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The consecutive interpreter has to speak in public.17 Scanned with CamScanner

Standing Standingis arelatively straightforward posture, which we do naturally- not toomuch can go wrong.It wil certainly dent the audience's faith in you, so we want to avoid it. lfon the other hand you separate your feet from one another, both sideways and front-to-back, you will be more firmly rooted in the ground and 13 Presentation 13 Scanned with CamScanner

certainly dent the audience's faith ni you, so we want ot avoid it. Ifon the other hand you separate your feet from one another, both sideways and front-to-back, you wil eb more firmly rooted ni the ground and 13 Presentation 15 you wil feel more stable.This wil stop you slouching forwards and helpyou sit upright while leaning forwards alitle, which ni turn wil make ti easier ot breathe properly (reducing your nerves) and ot look at your audience.Let'sstart with alook at posture.lfyou arenot setupright, then everything that follows will be much more difficult.The aim is to speak well, engage with your audience and minimize extraneous and involuntary movements (tics).If you're sitting without a table, then be aware that you'll be very hunched when taking notes usingyour legs as a table, so you should make a particular effort to sit up and forward before you start interpreting-

Arms As a beginner, you will most likely be making too many involuntary hand gestures.Ifyou're not usinga notepad, putyour hands together, e.g. by folding them over one another flat on the table, or holdinga notepad anyway- it wil be good practice for later.Body Inthelisteningphase it is acceptable, eveninevitable, that you'll lean on the table in front of you, or hunch over your notepad while taking notes.18 Presentation 19 recommend grounding your arms in the same way as we ground our feet -noton the floor, obviously, buton hte edge ofthe table.In terms of body language, this slightleaning forward suggests you are interested and ni control (Duden 2007: 158) - useful signals ot send out.(Thiery 1981: 102) In this chapter you wil learn how to: sit or stand correctly for public speaking assess public speakers and other students assess your own speaking performance.This position wil also stop you swaying from side to side or switching your weight from one foot to the other repeatedly, both of which should be avoided when standing.Holding one wrist with hte other hand, either with both hands ni front of you or behind your back, si agod way ot do this.Occasional hand gestures which reinforce what you are saying are welcome but beware of waving your hands around al the time.Alternatively you might be sending out the wrong signals to your audience (for example, crossingyour arms might be seen as a signof diffidence).This is culturally unacceptable in some countries and wil also cause you to slide forwards, which we don't want.It will be a good idea to occasionally make an appropriate hand gesture ot underline apoint made ni the speech.Any posture you take up should be chosen to make you appear professional; facilitate your interpreting; and promote the audience's confidence in your interpreting.That means being able to: read your notes; look up at your audience while speaking; hide your nerves by limitingany unintended body language; and eliminate physical tics.This stability wil give you more confidence to attack the interpreting task.As wev' e said, we need ot look professional and we need to b eable to read our notes, breathe and look up at the audience, so how we sit should promote this.(How much of your back, starting from the lower back upwards, is touching the backrest will depend on what is comfortable to you and your size relative to the chair.) You are far enough forward to have some of your weight on yourfeet.They may be tics, like touching your hair or nose, or wavingyour hands around like you are directingtraffic, notinterpreting.This suggestion forwhattodowithyourhands does not mean thatyour hands absolutely have to remain stuck to the notepad or the table throughout the speech.Indeed, if you learn nothing else during the time you study interpreting you will still have learnt a very useful life-skill.However, public speaking is more difficult for the consecutive interpreter because at the same time as the consecutive interpreter is speaking, they have to do a number of other things - reading their notes and recalling information, for example.That in turn is why many interpreting courses, and this book, begin with publicspeaking skills.You won'tneeditonceyoustart speakinganditcanonlygetuptomischief - like being twiddled or dropped.

The consecutive interpreter has to speak in public. They must therefore have some speaking skills.
(Thiery 1981: 102)
In this chapter you wil learn how to:
sit or stand correctly for public speaking assess public speakers and other students assess your own speaking performance.
One of the sub-skills of consecutive interpreting si public speaking.
Indeed, if you learn nothing else during the time you study interpreting
you will still have learnt a very useful life-skill. However, public speaking is more difficult for the consecutive interpreter because at the same time as the consecutive interpreter is speaking, they have to do a
number of other things - reading their notes and recalling information, for example. For this reason it is important to learn to speak well early on and have an in-grained technique that will hold up under pressure and not distract from finding the right words to say. That in turn is why many interpreting courses, and this book, begin with publicspeaking skills.
Let'sstart with alook at posture.lfyou arenot setupright, then everything that follows will be much more difficult.
Posture
We'll look here primarily at your posture while you are speaking. Much ofthis advice will also apply to your posture for listening.
Any posture you take up should be chosen to make you appear professional; facilitate your interpreting; and promote the audience's confidence in your interpreting. That means being able to: read your notes; look up at your audience while speaking; hide your nerves by limitingany unintended body language; and eliminate physical tics. The recommendations below aim to do all of that.
You may be asked to do consecutive sittingorstandingso we'lllookat both.
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Standing
Standingis arelatively straightforward posture, which we do naturally- not toomuch can go wrong. Westand up straight and lookforwards!
Feet
The most significant thing you can change in the standing posture is the position of your feet. It may sound trivial but actually the position of your feet can have quite an effect on your performance. Some people
naturally stand with their feet together, as below.
Figure 2.1
But this position makes you less stable; you may even feel yourself wobble like a tall slim tree in the wind. Try out this position and get someone to give you a little push. Do you feel how unstable you are? This instability is exacerbated when we hold our arms up and forward with a notepad in them. It may also make you more nervous when interpreting, which in turn may make us interpret less well. It wil certainly dent the audience's faith in you, so we want to avoid it. lfon the other hand you separate your feet from one another, both sideways and front-to-back, you will be more firmly rooted in the ground and
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Presentation 13
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certainly dent the audience's faith ni you, so we want ot avoid it. Ifon the other hand you separate your feet from one another, both sideways and front-to-back, you wil eb more firmly rooted ni the ground and 13
Presentation 15 you wil feel more stable. Stand with your weight equally on both feet. Try it out. This stability wil give you more confidence to attack the interpreting task.
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Figure 2.2
Your legs should be straight but don't tense the muscles or
lock the knees. This position wil also stop you swaying from side to side or switching your weight from one foot to the other repeatedly, both of which should be avoided when standing. Don't cross your legs and sag onto one standing leg.
Arms/hands
At this stage of the course you may not be usinga notepad. In this case, your main objective wil be ot keep your hands still and out of the way. Holding one wrist with hte other hand, either with both hands ni front of you or behind your back, si agod way ot do this. Se Figure 2.2 above.
Occasional hand gestures which reinforce what you are saying are welcome but beware of waving your hands around al the time. Don't put your hands ni your pockets or on your hips. 15
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Presentation 15 Don't cross your arms in front of you. Later, when you are using a notepad you can simply hold onto the notepad.
See Chapter 10, p. 170. For more on hand gestures, see below.
Sitting
You wil also do consecutive sitting down; indeed, as a student you will probably do more consecutive sitting at a table than standing. Exams and accreditation tests are also more likely to be done sitting. So how should we sit? As wev' e said, we need ot look professional and we need to b eable to read our notes, breathe
and look up at the audience, so how we sit should promote this. The suggestions below aim to do that but they remain just that- suggestions. They are not hard and fast rules that you must follow. You should try them out and adjust to the position that allows you to listen, take notes and interpret best.
Body
Inthelisteningphase it is acceptable, eveninevitable, that you'll lean on the table in front of you, or hunch over your notepad while taking notes. The audience is not looking at you during this stage. For the speaking phase your posture will have to change a little to reflect the fact that you are no longer taking notes but reading them; projecting your voice; and that you must make eye contact with your audience. The aim is to speak well, engage with your audience and minimize extraneous and involuntary movements (tics).
So how should we set ourselves up? First of all, the body. You will need to be alert and comfortable. I suggest that you sit slightly forwards on the chair so that you are not leaning back into the backrest. (How much of your back, starting from the lower back upwards, is touching the backrest will depend on what is comfortable to you and your size relative to the chair.) You are far enough forward to have some of your weight on yourfeet. Thiswillcreateasolidbase.
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Slouching
I hope it's obvious why an interpreter should not slouch in a professional environment. It shows a lack of formality and respect for the others in the room. This applies of course to both the listening and the speaking phases of consecutive. If that were not enough, it's
not a good position to write notes in and in phase 2 it would be harder to breathe and project your voice from a slouching position.
If you're sitting without a table, then be aware that you'll be very hunched when taking notes usingyour legs as a table, so you should make a particular effort to sit up and forward before you start interpreting-

Arms
As a beginner, you will most likely be making too many involuntary hand gestures. They may be tics, like touching your hair or nose, or wavingyour hands around like you are directingtraffic, notinterpreting. Alternatively you might be sending out the wrong signals to your audience (for example, crossingyour arms might be seen as a signof diffidence). Either way, anything you do with your hands should be deliberate and help your interpretation.
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diffidence). Either way, anything you do with your hands should be deliberate and help your interpretation.
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Presentation 19 recommend grounding your arms in the same way as we ground our feet -noton the floor, obviously, buton hte edge ofthe table. Todo this, rest the mid-point of your forearm on the edge of the table. This wil stop you slouching forwards and helpyou sit upright while leaning forwards alitle, which ni turn wil make ti easier ot breathe properly (reducing your nerves) and ot look at your audience. In terms of body language, this slightleaning forward suggests you are interested and ni control (Duden 2007: 158) - useful signals ot send out. Don't put your elbows on the table. This is culturally unacceptable in
some countries and wil also cause you to slide forwards, which we don't want. With the mid-point of your forearm on the edge of the table you will be grounded, stable. This will also stop you fidgeting. If you are using anotepad, Iwould hold it with both hands. This will stop you waving your free hand about. It also helps you improve your eye contact with the audience when reading back your notes - see Chapter 10, p. 169. Ifyou're not usinga notepad, putyour hands together, e.g. by folding them over one another flat on the table, or holdinga notepad anyway- it wil be good practice for later. Don't put your hands under the table in your lap. It makes you look timid and nervous whereas you will have to command the room when you speak. Whether or not you are holding a notepad, put your pen down. You won'tneeditonceyoustart speakinganditcanonlygetuptomischief - like being twiddled or dropped.

This suggestion forwhattodowithyourhands does not mean thatyour hands absolutely have to remain stuck to the notepad or the table throughout the speech. It will be a good idea to occasionally make an appropriate hand gesture ot underline apoint made ni the speech. The occasional gesture that reinforces what you are saying can add something valuable to your presentation