Hello readers! This is Editorial Committee member Audra Lincoln. Today, the JLD team is bringing you the second installment of our “Interview with Educators” series. Our guest this time is Izumi Suzuki-san, who is an ATA-certified English-to-Japanese and Japanese-to-English translator and a certified court interpreter. Please enjoy!
JLD: Please share a little about why you started the Interpreter Training Course at Suzuki Myers & Associates.
IS: It’s been quite a long time since I started it and I’m afraid I’ve forgotten! I was asked to start teaching interpreting, so I did. I’ve been doing this for a few decades, so I think the class has been well received. There are quite a few people who have been my students and are now working interpreters–graduates of my class, if you will. So, it was other people looking for a course that led me to create it.
IS: I also tried creating an introductory class for novices–people who have never interpreted before or only have basic skills. I ended up dropping that class due to absenteeism, but I do get requests for this type of class occasionally. However, my class only meets once a week and you really have to prepare for it. If you’re not sure how or what to study, or if you’re not interested in studying, then the class would not help much. The higher-level class requires students to be self-starters. They’re the kind of students I feel I could rely on to actually interpret.
JLD: Would you tell us a little about your background?
IS: I was trained at ISS in Tokyo to be a conference interpreter. The course was for 3 years. After working as an interpreter there for a few years, I got married and came over to the States. My husband and I started the current company, Suzuki, Myers & Associated, Ltd., in 1984. At one point I was asked to interpret for a defendant. When I went to the circuit court, the official court interpreter’s level was so low that I was astonished. In order to have the court realize that they needed to hire more qualified interpreters, I decided to become a certified court interpreter.
At that time, California was the only state that offered the Japanese/English interpreting exam to become a certified interpreter. I went to California to take this exam. It’s a two-part exam, and although I passed the first part, I had to retake the second part after doing some extra studying. I was successful the second time. After that, I was asked to be a grader for the exam. Unfortunately, California stopped offering the exam after a while, when it joined a consortium and the consortium did not offer the Japanese/English exam. So, I am one of the few court interpreters certified in Japanese/English in the U.S. For the few of us with this credential, we are virtually guaranteed work because of rules in place that require the use of a certified interpreter. Now, since the Japanese/English certification exam is no longer offered, an ATA translation certification can often be used in lieu.
JLD: Would you tell me about the kind of training you offer?
IS: First, my classes are for interpreting, not translation. I always give students a 10-question kanji test at the beginning of the class. That’s because interpreters may receive drafts of a speech or presentation before an assignment. If you as an interpreter can’t read the text or understand some words, it calls into question your ability to interpret well. If you’re being paid to interpret, that means you are a professional. Professionals can use their working languages, so they must be able to read Japanese. Writing may not be quite as important, but you have to be able to read, understand, and render that content into Japanese.
IS: During class, we use a few different materials. One is Kikai Eigo Handobukku, a technical textbook with a lot of engineering-related content written in both Japanese and English. Students receive the English text in advance to prepare. In class, I will read the passage to the students who take notes–without looking at their copy of the passage–and then render the interpretation from their notes. Another textbook I use is Simultaneous Interpreting: A Practice Book. When I use this book, all the students are on mute. I’ll read the passage one time slowly for the students to interpret and I follow up by asking students how they rendered different parts of the speech. Once we’ve discussed the passage, I’ll read it again at normal speed and the students interpret that simultaneously. I switch out these two texts each week. One week is Kikai Eigo and the next is Simultaneous Interpreting.
IS: One other text I use is called Zatsugaku Dokuhon, which is only written in Japanese. It’s a book of interesting, short passages about a page or less in length. We do sight translation with this book where the students read the Japanese first, then interpret it. Even Japanese speakers sometimes misread things, so it’s an exercise in careful reading. Once a student has interpreted, we give feedback to them on their performance. After that, I use material that I have actually interpreted, or an essay that one of the students submitted to me for consecutive interpreting practice.
JLD: What kind of feedback on note-taking have you had from your students?
IS: Many students enjoy learning about and how to use symbols. Interpreters should come up with their own symbols. If you are the one to think of a symbol to use, it will be easier to remember and use. Of course, you can get ideas from other interpreters, but finding a way to incorporate it into your system or modifying it so you can easily and automatically use it is what’s important. When it comes to note-taking, writing numbers and proper nouns is a must–that way, you can reduce the cognitive load on your brain and focus on other interpreting tasks.
JLD: Do you feel that interpreters must have training to interpret?
IS: Well, being bilingual doesn’t automatically qualify you to interpret; it’s merely a starting point. Knowing two or more languages isn’t the same as being able to interpret those languages. There’s the note-taking aspect, memory skills, and knowing how to render a message into another language. These skills can be enhanced by training.
IS: As far as whether formal training is required, it depends. If you work in-house, you’ll learn company-specific terms and systems just by working there. If you want to work in the legal field, you must study the proper legal terms before working. Not only that, but legal interpreters must know U.S. court protocols, the differences in civil and criminal cases, and so on. You can only get that knowledge if you train. If you work in an automotive field, so much of the mechanical processes from years ago is being replaced with electric and battery technology, not to mention self-driving technology. This also requires you to study. Interpreting means you’ll be a lifelong learner.
JLD: What are the pluses and minuses of formal training?
IS: I don’t think there are any minuses to getting training. If you are concerned about how well you speak your second language, then training may be beneficial to you. One of the pluses of training is that you can see how professionals do it, then work on making those skills your own. Maybe you’ve been a great translator and you want to branch out into interpreting, which is not uncommon. By the same token, your written language skills may be wonderful, but listening and note-taking could be challenging new skills. Training would be a great way to help learn those new-to-you skills.
JLD: Any final words for our readers?
IS: My classes are offered on a rolling basis. There’s no set period so you can join anytime. The class starts at 10:00 a.m. EST and finishes around 11:30 a.m., although we usually have casual discussion time afterward. We meet every Saturday, and I offer one free lesson to help students discover if this class is the right fit for them. I would encourage anyone interested to give it a try.
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