Note: All the text of the introduction to the Sight Translation chapter of The Interpreter's Rx is reproduced here. No attempt has been made, however, to make the HTML version look like the page layout of the book.

Sight translation is an oral translation of a written text. It is often given short shrift in interpreter training; because it appears to be such a simple task, not much attention is devoted to it. In fact, sight translation is just as difficult as simultaneous interpretation, and involves some of the same mental processes. In the case of sight translation, the input is visual (the written word) rather than oral (the spoken word), but the interpreter still has to process a thought in the source language and generate the target language version of that thought while simultaneously processing the next source language thought, and so on. Some interpreters find sight translation more difficult than the other modes of interpreting because they have more trouble focusing on meaning rather than words-the essence of proper interpretation-when the message is written in black and white on a piece of paper. Reading comprehension is an important element of sight translation, and the need to improve and maintain reading comprehension is one reason why medical interpreters (and prospective medical interpreters) should read as much and as widely as possible.

Another aspect of sight translation that should be emphasized is pacing. Often, in the medical setting, time is of the essence. The interpreter must translate the document quickly, but nothing should be omitted. Going too fast will result in translation errors or in sudden starts and stops and long pauses while the interpreter figures out a difficult translation problem. That sort of jerkiness can be very distracting to the listener. But going too slowly is disruptive for medical practitioners and patients alike. The interpreter should be familiar with the terminology and phrasing of medical documents so that he or she can render a speedy and accurate translation. Ideally, a sight translation should sound as if the interpreter were merely reading a document written in the target language.

The texts contained in this chapter are designed to help you develop the skills you need for sight translation. Most of them are typical of the texts you will be required to sight translate in medical situations. Different type faces and formats have been used so that you will become accustomed to dealing with different types of documents.

Try to sight translate the texts as smoothly as possible, solving problems as best you can. After you have completed the entire text, look up the terms you had trouble with. The technical medical terms that appear in the texts are included in the glossaries in Chapter 4. Any terms in the texts that are not medical terms but still pose translation problems are included in footnotes, with gender markers where appropriate.

When performing the exercises in this chapter, make sure you do them out loud, even if you have no audience. Record yourself on audio or video tape so that you know how you sound (and look, if you use video) to your audience.