2. Note Taking and the Power of Mind Mapping in Consecutive Interpreting

2.1 Note Taking in Consecutive Interpreting

Seleskovitch (1978) cited in Santiago (2004) explains that during the process of interpretation, there is a lot of information that is registered to the interpreters’ short term memory. If the interpreters do not do anything with this information, it will soon disappear. This is one of the reasons why the interpreters discard the form of the source text. Smith (1985) quoted in Santiago (2004) states that, “Short term memory has a very limited duration.  We can remember six or seven items only as long as we give all of our attention to them” (Smith, 38).  If an interpreters try to retain the form of a source utterance their short-term memory it will be quickly filled with individual lexical items, which may not even compose a full sentence.  If the interpreter then attempts to find a corresponding lexical item in the target language for each of the source language forms in their short-term memory all of their attention will be wasted on translating these six items rather than attending to the incoming message, as Smith points out, “as long as pay attention to short-term memory we cannot attend to anything else” (Smith, 38). 

Hanh (2006) sums up the advantages of employing note taking techniques in consecutive interpreting as follows:

“Firstly, notes improve concentration; prevent distraction, thus facilitating the reception and analysis of the speech. Secondly, notes help the interpreter relieve the memory. Thirdly, as mnemonic, notes activate the memory of the interpreter with cues or signals that call up the information in the speech. With notes, the main ideas, the secondary elements and the links among them become clear and easier for the interpreter to visualize. Finally, notes can also be used to highlight missing details, inconsistencies within the speech and anything implausible that needs attention latter. Thus notes play an important part in consecutive interpreting.

2.2 How Mind Mapping Works in Note Taking

Different people have different way of thinking; this is due to the fact that the brain works in different ways. Our thinking and reasoning follow a structure that is personal to us. There are certain "programs" loaded in our consciousness. According to experts in mind mapping, these programs are like our "natural thinking software". The brain works according to certain basic principles, and we can use mind maps to take advantage of them to improve our creativity and memory.

Humans are born with special "brain-programs" to be able to learn and memorize everything they experience during their lifetime. We have one "brain-program" to remember special occasions, one program that remembers pictures, one that remembers structures, etc. The fantastic thing about mind mapping is that it uses these existing "brain-programs" and refines them. Mind mapping simply optimizes the power that you already have in your mind. Therefore, mind mapping is one of the very best methods to optimize ones learning capacities and understanding of how the elements of complex structures are connected (Ingemann).

Now we proceed to the relation between mind mapping and note taking in interpreting. Mind mapping as mentioned above is the technique to optimize the power that we already have in our mind. The question is HOW. Then we shall see how the mind mapping techniques works in consecutive interpreting.

Once the speaker starts speaking, the interpreter should register the information to their brain. The information in their head is like a map which is not yet arranged. Then, they should arrange the information and organize them fast in their mind and write it down in their note. It is of course impossible to write down all the information in words due to the limited time. The interpreters should write down the main points only and connect one event or category to another. The use of abbreviation will help. There is no such a must rule in abbreviation. It is up to the interpreters; they have their own way in managing with abbreviations.

Consecutive interpreting deals with memorizing more information compared to the simultaneous one. Accuracy is of top priority because when the speaker pauses the interpreter will take turn to produce the interpretation and the audience will clearly hear the interpretation without intervention from another speaker. In this case the interpreter should remember the message and organize them well. And the mind mapping will play an important role in this kind of situation.

After reading about mind mapping tips from Ingemann, this paper tries to connect mind mapping steps with note taking in consecutive interpreting. The followings are the steps worth a try:

1. Relaxyour mind.

2. Register the information from the speaker and concentrate well. Do not let all other things distract you. Focusis a must.

3. Recognize the main pointof the utterances, and write it down fast in short (can be by abbreviating them or just write some important words in the limited time). It is impossible for the interpreters to write long sentences. That will be a waste of time. Some interpreters make a note in the target language and some others in the source language and translate it directly while they are producing the interpretation and taking a look at their note for some time. Others mix the languages (SL and TL) in their note. We shall choose which one we feel convenient with. Sometimes, the interpreters may get stuck retrieving the information from their memory about the equivalent of a certain word in TL. If this happens, it is necessary to just write the SL and when the time comes to give the interpretation and we still forget, just use descriptive sentences.

4. As soon as the next sentence uttered by the speaker, jot down the other and supporting points.

5. Then, draw lines to connect the points.

6. Remember to note the specific informationlike numbers. Date, address, proper nouns etc.

The following diagram shows the connection drawn between the main topic and sub-topic and another sub-topic. This is how the mind mapping works. Circle the mind topic and draw a line to another point. Arranging the information is very important. Drawing the connections make it easier to formulate the sentences during the interpretation is produced on the spot.

(The diagram is taken from http://www.writingthoughts.com)

The following diagram shows a further example of how the mind mapping works in note taking. The main point is circled the lines and drawn to connect one point with another point is helpful to show how the things work related to the information uttered.

(The diagram is taken from http://coachmi.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/mind-maps)

We have discussed why note taking is important, the advantages and the steps in note taking. We also have discussed about the power of mind mapping in note taking. However, we should remember that every theory needs a practice as the saying: practice makes perfect. Theories may different from reality. Therefore the more practice the better the result will be.