SIMULTANEOUS EXERCISE: Fourth of July Speech
by Yvette Citizen, Federally Certified Court Interpreter
As all athletes will tell you, it’s good to vary your workouts and exercise your muscles in different ways. And so it is with simultaneous interpreting. The following exercise will help you learn to manage idioms and persuasive language, not unlike to what we face in opening statements, closing arguments, and other legal discourse. Political and diplomatic speeches are challenging by nature, particularly if you’re not exposed to them frequently. Even experienced interpreters find them complicated, which is why we recommend you interpret this speech at a slower than normal speed. We want to build your confidence, not overwhelm you!
Here’s your confidence and skill-building mission, should you choose to accept it.
1. Click on the link below to access President Obama’s 2009 Independence Day remarks.
2. First, shadow it (repeat it simultaneously in English). Try to keep up, focusing on intonation and style. You want your voice to match the clarity and convey the same inspiration as the original.
3. Now, get your recorder (or phone’s voice memo feature) ready to record your interpretation. Put your headphones on.
4. Go to ‘Settings’ on the bottom row of the YouTube video. Click on ‘playback speed’. Reduce the speed to .75 or lower. The more speed you reduce, the more distorted it will sound. You can play around with it, but 0.75 seems to work best. If you play it at normal speed, it may be too fast, and we don’t want you to get frustrated and discouraged. You can slowly build up to higher speeds once you are familiar with this genre and get some practice under your belt.
5. Interpret while recording yourself.
6. If you fall behind, keep going! This is a good exercise to practice your ‘keep going no matter what’ muscles. It’s less than 5 minutes, so even though it may not feel like it, it will end soon.
After you’re done:
1. Listen to your recording while following along on the written transcript below the video.
2. Did you have hesitations? With practice, your delivery will improve!
3. Did you have omissions? If so, that’s okay. They will lessen with practice, but were you still able to convey the key points and spirit of the message? Did you finish your sentences?
4. Did you conserve the same style, language level, and tone as the original speech?
5. Below is a list with some of the tricky vocabulary with Spanish equivalents.
6. Let us know what you think and as always, feel free to repost as long as you give us credit. TheConfidentInterpreter.com
7. Don’t forget to check out the Free Resources we offer as well as the not free (but affordable) materials.
Inspirational words from Kobe Bryant: “Get better every single day. Work on your weaknesses. Hard work beats talent every time.”
Make this fun and have a happy Fourth of July!
Click here for the speech: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-celebrates-independence-day-and-american-spirit
VOCABULARY
1. Kick back – relajar
2. Indomitable spirit - Espíritu indomable / indómito
3. Small band of patriots - Banda / grupo / conjunto
4. People - Pueblo -- Did you inadvertently say ‘gente’? The more political speeches you practice with the less likely you will be to make that mistake.
5. Unyielding spirit - Determinado / implacable / firme
6. Blaze a westward trail - Abrir brecha / trazar camino hacia el oeste / occidente
7. Triumph in the face of tyranny - Triunfar frente a la tiranía / ante la tiranía
8. Unrivaled - Sin rival / sin igual
9. To wilt or cower - Desmoronarse / languidecer / decaer / marchitarse / debilitarse o acobardarse / encogerse de miedo
10. each of us has a hand in writing America’s destiny - Cada uno de nosotros participa / contribuye para crear el destino de Estados Unidos
11. a scale unseen in our time - De una escala nunca visto antes / en esta época
12. festering (problems) - Han ido incubándose / creciendo / empeorando / agraviando
13. kicked down the road - Dejando para después / dar largas
14. revamp - Transformar / rehacer / actualizar / modernizar
15. outcompete (any worker in the world) - Superar / ser mejor que / competir mejor que / competir con superioridad contra cualquier trabajador …
16. crushing (costs) - Devastadores / tremendos
17. status quo - Status quo / las cosas como están
18. naysayers - Detractores / gente negativa
19. standing pat (in a time of change) - No haciendo nada / siguiendo igual
20. cluster (of 13 colonies) - Grupo / racimo / conglomeración
21. summon (that spirit once more) - Convocar / invocar
