Introduction to the World of Interpreting

Webinar Overview

Professional interpreters are increasingly in demand in international organizations and agencies, law firms, and media networks. In addition to conference interpreting, community interpreting is also on the rise to enable communication in courts, hospitals, educational institutions, government agencies, and conflict zones. In the light of the increasing demand for interpreters stirred by the process of globalization, the need to train interpreters is of particular importance to equip them with the skills required to meet the market needs.

The purpose of this workshop-style webinar is help those who are interested in gaining a basic knowledge in the field of interpreting. It provides an overview of the fundamentals of interpreting techniques and the different types of interpreting (simultaneous, consecutive, sight, whispering and liaison), and highlight the foundation necessary to develop the advanced skills used by professional interpreters.

Structure

The webinar includes a combination of:

• Presentations,
• Videos of the various modes of interpreting;
• Note-taking and its techniques;
• Live exercise;
• Narration of the pleasures and pains of interpreting.

Learning Objectives

1. Raise awareness to the various modes of interpreting;
2. Introduce participants to note taking;
3. Conduct a live note-taking exercise;
4. Highlight the pleasures and pains of interpreting.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn about the various modes of interpreting;
• Develop knowledge about the interpreting environment and importance;
• Learn about note-taking and its techniques;
• Become familiarized with the pros and cons of interpreting techniques.

Target Participants

This workshop-like webinar is recommended for translation/interpreting students, new entrants to the profession and established practitioners. Mastering the Arabic and English languages is a pre-requisite. The maximum capacity is 50 participants.

Trainer

Mazen Alfarhan is a senior interpreter and certified legal translator with two MA degrees in interpreting/translation and diplomacy from Heriot-Watt University and London University respectively. He also holds a diploma in Arabization from Damascus University. He has been working for the last eight years as a translation reviser and trainer at the Translation and Interpreting Institute of Hamad Bin Khalifa University.

A Chevening Scholar (2004-5) and a Said Scholar (2000-1), Mazen won the CHSS ‘Best Translation Poster’ prize in 2017 for his translation of Other Words Other Meanings: A Guide to Health Care Interpreting in International Settings, published by Geneva University Hospitals in 2016. He also received three Qatar Foundation ‘Professional Excellence’ awards.

As an educator, he taught Conference Interpreting at the MA Interpreting Program of Damascus University for four years (2009-2013). As a professional interpreter, he interpreted at more than 150 events and for many leaders and officials, including the late Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General, Javier Solana, Former EU Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Pervez Musharraf, Former President of Pakistan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Former Prime Minister of India, Romano Brodi, Former Prime Minister of Italy, Kamal Kharazi, Former Foreign Minister of Iran, and the late Sergio Vieira de Mello, Former UN Envoy to Iraq, to name a few.