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From classroom to the field! Four BA students worked as interpreters for the Rural Revitalisation Symposium
| Hilary: “It was a valuable learning experience that helped me gain a deeper insight into the role of an interpreter out in the field. We had to interpret for the guests under the sun and move around the venue to better listen to the speakers. Even when the tent got blown away by the strong wind, we had to improvise and remain professional. It was certainly unforgettable and eye-opening for my first interpretation job.” |
| Raymond: “I encountered challenges that I would never have faced otherwise. For example, we had to keep moving around to find the optimal location where we wouldn’t evaporate under the sun and where the voices of the speakers and ours wouldn’t overlap. The content itself was also challenging, as it was loaded with unexpected idioms and poems in local dialects, in addition to fast rhythms and constant switching between Cantonese and Mandarin.” |
| Harry: “The 2-hour event was rather casual. No booths, no earphones and no Wi-Fi connections. We even had to move around to hear the speakers better. The most memorable part was that one of the speakers said that he wanted to test us interpreters by saying Cantonese expressions. Venuti said that translators are invisible, but it seems that it’s not the case for interpreters because the audience was all looking at us after that.” |
| Helen: “In SI lessons, we stay indoors, have a set of gears, and sit in a booth. But this was something else; it was outdoors, just a portable microphone, and a lot of walking around. The panel discussion was set in front of the village, capturing the nature of rural life. Wind was blowing, birds were chirping, joining the discussion on stage. We walked around with the mic, to wherever we heard the speaker best. It was fun, more importantly, I have learnt to prepare well to not be well-prepared.” |
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