Whispering Interpretation is a Way to Reach "Mu" ウィスパリング通訳で無の境地？

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I currently translate business documents from Japanese to English and vice versa, but used to work as an in-house interpreter at a US company. There are two conventional ways of interpretation, i.e., consecutive interpreting and simultaneous interpreting. A consecutive interpreter listens to what the speaker is saying while taking notes and translates the message verbally into another language after the speaker pauses. A simultaneous interpreter listens to what the speaker is saying while concurrently translating it into another language.

However, there is another more popular way of interpreting in this increasingly busy world, i.e., whispered interpreting.

Whispered interpreting or whispering is similar to simultaneous interpreting. An interpreter listens to what the speaker is saying while whispering the message translated in another language. However, there's a big difference between the two forms of interpreting. Simultaneous interpreters usually demand scripts while whispering interpreters not, which means users don't have to worry about script preparation for whispered interpreting.

So, simultaneous interpreters usually work at big conferences. They usually receive scripts beforehand and interpret what speakers say generally based on the scripts. On the other hand, whispering interpreters usually work on-site for businesses, sitting next to CXXs at meetings to whisper in their ear so that the meeting doesn't have to stop for interpretation. (A meeting using a consecutive interpreter takes about two times longer than otherwise.) Given a shorter time of a meeting combined with no need for script preparation, it's understandable that more businesses prefer whispered interpreting.

One another thing people often misunderstand is that anyone speaking fluently speaking English can be an interpreter/translator. This isn't true. Interpretation/translation requires two sets of skills, English skills and a deep understanding of the subject matter, and the importance of the latter is much higher than you think. The US company had many employees who, having lived or studied in the US or UK, spoke English more fluently than I did, but I was hired as a project interpreter after two interpreters being fired not because of my English skills, but my good understanding of the subject matter, i.e., financial business.

I did a lot of whispered interpreting and liked it for a reason. I could be "mu," i.e., immerse myself in the present while whispering as it requires full concentration. It has a downside, however. Not only whispering, but also the other types of interpretation is exhausting! I had flu almost every year when I was an interpreter.

今はほとんど翻訳専業ですが、以前、ある米系の会社で社内通訳をしていました。通訳に逐次通訳と同時通訳があるのはご存知かと思いますが、ウィスパリング通訳というものがあるのはご存知ですか。

ウィスパリングは同時通訳と似ています。スピーカーが話すのと同時に通訳を必要とする人の耳元で訳を囁きます。ただ一つ大きな違いがあります。同時通訳には原稿があることが多いのですが、ウィスパリング通訳に原稿はまずありません。

ですから大きな会議などでは、原稿を見ながら話すスピーカーの話を同時通訳者が原稿を見ながら訳す。一方、ウィスパリング通訳者は会議で偉い人の隣に座って原稿なしにその場でごにょごにょ囁き（訳し）ます。「通訳は現場で起きている！」わけです。（吉兆の女将ではありません。）

よく勘違いされていることがあります。通訳と翻訳には英語スキルだけでなく、内容に関する理解が求められますが、内容理解の重要性は英語スキルと同等、いや英語以上なのだということです。米系の会社には私よりペラペラの人がいっぱいいたのにどうして私が通訳することになったのか。ご推察の通り。私に金融業務やリスク管理業務に関する知識があったからです。英語スキルのなさ（苦笑）を金融知識が補ってくれたわけです。

当時はウィスパリング通訳ばかりしていたのですが、好きだったのには理由があります。「無になれる」んです。集中しなければならないので当然といえば当然ですね。ただ、ものすごく疲れます！社内通訳やっていた頃は毎年インフルエンザにかかっていました。