A woman with dark black long hair and a black shirt and a man with light blue shirt and glasses sitting at a tableDeveloped by Arlene Narvaez

Competencies Addressed:

  • Interpreting Practice: Sight Translation
  • Cultural competency
  • Trilingual (ASL, Spanish, English)

Time Required for Activity: 60 mins

Objective: 

  • Define sight translation
  • Identify key vocabulary terms used in educational settings
  • Identify acceptable translation of key terms

In this activity you will define and build toward sight translation practice.

Instructions for Activity:  

Sight translation is rendering an interpretation of text written in source language into target language. Sight translation is often requested of an interpreter during an assignment.

Prediction: Watch the Parent-Teacher Conference Interpretation

Prediction:  Watch the Parent Teacher Conference interpretation video, stop the video at 2:28.

View video.View video with Spanish subtitles. | View video with English subtitles.

Brainstorming

What information can you brainstorm about the subject of bullying? What key vocabulary may be useful in this letter that you will need to know?

Write a list of what you can expect. Write the words you may see in English and write the translation that comes to mind for the word as well.

Example from Source Text

  • Parent teacher conference
Click here to see possible Spanish translations.

Predicción: conozca a los participantes

Vea “Meet the Participants” (conozca a los participantes).  Esto le dará a conocer las dos personas en la llamada. Preste atención a las maneras en que utilizan el lenguaje y piense en cómo eso afectará su interpretación.

ver el video  | ver el video con subtítulos en español | ver el video con subtítulos en inglés

Pregunta de enfoque: Como intérprete, ¿cuál forma utilizaras, usted o tú, con esta llamada?

Predicción: La llamada de servicio relevo on video VRS

Vea el segmento de el video de la llamada VRS hasta 1:07 segundos. En cuanto se entiende qué tipo de llamada es, piensa en qué tipo de preguntas la persona que llama puede tener. Escribe palabras de vocabulario en español e inglés que pueden ser utilizadas.

ver el video  | ver el video con subtítulos en españolver el video con subtítulos en inglés

Previewing the Source Text

The beginning segment you just watched is leading up to the sight translation of a letter that the teacher sent home to parents about the school districts new approach to addressing bullying.  Click on the link below to prepare for a sight translation.

In reading through the letter, identify key English vocabulary and think about how you would translate them into Spanish.

Create a sight translation

Render a sight translation of the text on screen. Remember your translation options for the key vocabulary. We suggest recording your translation so you can use it for analysis. 

View Original Interpretation

View interpretation.View interpretation with Spanish subtitles.View interpretation with English subtitles.

For more on the interpreters perspective, watch the interview with the interpreter. The interpreter mentions making a decision on choosing to use a commonly used word, or buzz word in English ie: bully vs acoso, and sticking to the decision.

View reflections from interpreter.View interpreter reflections with Spanish subtitles.View interpreter reflections with English subtitles.

Create a second sight translation

Now that you have seen the interpreter from the video’s work, think about your original sight translation.  Are there ways that it can be improved?  Think about what you saw in the interpreters work and reflection.

Render a second sight translation of the text on screen. Remember your translation options for the key vocabulary. We suggest recording your translation so you can use it for analysis and comparison.