The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/135206
FEATURES conversation with one of the delegates. When working as an interpreter he had always thought of himself holding a funnel, with the widest part facing him and the cone narrowing to the listener – in effect, making the listener the least important part of the process. After the course he had learnt to reverse this perspective and bring the listener to the fore. Pause for thought Another frequent issue is the overuse of fillers such as 'err' and 'mm'. These words are used for thinking time where a pause would be more appropriate, and they can also become a habit. I remember training a news presenter who, when ad libbing, used 'err' before the words 'but' and 'and'. He had no idea of this until we listened to some recordings. The problem with overuse of these filler words is that they are distracting. That is why listening to yourself is of the upmost importance. Listening to oneself objectively is extremely difficult but, because our voice is the tool of our job, we need to do so. It is necessary to open up to the possibilities of the voice, to find out what it can and can't do. We need to know our voice and to be aware of how it sounds to other people. A useful exercise is to record yourself talking about a subject for a couple of minutes, without any preparation. Then listen back and ask the following questions: • Is my voice pleasant, dynamic, engaging, boring, dull? • Do I sound confident, nervous, timid? • Are my thoughts logical and clear? • Do I speak too quickly or too slowly? Try to be as objective as possible. Vocal exercises If you are a pianist or an athlete there are muscle groups that need to be exercised. That is the same with the voice. The breathing needs to be deep and free. The voice starts as breath and, when we are free of tension, the breath will completely fill the lowest ribs. As an experiment, go and smell something that you really enjoy: freshly brewed coffee, flowers, or your favourite perfume or aftershave. Enjoy the smell and you will find that you are inhaling from the stomach. Because of tension, we often breathe from Vol/52 No/3 2013 In many professions, including interpreting, voice development is not given its due importance the chest (shallow breathing) and when having to use the voice for long periods the interpreter, just like an actor, will find that they will breathe in the incorrect place in a sentence. By not breathing correctly they will suffer from excessive fatigue. Shallow breathing also produces a weak and thin tone. The warm tone that you hear from chanting monks is due to excellent breathing. Many interpreters have told me that they find themselves holding on to their breath. This is a direct result of stress and performance anxiety. But it is not only tension that affects our breathing, it is also posture. Sit in a position that is relaxed but not slouching, place your feet flat on the ground, slightly apart. Work on freeing the shoulders and neck so that they are void of tension. The lips, teeth and tongue have to be agile. When these muscles are used properly and we open the mouth, we not only gain clarity of speech but a more dynamic sound. In training sessions, delegates frequently discover that they have wonderful voices within them. They just weren't allowing the voices out. If you find, upon hearing yourself, that your voice sounds dull and boring just try opening your mouth a little more. You will be amazed at the results. VOICE CONTROL: Training is standard for musicians and actors Old-fashioned tongue twisters are excellent for improving physical agility and also as warm ups. In general, we are not aware of what an amazing instrument the voice is; if used properly it is not only a joy to listen to but also engaging. We are not accustomed to evaluating our voices and hearing them as others do. When we learn a language, the emphasis is on the vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Unfortunately pronunciation, tone and intonation are left behind and yet it is through voice tone, as well as words, that we communicate. We need to think about the message. Just like an actor we have to 'own' the words fully in order to communicate the meaning. The more we focus on what we are saying and who we are talking to, the less time we have to think of ourselves and dwell on mistakes that might occur. A few lessons to help with good voice production is money well spent. It not only improves the quality of the voice but also helps with posture and relaxation. There are many excellent voice coaches who can guide you and show you exercises to help with breathing, resonance and articulation. Asking colleagues for a recommendation is a good way of finding someone. It is important to enjoy the process of communicating. Improve your ad libbing skills; enjoy delivering a script or reading aloud; join a drama class or debating group; say 'yes' if people ask you to give a speech at a function – take any opportunity to practise the art of public speaking as it will all enhance your skills. JUNE/JULY The Linguist 11