Earticle

This study examines the limitations and problems in undergraduate-level interpretation courses based on the results of a survey administered to English major undergraduate students in Handong University. The results of the survey are summarized as follows. 1) Undergraduate students chose interpretation courses for developing their communicative competence rather than interpretation skills. 2) Undergraduate-level interpretation courses should have different course objectives. This study concludes that the unique characteristics of undergraduate-level interpretation courses require a proper plan in curriculum focusing on various language activities and balanced course objectives in both language and interpretation skills.

This paper aims to explore which abilities are required for Korean-into-English translation and to identify the major problems encountered in translating Korean source texts of pragmatic nature into English. To achieve the intended goal, 1) a short piece of English translation (Original Translation) done by an up-and-coming Korean translator who has about three years experience in the field was chosen and examined, against an analysis of the Korean source text; 2) a veteran Korean translator was asked to correct the Original Translation (Revised Version); and 3) an experienced native-speaking English editor (who speaks just a little Korean) was asked to edit the Original Translation as freely as seen appropriate (Rewriting).The study reveals that Korean translators working from Korean into English should be capable of 1) accurately grasping the intended message of the original writer by seeing through opaque linguistic elements so often found in Korean texts and 2) re-expressing the discovered message in natural English translation. Although this study is far from conclusive, its findings suggest that accurate message comprehension and an ability to render the message in natural English―without being distracted by the idiosyncrasies of Korean texts―are vital to good translation from Korean into English.

This paper draws on the concept of "frame" to elucidate the importance of shared contextual assumptions in interpretation. A "frame" is defined as the totality of contextual assumptions that provides the basis for inferring the intended meaning of an utterance. A certain utterance can be "framed" to mean a particular thing, and the linguistic and extra-linguistic factors constituting the frame should be shared between the communicators, if the utterance' intended meaning is to be successfully inferred by the recipient. When the frame is not shared, misunderstanding is bound to occur.In interpretation, the issue of shared frames matters on two planes; first, when the interpreter sets out to analyze the meaning of an utterance made by the speaker and, second, when the interpreter attempts to convey that idea to the audience. In the first case, the interpreter needs to share the linguistic and extralinguistic factors framing the speaker's utterance in order to derive its intended meaning. A failure to do so will result in a misanalysis that will make the interpreter relay a distorted message to the audience. On the other hand, the interpreter is required to be sensitive to the linguistic and extralinguistic assumptions the audience will bring to bear on their effort to comprehend the interpreter's utterance. Such sensitivity will enable the interpreter to adapt his utterance to the audience's level of comprehension. Conclusively, the interpreter's sharing of frames with speaker and audience is key to successful interpretation. It enables the interpreter to accurately analyze what the speaker says and adapt the analyzed message to the audience's frame of reference.

Some 30 real-life English into Korean simultaneous interpretation were analyzed to examine whether English into Korean interpreters attempt to utilize the SL pauses for their TL production as was proven by previous studies. Interpreters were shown to be involved in more complex cognitive processing than speakers in that the average length of pauses left by interpreters was statistically longer than that of speakers(p = 0.000). The fact that average length of between-sentence pauses was longer than that of within-sentence pauses, both for interpreters and speakers (p = 0.000), appears to mean that longer pauses are necessary for planning of a new utterance. Accuracy of SI showed positive correlations with the number of within-sentence SL pauses (r = 0.59, p < 0.001), with the average length of SL pauses in interpreters' listening alone portion (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), and with the number of SL pauses in interpreters' listening and speaking portion (r = 0.52, p < 0.01). A "pause distribution index", calculated from the 30 samples, was 1.46 showing that 46% more SL pauses were located in interpreters' listening and speaking portion than in interpreters' listening alone portion.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how to evaluate simultaneous interpretation. The first step was to look at what is meant by evaluation especially within the setting of a university/graduate school. Tyler's rationale which is often cited in curriculum studies was applied to the field of interpretation. The second step was to define simultaneous interpretation, followed by a review of what clients expect from conference interpreters. To facilitate the process, a user's expectation survey conducted by the AIIC was used. The last step was to look at what is meant by evaluation simultaneous interpretation for interpreter-trainees and professional interpreters. In the case of interpreter-trainees, the classroom setting gives the student ample feedback, but once the interpreter-trainee becomes a full-fledged professional interpreter, it is up to the interpreter to make sure that she monitors herself on a consistent basis.

The distinction has to be made between "translation" as a vehicle for foreign language education and translation as a means of communication.Some of the problems in translation education include a lack of diversity in the curriculum and specialization of qualified instructors and of government support. The ways to resolve these problems include using computers, building a data bank, sending instructors abroad for training, establishing a doctorate program, attracting qualified students, guaranteeing the status of translators, retraining translators, creating a translators' pool and increasing exchanges with international institutions.The second part of the paper is a review of the accreditation of interpreters as a basis for that of translators. The application process of AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters) is summarized as well as the current discussion regarding possible revisions.Accreditation of translators has long been discussed in Korea. It is advisable to institute a state exam and to give certificates for specialized and academic fields. However, in view of the fact that there are many private institutions that have begun to conduct translation exams and giving certificates, great care must be exercised in order to ensure that the accreditation procedure meets international standards.