[JIF2016] What to Add and Subtract: Communicating the Communicator in Broadcast Interpreting

Tomoyuki Shibahara

Instructor at the Kanda University of International Studies and broadcast interpreter. After completing a Master’s program in translation and interpreting at the University of Bath, Shibahara joined BBC in London, and there he simultaneously interpreted historic events including the Belfast Agreement in 1988, NATO’s bombing of Kosovo in 1999, the September 11 attacks in 2001, and the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. He returned to Japan in 2002 and has been active as a simultaneous and semi-simultaneous interpreter for NHK, and also began teaching translation and interpreting for Discovery Channel in 2003. He also teaches English listening comprehension on NHK’s radio program since 2011.

What to Add and Subtract: Communicating the Communicator in Broadcast Interpreting

It is extremely difficult to interpret everything you hear in broadcast interpreting due to time constraints. You therefore must perform a certain degree of “traffic control” but it is never easy to decide what information to add and/or subtract. The audience is usually not subject matter experts, and you don’t necessarily have their full attention, if ever. Despite all this, you still have to convey a message and do your job. So how do I do it? What do I think about when I do it? I will talk about my successes (not too many) and failures (a truckload!) in the world of broadcast interpreting. Participants will have an opportunity to actually interpret a short news video clip.