense
interpretation
interpretations
interpreter
interpreters
intimidating
introduced
keeping
khrushchev
language
leader
leave
led
lies
listen
literally
live
locating
long
lost
making
margaret
master
masters
matter
meaning
microphone
minutes
mode
moscow
multitude
names
nature
neural
nikita
noted
nuanced
nuclear
original
outlast
overcome
pair
pairs
paraphrase
path
pathways
pauses
people
perform
pertinent
point
practicing
prepare
previous
professionals
put
radio
reading
real
reception
refer
reformulation
relations
remark
remember
rendered
repeat
requires
resort
reviewing
roles
scenes
seamless
search
set
settings
shadow
shockwaves
shorten
simultaneous
skill
skilled
skillful
skills
slides
sort
sound
soviet
speak
speaker
speakers
speaking
speaks
specific
speeches
speed
statement
students
stylistic
subject
success
support
surface
switches
system
takes
talks
task
technology
tension
term
terminology
terms
thick
thousands
threatening
thrown
time
told
topic
tracking
training
translate
translated
translating
translation
tricks
turns
union
unnatural
vas
vast
visual
vocabulary
voraciously
wake
war
western
word
words
work
world
years