2009 Simultaneous Interpretation Seminars with James Nolan

About the Instructor: James Nolan received his Juris Doctor degree with distinction (Woodrow Wilson Award for Proficiency in Constitutional Law) from New York Law School and is a graduate of the School of Translation and Interpretation of the University of Geneva (Peter Price Translation Award). Dr. Nolan is admitted to the New York Bar and has practiced law in New York City. He has worked as a linguist for several major New York firms, including Davis Polk & Wardwell and The Garden City Group, (the leading US class action administration firm), as Head of Linguistic Services of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, as UN Senior Interpreter, as Deputy Director of the UN Interpretation, Meetings and Publications Division, and as Chief of the UN Verbatim Reporting Service. Dr. Nolan has taught in the United Nations interpreter training program and the interpreter training programs of Marymount Manhattan College and New York University, and regularly conducts seminars on conference and court interpreting. He is a Court Interpreter Examiner for the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification and a consultant to the Canadian Forces Language School and the Canadian Language Industries Association (AILIA). Dr. Nolan's textbook Interpretation Techniques and Exercises is used for interpreter training at European and American universities and by the European Parliament and the OECD Mission in Kosovo, and is cited as a study reference for the United Nations Interpreters' Examination. His English-Spanish/Spanish-English Pocket Legal Dictionary, part of a series of bilingual legal dictionaries for which Dr. Nolan serves as consultant, was published by Hippocrene in 2008. Contact: or . Applicants may wish to view this link (pages 6-7) for a review of one of Dr. Nolan's seminars: http://www.ata-divisions.org/ID/Voice_2007No1_Summer.pdf

I - Intermediate Spanish<>English Simultaneous Interpretation Seminar

18 - 22 May 2009, CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Subject to sufficient enrollment of qualified applicants, a simultaneous interpretation seminar will be held from 18 to 22 May 2009 in Coral Springs, Florida (near Fort Lauderdale) at a venue to be announced.

The working languages will be: English (A or B) and Spanish (A, B or C). The proposed schedule is as follows:

*Monday 18 May*	*8:30 AM: Registration*
	9 AM - 12 Noon	2 PM - 5 PM
Monday 18 May	Spanish > English Session 1	English > Spanish Session 1
Tuesday 19 May	Spanish > English Session 2	English > Spanish Session 2
Wednesday 20 May	Spanish > English Session 3	English > Spanish Session 3
Thursday 21 May	Spanish > English Session 4	English > Spanish Session 4
Friday 22 May	Spanish > English Session 5	English > Spanish Session 5

Program:

Each 3-hour session will comprise a brief topical presentation and a workshop conducted "round-table" fashion, using audio and video recordings of a variety of speeches, including intergovernmental and legal/judicial topics. Topics addressed will include: Speaking; Preparation/Anticipating the Speaker; Complex Syntax/Compression; Word Order/Clusters; General Adverbial Clauses; Untranslatability; Figures of Speech; Argumentation; Diction/Register; Formal Style; The Lengthy Policy Address; Quotations/Allusions/Transposition; Political Discourse; Economic Discourse; Humour; Latinisms; Numbers; Note-Taking; Review of Basic Legal Terms.

The seminar will include tailored reading assignments and exercises. Texts of statements and additional handout exercises will be provided. Texts used will include both conference and court materials. Preparatory materials will be e-mailed to participants before the seminar. A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants upon request.

Applications:

Applicants must be fluent in English and Spanish and have some interpretation or translation experience. To apply, please send an e-mail to , with a résumé and the following information: Name, address, telephone number and e-mail / Brief description of translation-interpretation experience / Native language, other languages, & degree of fluency. Depending on experience, a brief telephone interview may be required. Applicants accepted will be informed by e-mail.

Fee:

The fee for the seminar is US$ 500, due by check after acceptance of application, and refundable in the event of cancellation.

Note:

May weather in Florida is beautiful and the Atlantic storm season does not begin until June. However, if there is any prospect of severe weather, this course may be re-scheduled, moved to a different venue, or cancelled. Therefore, when making air travel reservations, it is advisable to include a cancellation option.

Required reading:

Interpretation Techniques and Exercises, by James Nolan (Multilingual Matters, 2005, ISBN: 1853597910), available from several internet booksellers. Recommended: English-Spanish/Spanish-English Pocket Legal Dictionary, by James Nolan (Hippocrene Publishers, 2008, ISBN: 0781812143).

II - simultaneous interpretation seminar English (A or B), Spanish (B or C), French (B or C)

6 - 10 July 2009, OTTAWA , CANADA

Subject to minimum enrollment of 10 qualified applicants, a simultaneous interpretation seminar hosted by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) will be held from Monday 6 July through Friday 10 July 2009, at the Château Laurier, L'Orangerie Room, 1 Rideau St., Ottawa ON KIN 87, Canada.

The working languages will be English (A or B), Spanish (B or C), French (B or C). The proposed schedule is as follows:

*Monday 6 July*	*7:30 AM: Registration*
	9 AM - 12 Noon	2 PM - 5 PM
Monday 6 July	Spanish > English Session 1	French > English Session 1
Tuesday 7 July	Spanish > English Session 2	French > English Session 2
Wednesday 8 July	Spanish > English Session 3	French > English Session 3
Thursday 9 July	Spanish > English Session 4	French > English Session 4
Friday 10 July	Spanish > English Session 5	French > English Session 5

Program:

Each 3-hour session will comprise a brief topical presentation and a workshop conducted "round-table" fashion, using audio and video recordings of speeches from the UN and other sources. The topics will include: Speaking; Preparation/Anticipating the Speaker; Complex Syntax/Compression; Word Order/Clusters; General Adverbial Clauses; Untranslatability; Figures of Speech; Argumentation; Diction/Register; Formal Style; The Lengthy Policy Address; Quotations/Allusions/Transposition; Political Discourse; Economic Discourse; Humour; Latinisms; Numbers; Note-Taking.

The seminar will include tailored reading assignments and exercises. Texts of statements and additional handout exercises will be provided. Preparatory materials will be e-mailed to participants before the seminar. A certificate of attendance will be issued to participants upon request.

Required reading:

Interpretation Techniques and Exercises (Multilingual Matters, 2005, ISBN: 1853597910) by James Nolan, available from internet booksellers.

Applications:

Applicants must have substantial interpretation or translation experience in the relevant language combination(s). To request further information or to apply, please send an e-mail to with the following information: Name, address, telephone number and e-mail / Brief description of translation interpretation experience / Native language, other languages, & degree of fluency. All applications will be reviewed by James Nolan, who will select the participants. The ATIO Secretariat will inform the selected participants by e-mail.

III - Refresher Course in advanced interpretation techniques - French or Portuguese to English

3 - 7 August 2009, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

This refresher course in advanced interpretation techniques is aimed at experienced interpreters wishing to take stock of their skills and improve them.

Language combination:

French or Portuguese to English. Other combinations possible, depending on participants' languages.

Venue: Atlantic Palms Guest House, Sunset Beach, Cape Town.

Programme:

This course takes the form of an "interactive practicum", where the emphasis is on practice rather than on theory. Plenty of "booth time" is provided for, i.e. actual interpreting although without physical booths. For the practice of simultaneous interpretation, participants are seated around a conference table, each wearing earphones, listening to recorded speeches and sometimes also seeing the speaker on video. Participants take turns to interpret sections of a speech, then discuss difficulties, compare notes, offer alternatives, make suggestions, etc. For consecutive interpretation exercises, role-playing is used. The instructor offers his own rendition of a passage or speech and offers brief explanations of some of the interpreting techniques described in his book which participants may apply when interpreting a speech. If you have any texts or recordings of speeches which you have found problematic in the past, please feel free to bring them along to work on them. Preparatory materials will be e-mailed to participants before the seminar.

The programme covers the following aspects: Speaking; Preparation/Anticipating the Speaker; Complex Syntax/Compression; Word Order/Clusters; General Adverbial Clauses; Untranslatability; Figures of Speech; Argumentation; Diction/Register; Formal Style; The Lengthy Policy Address; Quotations/Allusions/Transposition; Political Discourse; Economic Discourse; Humour; Latinisms; Numbers; Note-Taking.

Fee:

R 9000. Fee includes tuition, two breaks with refreshments and lunch. On completion of the course, participants receive a certificate.

Recommended book:

Interpretation Techniques and Exercises, by James Nolan (Multilingual Matters, 2005, ISBN: 1853597910), available from internet booksellers.

To apply:

E-mail your CV by 31 March 2009 to the course co-ordinator, Dr. Olivier Fléchais ( - cell: +27-84 200 06 89), along with a paragraph or two on particular aspects of interpretation techniques which you would like to improve on or any problem areas. All applications will be reviewed by the instructor. Once your application has been accepted, you will need to deposit 50% of the fee by 30 April 2009. The balance must be paid by 30 June 2009. Maximum enrollment: 10.