国民女神、总理记者会翻译张璐就曾经透露，在正式的开会之前，翻译往往要花好几倍的时间做译前准备。“不到会议结束，谁都不知道自己到底准备得好不好。”张璐说，在每次准备活动之前，她都要根据活动的性质、重要程度、内容、影响程度以及自己的熟悉程度来做各种不同的方案。“有一个同事，他要为霍金翻译，这个活动最多不会超过一个小时，但他提前好几个月把《时间简史》这本书翻来覆去看了好几遍，还专门研究了一下。” 再看看张璐在记者会上出口成章，各种古诗文翻译准确又传神，就知道一个完美翻译的背后，一定有无数的辛劳付出： 不畏浮云遮望眼，只缘身在最高层。As a Chinese poem reads, we have no fear of the clouds that may block our sight, as we are already at the top of the height.入则恳恳以尽忠，出则谦谦以自悔。When one is in office, he should discharge his duty conscientiously; when leaving office, he should conduct himself with humanity and exercise self-reflection. 苟利国家生死以，岂因祸福避趋之。I shall dedicate myself to the interests of the country in life and death, irrespective of personal will and world.
翻译不仅要边听边翻一心多用，而且语言素养极高，临场反应极快，还要全知全能...简直堪称神一般的存在！ 他们究竟是怎样工作的？译员是如何做到两种语言无缝衔接的？口译又有哪些方法和技巧呢？ 中英全文 In 1956, during a diplomatic reception in Moscow, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev told Western Bloc ambassadors: Мы вас похороним. His interpreter rendered that into English as 'We will bury you!'1956年，在莫斯科的一场外交招待会上，苏联领导人赫鲁晓夫对西方阵营国家的大使们说：“Мы вас похороним!' 他的口译员将这句话英文译为：'我们要将你们埋葬！'This statement sent shockwaves through the Western world, heightening the tension between the Soviet Union and the US who were in the thick of the Cold War. Some believe this incident alone set East/West relations back a decade.赫鲁晓夫这项声明震惊了整个西方世界，让原本就处于冷战期间的苏联与美国两国间的关系，更是进一步降至冰点。有些人甚至认为，仅仅这一事件，就让东西方关系整整倒退十年。As it turns out, Khrushchev's remark was translated a bit too literally. Given the context, his words should have been rendered as, 'We will live to see you buried', meaning that Communism would outlast Capitalism, a less threatening comment.后来才发现，口译员对赫鲁晓夫言论的翻译过于直译。对照上下文，他的话应该被译为：'我们会活着，看你们自掘坟墓！'意思是，共产主义会比资本主义维持得更长久。原本是个威胁性较低的言论。Though the intended meaning was eventually clarified, the initial impact of Khrushchev's apparent words put the world on a path that could have led to nuclear armageddon.虽然赫鲁晓夫的本意最终得到了澄清，但那段英文直译所带来的强烈冲击，甚至可能会导致整个世界走上核武战争的不归路。So now, given the complexities of language and cultural exchange, how does this sort of thing not happen all the time?现如今，鉴于各国语言与文化交流的复杂性，此类误解为何却没有频繁发生呢？Much of the answer lies with the skill and training of interpreters to overcome language barriers.这便要归功于口译人员的技巧与训练，成为克服语言障碍的关键。 For most of history, interpretation was mainly done consecutively, with speakers and interpreters making pauses to allow each other to speak. But after the advent of radio technology, a new simultaneous interpretations system was developed in the wake of World War II.在历史上，口译主要是连续传译或交替传译。即发言者讲完一段，会停下让口译员翻译，以此方式交替进行。但随着无线电技术的问世，一种全新的同声传译系统， 在二战期间迅速发展起来。In the simultaneous mode, interpreters instantaneously translate a speaker's words into a microphone while he speaks. Without pauses, those in the audience can choose the language in which they want to follow.在同步模式下，在发言者说话的同时，口译人员便对着麦克风 ，进行实时的同步翻译，无需任何暂停。听众可自行选择语言，用耳机听取口译员的翻译。On the surface, it all looks seamless, but behind the scenes, human interpreters work incessantly to ensure every idea gets across as intended. And that is no easy task. It takes about two years of training for already fluent bilingual professionals to expand their vocabulary and master the skills necessary to become a conference interpreter.表面上看来，是无缝衔接。但是在幕后，口译人员辛勤工作，以确保发言者的每个观点都能得到明确传达。这可不是轻松的任务。即便是双语流利的专业人士，也要经过整整两年的训练，去扩充词汇量，并掌握必要方法和技巧，才足以胜任会议的同声传译员。To get used to the unnatural task of speaking while they listen, students shadow speakers and repeat their every word exactly as heard in the same language.为训练这种边听边说，一心多用的 '超自然的'能力，口译学员会跟着发言者用原语言跟读，复述他们所说的每一个字。 In time, they begin to paraphrase what is said, making stylistic adjustments as they go. At some point, a second language is introduced.练习一段时间后，再将发言者的原话改述，并进行语言风格的调整。之后，再以第二语言进行释义。Practicing in this way creates new neural pathways in the interpreter's brain, and the constant effort of reformulation gradually becomes second nature. Over time and through much hard work, the interpreter masters a vast array of tricks to keep up with speed, deal with challenging terminology, and handle a multitude of foreign accents.口译员运用这种方法练习，以创造全新的大脑思维方式，再加上不懈的努力，逐渐使之成为习惯。经过长时间的刻苦训练，在口译员掌握大量方法和技巧后，便得以逐渐提速。同时还能翻译专业术语，并掌握大量不同口音。 They may resort to acronyms to shorten long names, choose generic terms over specific, choose generic terms over specific, or refer to slides and other visual aides. They can even leave a term in the original language while they search for the most accurate equivalent.他们可能会运用缩写来记忆过长的名称，会使用大众化词语，而非专业术语，或运用幻灯片和其他视觉辅助。在找到最准确、最恰当的翻译前，他们甚至可以暂时保留原语言的字词。Interpreters are also skilled at keeping aplomb in the face of chaos. Remember, they have no control over who is going to say what, or how articulate the speaker will sound. A curveball can be thrown at any time.口译员拥有面对混乱场面，也能沉着冷静，泰然自若的本领。要知道，口译员无法掌控哪位发言者会说些什么内容，也无法掌控他们的发音是否清晰流利。意外随时都可能发生。Also, they often perform to thousands of people, and in very intimidating settings, like the UN General Assembly.此外，他们通常要在成千上万人参加的会议中，或很有压迫感的环境里，做现场口译，比如联合国大会。To keep their emotions in check, they carefully prepare for an assignment, building glossaries in advance, reading voraciously about the subject matter, and reviewing previous talks on the topic.为保证自己情绪平稳，每项口译任务前，他们都会认真做好准备，提前积累专业术语的词汇表，大量阅读相关题材，并温习相关主题的演讲内容。Finally, interpreters work in pairs. While one colleague is busy translating incoming speeches in real time, the other gives support by locating documents, looking up words, and tracking down pertinent information.通常是两位口译员共同配合工作，在其中一人忙着进行实时翻译的时候，另一位会在旁提供支援，如查找文件和词汇，并搜寻相关参考信息。Because simultaneous interpretation requires intense concentration, every 30 minutes, the pair switches roles. Success is heavily dependent on skillful collaboration.因为同声传译需要超高强度的专注力，每隔半小时，两位口译员会角色互换。成功与否，在很大程度上依赖于彼此的默契配合。Language is complex, and when abstract or nuanced concepts get lost in translation, the consequences may be catastrophic.语言很复杂，当一些抽象概念或细微差别的概念被误译时，后果可能会是灾难性的。As Margaret Atwood famously noted, 'War is what happens when language fails.' Conference interpreters of all people are aware of that, and work diligently behind the scenes to make sure it never does.正如玛格丽特·阿特伍德的名言: “沟通失效后，战争便一触即发。”会议口译员最能切身体会到这一点。所以，他们便在幕后辛勤工作，以确保此事不会发生。 视频请戳：
