Bài 16 - Being an interpreter (Trở thành người phiên dịch)

Being an interpreter  

Pre-listening
 

1. Vocabulary

Russian	/ˈrʌʃ.ən/	(adj)		tiếng Nga, người Nga
set up	/set ʌp/	(v)		lập nên, sắp xếp
tourist	/ˈtʊə.rɪst/	(n)		khách du lịch
site	/saɪt/	(n)		địa điểm
flunk out	/flʌŋk aʊt/	(v)		thi trượt
interpret	/ɪnˈtɜː.prɪt/	(v)		phiên dịch
professor	/prəˈfes.əʳ/	(n)		giáo sư
inexperienced	/ˌɪn.ɪkˈspɪə.ri.əntst/	(adj)		không có kinh nghiệm
attention	/əˈten.tʃən/	(n)		sự chú ý
embassy	/ˈem.bə.si/	(n)		đại sứ quán
ambassador	/æmˈbæs.ə.dəʳ/	(n)		đại sứ
process	/ˈprəʊ.ses/	(n)		qua trình
huge	/hjuːdʒ/	(adj)		khổng lồ
political	/pəˈlɪt.ɪ.kəl/	(adj)		thuộc chính trị
economic	/ˌiː.kəˈnɒm.ɪk/	(adj)		kinh tế
knowledge	/ˈnɒl.ɪdʒ/	(n)		kiến thức
understand	/ˌʌn.dəˈstænd/	(v)		hiểu
cultural	/ˈkʌl.tʃər.əl/	(adj)		thuộc văn hóa
characteristic	/ˌkær.ɪk.təˈrɪs.tɪk/	(n)		tính cách, đặc điểm
compliment	/ˈkɒm.plɪ.mənt/	(n)		lời khen

Expression

Start doing something - bắt đầu làm gì đó
E.g. I was fourteen when I started learning English.

Start to do something - bắt đầu làm gì đó
E.g. I really tried my best and started to learn more about different things, political, economic…

2. Brainstorm

Khi nói về chủ đề " học để thành phiên dịch viên", người ta sẽ nói đến:
- Tại sao lại muốn trở thành phiên dịch viên
- Trong quá trình đó gặp phải những khó khăn gì
- Thực hành như thế nào (nói chuyện với người nước ngoài, tham gia làm việc như phiên dịch viên...)
- Cuối cùng có lẽ là thành công sau những khó khăn và cách khắc phục.

Listening
 

I was fourteen when I started learning English. And at first it was very difficult. Um before that, I had um learnt how to speak Russian and little bit of French.

Then we came to English, it was just too difficult for me. I just couldn't understand the way... words and grammar were set up. But then… um… I thought to myself that okay what's the point of learning a language without being to able to speak it.

So I decided that um… I was in high school then, I decided that from time to time I’m gonna flunk out of some classes at school and go to one of the tourist sites near my high school and started talking to tourists.

So uh after about a year or two, my English started to get really good. And then I started getting offers to go um interpreting. Um that's a... paid job. The first time I interpreted um was for... for an American professor who came to Vietnam to teach about pre-school education. And it was my first time.

I was very green, meaning very inexperienced. and um... but I did a good job because I knew that I was not all that good and that I needed to pay more attention to what I did. And so... it was- even though a little bit intense, it was very good.

And from then on through um... by words of mouth, I got a lot more offers. And since I was very responsible for what I did, I had offers from many interesting and supposedly high- ranking people. So my job with um the American embassy was um the result of such a process.

And I got an offer to start interpreting for the ambassador. And um I understood that it was... a huge responsibility. But starting uh I really… I really tried my best and um started to learn more about different things, political, economic… and I think you need to have a very good knowledge… Um… general knowledge when you work as an interpreter.

And also um you have to understand the cultural characteristics of the country whose language you are interpreting into and that… your own language. So uh I think I did a good job. And um that's not only what I’m saying. But I got a lot of compliments from people I worked for too.

So I think being an interpreter is very interesting after all.

 Post-listening

Tiếng Việt cơ bản là âm đơn, đặc biệt giọng Bắc khá thuần, không có các giọng nặng và âm tiết đặc trưng (accent), nên học các ngoại ngữ khác không bị ảnh hưởng nhiều về accent. Tuy nhiên, tiếng Việt nói không có trọng âm và ngữ điệu (vì đã có đủ 5 thanh) nên học các tiếng của châu Âu thường cũng nói ngang ngang và đều đều như tiếng Việt, nhưng cũng nhờ thế mà dễ nghe (nếu nói chậm và rõ từng chữ).

Nhờ vậy nên khi ta nghe người Việt nói tiếng Anh rất dễ hiểu, nhưng người nước ngoài nghe thì lại thấy không hay vì chẳng có ngữ điệu gì hết - vì thế ta nên rút kinh nghiệm để học tiếng Anh được tốt hơn. (nói tốt và nghe tốt)

Chú ý là không nên luyện nghe những bài nghe do người Việt nói, bởi chúng rất dễ nghe nhưng nếu luyện nghe như vậy, bạn sẽ thấy cực kì khó khăn khi gặp người nước ngoài. Để luyện nghe tốt bạn nên nghe những bài nghe của chính người bản địa nhé!

Bài tập: Nghe lại và điền từ vào ô trống

I was fourteen when I learning English. And at first it was very difficult. Um before that, I had um how to speak Russian and little bit of French.

Then we to English, it was just too difficult for me. I just couldn't the way... words and grammar were set up. But then… um… I to myself that okay what's the point of learning a language without being to able to it.

So I decided that um… I was in high school then, I decided that from time to time I’m gonna flunk out of some classes at school and go to one of the sites near my high school and started talking to tourists.

So uh after about a year or two, my English started to get really good. And then I started offers to go um . Um that's a... paid job. The first time I interpreted um was for... for an American professor who came to Vietnam to teach about pre-school . And it was my first time.

I was very green, meaning very . and um... but I did a good job because I knew that I was not all that good and that I to pay more attention to what I did. And so... it was- even though a little bit , it was very good.

And from then on through um... by words of , I got a lot more offers. And since I was very for what I did, I had offers from many interesting and high- ranking people. So my job with um the American embassy was um the result of such a process.

And I got an offer to start interpreting for the . And um I understood that it was... a huge responsibility. But starting uh I really… I really tried my and um started to learn more about things, political, economic… and I think you need to have a very good knowledge… Um… general knowledge when you work as an .

And also um you have to understand the characteristics of the country whose you are interpreting into and that… your own language. So uh I think I did a good job. And um that's not only what I’m saying. But I got a lot of compliments from people I for too.

So I think being an interpreter is very after all.

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