Earticle

Preparation of specialized meetings by conference interpreters is an important part of their work, and has been discussed in the literature in descriptive and prescriptive terms. However, there is little by way of studies of the effective usefulness of such preparation. A case study of the coverage ratio of terminological needs at a medical conference supports the idea that the benefits of such preparation may not always be evident at surface level. However, it does not rule out the possibility that they may be substantial at a deeper level, involving general understanding of the background, environment and interaction. In terms of empirical research, performance variability and the lack of access to large samples make investigation of the holistic effects of preparation on performance difficult, but specific aspects, in particular the interpreters' response to specialized terms in the source speech, can be studied with some sensitivity.

As globalisation and particularly EU enlargement generate more international meetings and contacts, a larger number of languages are being used in multilingual conferences throughout the world. Trainers of conference interpreters and the schools with which they are associated must respond to this challenge. Without taking a position on whether interpreting into A or into B produces better results, the author describes the methods he has used for the teaching of interpreting into B at ESIT and elsewhere over the past 25 years.

This article describes the instruments and experimental tasks used in exploratory tests carried out by the PACTE Group. These tests were undertaken preparatory to the final experiment designed to determine the nature of Translation Competence in written translation-the first phase of a two-phase project designed to investigate the Acquisition of Translation Competence in written translation. A general overview of the characteristics of the research project is given, followed by a description of the aims and objectives of the exploratory tests, the experimental tasks and the instruments used. Some conclusions resulting from these tests are presented.

This paper discusses the social status of the languages and the sociolinguistic behavior of the language speakers in multilingual conference settings. One prevalent and recurring phenomenon in such settings is the predominant use of the English language (EL), as opposed to other major and exotic languages. Two anecdotal examples of 'less-than-practical' choices of English as the language of speech delivery are presented. Then, this paper addresses the rationale behind minority language speakers' choice of English in multilingual conference settings. The question is answered by examining the status of English as an International Language (EIL), in general, and by examining the theory of language display, in particular. Brief literature reviews of the two theories are followed by the concluding comments on the role of the interpreter as the language mediator in multilingual situations, and as a proponent of language ecology.

In translation into Korean analysis of the source text plays very important role. Analysing text structure and extracting correct meaning are preliminary steps to go to the restructuring stage. This paper reviews scholars' studies on the concept of text structure analysis and methods. Then ways to enable students to analyse text structure in classrooms are presented. Second part of the paper is on the application of text structure analysis. Source text was analysed based on inter-relations between paragraphs and sentences, thematic procedure and lexical connection. Lastly translation of 3 students of the source text were compared from the point of source text structure analysis.

As one of the research methodologies on simultaneous interpretation (SI), discourse analysis of real-life SI data can have explanatory power with educational implications for interpreter training. In this context, analysis of temporal aspect of SL (source language) and TL (target language) can provide one of the most reliable and precise indexes for quantitative research. This paper examines some sound-editing software that can replace the traditional stopwatch in measuring temporal aspects of SI. Reviewed are Wave Studio, Sound Forge and some other commercial computer software that can analyse temporal aspects of SL and TL on a millisecond basis. These tools enable researchers to easily obtain the temporal indexes of SI including the length of pauses, sentences and EVS (ear voice span). With this data, speech proportion (SP), articulation rate, and words per minute (WPM) can be calculated for statistical treatment. These pieces of software also have the function of increasing the volume level of already recorded soundfiles and can filter some of the noise in the soundfiles. Since researchers can repeatedly play back parts of the acoustic signals in SL on the upper portion of the computer screen and TL on lower portion, they can scrutinize the process of time management by the interpreters being studied.

The job, 'translator' has been in the spotlight for decades in Korea as one of the most aspiring jobs among young college students. This reflects the fact that communication between countries using different languages has been on the increase, and people across the world have increased their demands to obtain information faster than any others. In line with this trend, there have been a lot of works for translators to facilitate the communication between people using different languages. In recent years, there have been a lot of translations in the areas of children's books and books that introduce Korea and its culture to foreigners. This paper aims to find out a strategy applicable in translating texts that have different target readers through analysing the translated works of children's books and a cooking guide book. 'Abstraction ladder' was introduced as a strategy to find out proper registers to be used for texts of different genres. Although there might be other factors in selecting registers to be used in translating texts of different genres, this paper chose 'register' as the research target. Through further researches, it is expected that more factors that affect translating works of different genres more effectively so that translated texts have equivalent effects with source texts to their readers could be found out.

The purpose of this paper is to review the practice of relay interpretation in Korea. Longed reviled as a mode of interpretation that must be avoided at all costs, we are finding that due to financial constraints as well as linguistic limitations, organizers have no choice but to find recourse in relay interpretation. In Asia, and more specifically in Korea, it is not unusual to have to do relay interpretation from time to time. In order to gauge the prevalence and usage of relay interpretation, a questionnaire was distributed to conference interpreters based in Korea. The questionnaire was a brief 10-question survey to understand the extent of the use of relay interpretation as well as to understand how interpreters themselves perceive it. The results could be used to inform students, before they become professionals, about the "perils" of interpretation as well as what they should look out for when they are presented with a relay situation or might have to work as pivot in an interpretation team.

With the increase of human exchanges and globalization an irreversible phenomena, Korea finds itself welcoming an increasing number of foreign visitors. From visitors who come for a short while to either attend conferences or simply tour the country or those who stay longer seeking employment, the purposes of the visits vary greatly. At the same time, today, non-Koreans can be the instigators of a lawsuit or be asked to be a witness in court. The number of cases involving court interpretation, consequently, has nearly doubled from 124 cases in 1998 to 232 in 1999. The languages being used in the courts have also become more varied. English, Chinese and Japanese as well as Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Vietnamese and other exotic languages have been required. Some of the current problems include the lack of qualified interpreters; unrealistic interpretation fees and difficulties in securing qualified interpreters; lack of relevant knowledge and training as assistants of the court. There is an obvious need for improvement. Such deficits could result in international human rights lawsuits as well as negatively affecting the confidence in the Korean court system. Even if it is just to fulfill our obligations to international law, Korea needs to improve its court interpretation system to match international standards.