Chapter 4 Results
4.4 Part Three: Content of the Glossary
This section looks at what the subjects included in their glossary and from what source(s). Table 4.13 first shows the content of the subjects’ glossary. In this question, the subjects could choose more than one item both horizontally and vertically:
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Table 4.13 Items to be included in the glossary
Question Items known and
familiar
known but
not familiar not known before Jiang’s
Q3-1: Do you
organizations 45 (39.3%) 101 (94.4%)
(1) 95 (88.8%) (5)
(example sentences; general ideas of specific theories, books/works of people; terms about current
issues; different ways of rendering the same [or similar] ideas, with skills used noted—which make
the glossary more of a practice log, although no formal practices may be involved)
Among the top five categories of glossary content, “names of organizations,”
“words and phrases,” and “technical terms” that were not known before to subjects took up three places. “Names of organizations” and “technical terms” that were known but not familiar to subjects took up another two. The results are hardly
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surprising, given that a glossary mainly serves to help its users acquire new language and knowledge, as previously suggested by the subjects.
In addition to unknown and unfamiliar items, some subjects would also put items that are known and familiar on their glossary. As most of the interviewees noted, they did so because they could not render those items quickly enough or because those terms appear so frequently in certain fields. Those items would serve as a database or a reminder that makes users feel psychologically assured:
S3: I cannot render those items fast enough. Some terms are non-technical but appear often in the material.
S4: Some terms I know, but it takes some time for me to think of their translation.
S5: Some terms are known but cannot be rendered fast enough; the glossary serves as a reminder.
S8: I also put words that are not that difficult but keep occurring in a certain field. I include the terms for the completeness of my glossary. I feel more psychologically assured. It does not take that much time.
S9: For example, “vocational rehabilitation” kept appearing in the talk. I was already very familiar with the term during preparation. But I might still get stuck when interpreting because after all the subject is not a very common one in my life.
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S11: Just in case. You feel very nervous when interpreting because you have the limit of time. It is better that you get something at hand. When you listen to the source language, you are very nervous and do not have time. But you have got something in hand; you can check it when it is possible.
S12: I feel psychologically secure. I know the term “obesity.” [It is still included in my glossary] because it is a frequently used term in the field of diabetes. The terms are all interrelated. I tend to put all relevant terms together.
S15: If I expect my glossary to be a database, I might include terms I already know.
S16: Frequency of appearance is a factor. Words that frequently appear across various sources are more important.
S17: Words that appear frequently in a certain field must be important.
You cannot afford to translate those words incorrectly. I feel more secure.
S18: I include terms that appear frequently in interpreting, such as names of organizations, abbreviations, treaties, and so forth. Because sometimes when you get stuck, you need the glossary as a reminder.
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Of course, one cannot put every item found during preparation in the glossary.
The length of the glossary could be a concern for some, mostly due to the difficulty of finding the right terms in time:
S1: At first, I had no concern about the length. But if the glossary is to be brought into the SI booth, it would be no more than one page where I put items that may occur most frequently. If the glossary is too long, I cannot find the terms.
S3: It should be no more than two pages and should be double-sided, though page-turning consumes resources and makes noise.
S14: It should be less than one page, ideally. I fear that I may not be able to find a term when turning the pages.
Other categories of glossary terms are worth examining as well. For example, some interviewees would put the entire parallel texts in the glossary:
S9: There might be an entire paragraph that is difficult to render, or the existing translation has been beautifully done. I tend to note these down.
S12: I once put passages from Confucian Analects that appeared on slides.
I guessed the speaker would probably read from the slides, and he indeed did. So I just read from my glossary.
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Figure 4.8 shows that S9 included the translation of texts in the glossary:
Figure 4.8 Sample glossary with parallel texts
Other subjects would mark how to pronounce certain items on the glossary by using phonetic symbols (S13). Still others would include full sentences in the glossary:
S14: Some sentences structures are frequently used in certain fields.
Usually those structures are drastically different [in English] than in Chinese. For example, when talking about natural disasters, we often use
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“it hits/attacks…” But the usage is different in Chinese. I note such expressions down.
Figure 4.9 is a glossary made by S3 that contained alternative collocations to Chinese expressions:
Figure 4.9 Sample glossary with sentences and collocations
One subject included cryptotechnical terms (as discussed in Chapter 2) in the glossary:
S13: Technical terms or jargons in certain fields, or words that might have different meanings in different fields.
Last but not least, some users would include a “notes” section in their glossary.
They may not check the section when interpreting, but this section could nevertheless
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serve as a learning database for users. As one subject wrote in the “Others” section of this question, the information contained in such section make the glossary a practice log. Some interviewees explained the reason for including notes in their glossary:
S1: When I check the translation of a term, usually I can find some definitions, which I would copy and paste in the “notes” section.
S5: Sometimes I attach notes to a certain term (such as the name of a treaty or other difficult terms) as background information.
S6: I collect terms that require explanation or that are unfamiliar to me.
For example, I include different definitions of an aging society in Notes.
Notes are seldom printed out unless they are very important.
For instance, S12’s glossary, shown in Figure 4.10, included in column C some notes to the Chinese and English terms to the left:
Figure 4.10 Sample glossary with a “notes” section
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The miscellany of glossary items once again broadens the potential scope to which a glossary could possibly extend. Although users may include items for various reasons, one thing is brought to light by the results of this question. That is, a glossary could potentially serve as a database or mini-corpus of some sort. Some of the
information on the glossary may not be of use on the spot of interpreting but could nevertheless serve as important input during preparation. The degree of familiarity with items may be one determinant underlying subjects’ choice, but other factors are also at play. It is safe to say that the subjects tend to include whatever items that facilitate preparation and help ensure good interpreting performance.
Table 4.14 Sources of the glossary
Question Items no most
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It is hardly surprising that “class materials given by the instructor” (or
conference materials in the case of professionals) received the highest percentage as the most useful source of glossary. Those materials are “specific to the materials to be interpreted” (S2) and would take priority in preparation (S3). Taking the agenda for example, S1 summed up the reason for deeming class materials given by the
instructor most useful:
S1: Items on the agenda will definitely have to be interpreted, such as the topic or theme of the event. The moderator will also talk about the names of speakers. So we really need to prepare for the items on the agenda…You can really prepare for what is to come in the talk without deviating too far.
Consultation with experts, which is more or less similar to a briefing session before a conference, was deemed highly useful as well:
Classmates'
(magazines/news; internet articles, news, speeches on related topics; newspapers, magazines, books, news, broadcasts;
Youtube, TED videos; speeches and video clips on the topic)
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S5: I asked friends with different majors.
S12: We would have briefing sessions before practicum sessions to familiarize ourselves with speakers’ accent and ask questions.
S16: Classmates from different backgrounds can give you some advice. But sometimes experts do not know what a term is called in Chinese. They just know what it means.
Glossaries provided by the instructor and the instructor’s introduction to the materials to be interpreted were also considered useful. As interviewees suggested, the instructor plays an important role in narrowing down the scope of preparation and explaining difficult terms prior to the actual practice:
S1: The instructors do not guide you in the wrong direction. They have already provided the keywords, which makes preparation more targeted.
S2: Terms and concepts are easier to absorb if there is someone explaining them first.
S11: When listening to the teacher’s intro, you can predict what you are going to interpret next. You have in your mind what you are going to do next. You will not be too nervous when you are in the booth.
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S12: You know what is coming and what is to anticipate, although your anticipation may be wrong. I write down terms mentioned by the instructors immediately because they are bound to appear later.
S17: You save the time on double-checking.
Surprisingly, existing topical glossaries, which should have been a valuable source for preparation, were thought to be only sometimes useful. Some interviewees mentioned that they could not just use everything from such glossaries. A glossary could be a highly personalized, and additional processing of existing glossary items may be needed to make a glossary work:
S4: I do not use them directly. I would extract terms that I need. I would cross-check between various sources.
S12: I think a glossary is very personal. I hope to arrange the items in my own way. I may use existing glossaries, but the content may be too mixed. I would arrange everything myself again.
S13: You do not know where the sources come from. I still need to make an effort to sift through information online. I still have to do it myself. Because during the process, I also memorize terms better.
A glossary’s personalized nature was also touched on by S16, who thought classmates’ voluntary suggestions were not useful:
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S16: The suggestions are not necessarily correct. Everyone has different understandings on a topic.
It is interesting to find that classmates were not deemed as very helpful. The majority of the subjects chose “sometimes useful” for both “asking classmates” and
“classmates’ voluntary suggestions.” Still, some interviewees mentioned that they would take notes from classmates’ rendition in class:
S1: When you note down their expressions and learn them on the spot, it is easier to acquire, memorize, and use them compared to when only reading them.
S4: Especially expressions in Chinese. I can use them in the future.
S7: Usually some expressions. If classmates can explain a concept more succinctly than I do, I would note down the expression on my notebook.
It is clear that the subjects’ glossaries were made from a myriad of sources and the sources enjoyed different priority from subject to subject. Despite the differences, credibility of sources is a concern for some:
S13: Instructors said that source credibility is very important. Therefore, I would go to important or well-known websites of a certain field.
S17: I made sure the credibility of sources is high. Sometimes I might get expressions used in China that I am not so sure about.
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To sum up, in Part Three—Content of the Glossary—one finds that glossary-making preferences differ from user to user. What’s more, a glossary can contain many different kinds of items from a variety of sources. The next section will examine how the subjects used their glossary, if they indeed used it before, during, and after class.