Conference Preparation: Considerations and a Course Proposal

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Note: This paper was written for the MAS Program in Interpreter Training, University of Geneva (2005). It was later published in Conference Interpretation and Translation, Issue 8:1, 2006 Korean Society of Conference Interpretation, Seoul.

Conference Preparation:

Considerations and a Course Proposal KEYWORDS: preparation, terminology, context, knowledge, conference ABSTRACT: This paper examines conference preparation (CP) as a skill which veteran interpreters learn and perfect over time. It sets CP in the context of processing models and expertise studies, and identifies the centrality of acquiring knowledge to both subject matter and meeting context and dynamics. Components of CP are identified and discussed. A proposal for a short course on CP is outlined and illustrated in the framework of a simulated session based on an actual conference. While a flexible structure is suggested to make the course adaptable to different curricular and student needs, core ideas are discussed on how CP skills can be introduced to students to facilitate their transition to the world of work.

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………..4

2. The Thinking Interpreter and CP …………………………………………….5

2.1 Thinking About Technical Conferences ……………………………...7

3. Expertise Studies and CP ……………………………………………………..9

4. Awareness of the Conferences Environment and preparation ………..10

4.1 Types of Meetings ……………………………………………………….10

4.2 Subject of Meeting ………………………………………………………11

4.3 Purpose and History of Meeting ……………………………………....12

4.4 Specialized Terminology ……………………………………………….12

4.5 Meeting Participants …………………………………………………....13

5. Stages of CP ……………………………………………………………............13

6. Preparation Resources ………………………………………………………..15

7. A Short Course on Conference Preparation ………………………………16

7.1 Course Structure ………………………………………………………..18

7.1.1 Class 1 ………………………………………………………………18

7.1.2 Class 2 ………………………………………………………………20

7.1.3 Class 3 ………………………………………………………………23

8. Final Considerations …………………………………………………………...24

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1. Introduction

The assumption that interpreters will perform better if they adequately prepare for a

conference is rarely challenged. I would maintain, however, that conference preparation

(CP) is often considered in passing, even taken for granted, rather than examined in

detail. One gets the impression that at times it is equated to “broad general knowledge”.

The daily newspaper and weekly news magazines, in various languages of course, are

often mentioned by teachers as necessary to ongoing preparedness; indeed, greater

knowledge of the world cannot but help the interpreter. But conscientious conference

preparation – what we may call active preparation as it involves the interpreter in a

process of examining the various elements of a specific conference in order to

consciously decide how and what to prepare - is something different and in itself is a

learned skill, though often an untaught one.

Veteran interpreters perfect preparation skills, sometimes through trial and error,

sometimes through conscious effort based on their knowledge of meeting contexts and

an awareness of how they best learn and work. As is the case with other skills, some

components become so automatic that they do not have to be thought out. The expert

interpreter develops ways of inserting himself into the context of a conference from the

time he begins to prepare. This process evolves through all three stages of conference

preparation mentioned by Gile (2002): advanced preparation done at home, last minute

preparation done on site just before a conference begins, and ongoing preparation

during the meeting.

Students in conference interpretation (CI) programs are not usually able to do the same.

Many students enter CI studies with scant knowledge about conferences and how they

function. Depending on the location of their university, they may not even have the

opportunity to expand that knowledge by observing conferences and/or practicing in a

mute booth. Students will, moreover, start out by concentrating on the basic skills

involved in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. “Preparation” will initially mean

practice, the study of new vocabulary or the expansion of general knowledge. As they

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progress, however a short course introducing the CP know-how of experienced

interpreters will facilitate students’ passage to the world of work. Such a course will be

outlined in the final section of this paper.

2. The thinking interpreter and CP Interpreters work within a context. “When in doubt, think,” has proved to be fruitful – and

memorable - advice for many a student. The point is brought home by clozing exercises

that illustrate that meaning can be understood even when some words are left out of a

text, and that knowledge of the situation plays a central role in this process (Viaggio,

1992).

It has often been said that the interpreter is a generalist. Though there has been a

tendency to romanticize and aggrandize this view to the point of projecting on the

interpreter the image of the contemporary “Renaissance (Wo)Man” par excellence, the

idea can nonetheless serve our understanding. Seleskovitch (1978) differentiates

between the “specialists” who attend conferences and the “generalists” who interpret

between languages at those conferences. The former initiate information and the latter

are presented with information. The expertise of interpreters lies in analysis and

organization of information/ideas, and in the skills associated with communicating that

information across languages and cultures. But Seleskovitch (1978:64) also points out

that “However intense the reasoning effort, it is impossible to make the necessary

association of ideas if there is no prior knowledge on which to build.” When it comes to

specialized terminology, Seleskovitch (1978:93) adds that, “The interpreter cannot

restrict himself to learning words and their equivalents without seeking to find what they

express.”

Diagrams of processing models of SI are apt to be seen by the beginner as mere

descriptions of how one can listen in one language and say something in another at the

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same time. We should, however, remember that cognitive processes are anything but

mechanistic, and remind our students of the major role that knowledge plays.

In Moser’s processing model, long-term memory may be placed to one side of the

central train of structural components and decision points, but its role is central. She

examines how context and knowledge may enhance performance of interpreting tasks

and points out (1978:357) that they “aid the interpreter in speeding up the process of

accessing information in LTM,” allowing him or her to devote more attention to both new

information coming in and to production. She later shows how prediction is linked to the

organization of semantic information. Since our power of prediction is based on what we

know (otherwise we would be merely guessing), knowledge is central to our task and

conference preparation of paramount importance. Moser (1978:358) mentions it

explicitly: “In terms of preparation for a particular conference, the interpreter will thus try

(if possible) to build up as many concepts and establish as many relations as possible,

in order to facilitate and speed up the translation process.”

Knowledge will not be limited to subject matter per se, but also extend to how the

subject is discussed, to what end, by whom, from what perspectives, etc. The more

knowledge the better, or as Moser concludes (1978:360), “To put it bluntly, the more the

interpreter knows, the more he can predict, and the better his knowledge is of anything

(i.e. the more relations have been established between concepts to form conceptual

clusters or ideas), the faster he can predict.”

The mental model (MM) that Setton proposes also places great store in knowledge and

he describes it (1998:185) “as a dynamic, self-organising thematic-relational structure

which supplies the premises and contexts for the deduction and inferences in meaning

assembly, and maintains an updated record of the entities, relations and propositions

most salient and relevant to the discourse, whether their origin is explicit or implicit in the

text, evoked or invoked as part of a frame, confirmed by direct perception (e.g. objects in

the room), or assembled by the interpreter or Speaker on evidence of different

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strengths.” It is interesting to note that this model places the interpreter in the

conference room and identifies the importance of perception, of conference room

images, to the interpreters – something that students or beginners are not apt to be as

aware of as experienced colleagues (if indeed veterans are actually aware of them). It is

also striking that here we find a direct reference to preparation when Setton (1998:186)

refers to the MM as a contextualizer and adds that, “More than in the case of most

ordinary conversation, contextualization for SI begins before input: the interpreter starts

assembling pieces of the model before entering the booth (perhaps weeks before),

adding features at an accelerating rate as she gets the agenda, the minutes of the

previous meeting, and the list of participants, then arrives at the meeting room.” An

experienced interpreter would go about contextualizing with greater intention and

purpose than the student or novice interpreter, who after all is not yet as conversant with

conference situations and what they hold in store.

2.1 Thinking about Technical conferences

There is no doubt that technical conferences present a specific challenge and need to

be targeted in courses on conference preparation. When one considers a technical

conference, one immediately thinks of terminology, the most visible challenge. Certainly

technical terminology must be learned; its correct use has been shown to be highly

valued by conference participants (Moser, 1995). But as Lederer (1986:230) points out:

“Toute interprétation, qu’il s’agisse d’un thème général ou d’un thème technique, exige

les mêmes mécanismes de la part de l’interprète et repose sur une exigence première:

comprendre.”

If the technical jargon or form of expression hinders the interpreter in his attempt to

grasp meaning, and thus not only to communicate but even to keep up with the speaker,

he will find himself struggling. A study of relevant technical terms and the generation of a

glossary, however, is not enough: many authors have pointed out that conference

preparation must also include study of basic concepts, of the institutions involved, of the

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purpose of the meeting, of any specific way specialists speak, etc. (Seleskovitch, 1978;

Lederer, 1986; Donovan; 2001; Gile, 2002; Ruiz Rosendo, 2005).

When identifying and studying specialized terms, interpreters will of necessity learn

something of the related concepts and ideas (Gile, 2002). In other words, they will begin

to enter into the context. But we can ask if this is the best approach in any given

situation. Given a specific assignment, where should one begin? With background

articles in a textbook or encyclopedia? With minutes of a previous meeting (if available)?

With an existing bilingual glossary and a specialized monolingual dictionary that explains

the terms? With a website? And what determines our choice? It would seem that by

sharing know-how on CP we can give students basic criteria.

What is clear is that the problems that novice interpreters experience in technical

conferences go beyond the purely terminological. Donovan (2001:22) points out that,

“The technical nature of a conference is not confined to the use of a few specialist

terms. It encompasses the reasoning followed and the interests at stake, none of which

will be transparent to an interpreter who does not have a grasp of the notions underlying

the work.” She goes on to mention three levels of preparation: terminological, subject

matter and the situation. The aim is to be able to understand a technical subject to the

point that your usual interpreting powers – to predict, to anticipate, to monitor your

output, to note and understand positions, etc. – are not upset.

This in fact is the challenge for all conferences. One problem we often face, but

beginners probably to a greater degree than veterans, is that we do not always correctly

identify what is technical and why. The challenge is to know how to take the information

you have about an assignment, identify potential problems and prepare accordingly.

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3. Expertise Studies and CP Even if we assume a sufficient degree of interpreting skills in our students, we have to

recognize that their lack of hands-on experience in conference situations may affect

their performance. In class students generally work with individual texts or perhaps a

series of texts related by subject matter. Their attention is directed to the task

immediately at hand: interpreting the speech presented. A conference, however, can be

a more intricate web of events (situations) with inter-relationships between elements.

Plenary sessions with keynote speakers may give way to breakout groups discussing

more specific topics (Ruiz Rosendo, 2005). Drafting groups may be set up to prepare or

revise a declaration or treaty working from parallel texts. In medical conferences, broad

master presentations with visual support (e.g. Power Point) give way to smaller groups

in which participants may have 6 minutes each to read out a paper.

It has been pointed out that novices tend to follow microcontextual plans, while experts

incorporate global plans into their work, working from the known to the unknown (Moser-

Mercer, Frauenfelder & al, 2000). The more experienced an interpreter is, the greater

variety of conferences he will have worked in, and thus – theoretically at least – he will

be better prepared to work in various contexts without being unduly overloaded

(Riccardi, 2005). As expertise also brings a greater capacity to predict, the expert

interpreter is more apt to correctly anticipate what a conference may have in store when

first seeing the program. His preparation will thus be more targeted and better organized

than a novice’s.

In summary we can say that CP itself (before, upon arrival and during a

conference) involves a set of skills that the novice does not necessarily yet

possess or may not even be fully aware of. Students will be well served by a

short course introducing these skills.

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4. Awareness of the conference environment and preparation

Before we proceed to outline a short course in conference preparation, we can take a

moment to identify main elements to be taken into consideration when confronting an

interpreting assignment. No hierarchical order is implied in the following list. Indeed, the

relative importance of the items mentioned here may vary from meeting to meeting.

4.1 Types of meetings

Meetings can vary by size, subject matter, organization and participants (Gile, 1989).

These include:

• Large specialized conferences

• Seminars, round-table discussions or courses with a limited number of

participants and more direct conversation among them

• Negotiations

• Lectures, usually organized as one-off events highlighting a guest of

renown

• Product presentations or “workshops” sponsored by a company interested

in making its product(s) known to target groups

• International organizations (ongoing work at headquarters or specialized

conferences)

• Drafting groups

• Press conferences

• Debates or interviews broadcast on television (perhaps with audience

participation)

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• Visits, which though not in themselves “meetings” may in fact involve a

series of situations with different interpreting needs (consecutive,

simultaneous, chuchotage)

4.2 Subject of meeting

Interpreters are never as specialized as the general public thinks they are, and one can

expect to have to deal with a large variety of subject matter over the course of a career.

This variety may be even more pronounced at the beginning of a freelance career when

one does not yet have faithful “clients” and is apt to fill in here and there when more

established colleagues are not available.

The subject matter may be very specific, especially in very short meetings, or it may be

more general (with specialized subgroups) in larger meetings. The interpreters – and

especially the beginner – will benefit from being able to identify and delimit the subject(s)

under consideration, and any related field of knowledge that may come into play.

Experienced interpreters often make a mental or conceptual map on the basis of subject

matter, type of meeting and other elements (Dancette and Halimi, 2005). Training can

enhance the student’s ability to do the same.

4.3 Purpose and history of meeting

It is also useful to identify any targeted outcome of a meeting. Obviously bilateral trade

negotiations are undertaken with the aim of establishing a treaty, but there may be other

purposes that are not so clear. Even if getting a grasp on a meeting’s purpose involves

speculation (hopefully of the informed variety), it may sharpen an interpreter’s focus and

preparation. An examination of purpose will also involve examining the history of the

meeting and understanding the positions of the various parties involved (Pöchhacker,

2005). It may even involve explaining to oneself why certain parties are not there (e.g.

the absence of the USA in conferences of certain international environmental

conventions) and what that may imply in the meeting.

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4.4 Specialized terminology

Specialized terminology is not limited to science and technology. Politics, which very few

would classify as “scientific,” has a rapidly evolving specialized terminology. Advertising

and marketing, usually more associated with art unless we choose to take the term “spin

doctor” literally, can be one of the most diabolical specialized fields for the interpreter

(often due to the constant coining of new terms in one language and the absence of

equivalents in others). Even sport, the domain of supporters and emotion, has

specialized vocabulary.

The initial challenge for the interpreter is to identify the degree to which specialized

terms may come into play in any given assignment and prepare accordingly. Moreover,

he should identify any related fields that may also come into play. In a word, it is

important to look for unexpected difficulties and when something looks easy, ask if it

really is: the fact that you know how to balance your checkbook does not mean that you

really understand accounting.

As we have said, terminology occurs in context. Veteran interpreters know, and students

can be shown, that specialized terms are also embedded in what may be termed a

“specialized language,” a “certain way of talking” with which they must become familiar

(Lederer, 1986).

4.5 Meeting participants

Interpreters do not work simply with language; they also work with (and for) people. Gile

(1989:649) warns of interpreters tending to think that they work in “un univers interpréto-

centrique fermé.” It is important to consider the delegates – who they may be and what

they need and/or expect, and how we “interact” with them. Research has been done on

this (e.g. the AIIC Survey of Users Expectations) and students should be introduced to

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it. Viaggio refers to situationality in meetings, adding (1991:45) that it is “by definition,

shared by speaker, interpreter and both their respective audiences. Students are seldom, if

ever, made aware of this circumstance and the way it can and should be exploited. Shared

situationality, added to the orality of the spoken text, makes for a much higher degree of

redundancy.” Discussion on forms of “interaction” with delegates is likely to prove

interesting in the classroom and help students acquire insight into meeting situations.

5. Stages of CP

Most of what has been mentioned so far has referred to advance preparation – work

done at home, in a library, perhaps in the field, but done before the conference begins.

CP, however, is ongoing and will extend into the conference itself. Arriving early at the

venue, an interpreter may find the opportunity to clarify any doubts by talking to a willing

participant or colleagues. And then there are other matters that, although unrelated to

the subject matter per se, should be covered and with which a novice may not be as

familiar as his more experienced colleagues – and which could interfere with his

performance. In multilingual conference it may be that relay is necessary; the

interpreters must know before the meeting starts which languages will be on relay and

on which channel – and what this means about the work schedule in the booth (who

should be on when to assure that relay is available to all at all times). And one should

also know if he is responsible for a retour and if so, which lever or dial must be moved

when providing it. Errors in these small matters can disrupt a conference and risk

breaking anyone’s concentration. Though they may seem merely technical, we would

serve our students well by helping them avoid such mistakes.

Another part of this last minute preparation is checking for changes in the

agenda/schedule, and organizing one’s documents. This minor point has led to many an

embarrassing – and avoidable – slip up. If parallel texts are being discussed (e.g. in a

drafting group), one will want to have both (or all) copies at hand.

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During the conference the interpreter will be monitoring various elements and making

adjustments: terminology, positions of delegations, the proper names of people referred

to often, ways of speaking about the subject, etc. In a sense, this is a continuation of the

advance preparation, but some expert advice here and there may be appropriate, e.g.

effective note-taking techniques, how to avoid pronunciation problems for difficult terms

(names of drugs, for instance), etc. In some conferences copies of speeches will be

arriving in the booth and will need to be prepared. As much as anything, an awareness

that one continues to prepare even in situ may help the student interpreter understand

the conference situation and adopt appropriate strategies.

6. Preparation Resources

The Internet has certainly changed how we prepare for conferences. Today it is much

easier to obtain conference papers as organizations often post them on their websites.

While conference documents are widely and rightly viewed as being the best source for

information and in fact are an excellent resource for generating glossaries (especially

when the documents are available in all the working languages), we may want to take a

more inclusive view when teaching CP. General sources of information such as

encyclopedias may be appropriate for a quick overview of a field that is new ground for

an interpreter. Monolingual dictionaries will also provide invaluable aid in highly technical

fields, and all the more so when similar dictionaries exist in several languages. Exhibits

associated with a conference, especially when they open before the meeting itself, will

also afford a chance to learn more of what is about to come our way.

Students are apt to learn much about such sources in their interpreting classes, which

will not be devoid of information on resources and chances to use them. The teacher

who undertakes to design a short course in conference preparation may wish to take

past lessons into consideration and evaluate how much should be reviewed and what

needs to be introduced. If students are not already conversant in the best methods of

searching for information on the Internet, generating glossaries and managing

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terminology, a module covering such matters could be added. But if such questions

have been covered, time may be better spent on organization of information and

preparation strategies.

Lastly we should not fail to mention human resources. There may indeed be times that

an interpreter has access to someone with knowledge of the field in which he is about to

work. Guidance about essential concepts and even terminology may be obtained in this

way, although I would add that it is up to the interpreter to sieve such information

through his own specialized knowledge and use what he finds most relevant.

7. A short course on conference preparation

The course outlined below would be for advanced students (e.g. in a 2-year post-

graduate course, students at the end of the 3rd or beginning of the 4th semester). The

objectives of the course are:

• To introduce a broad approach to conference preparation

• To give students an opportunity to apply this approach in a specific context

• To help students examine background material and identify what may be

most useful to them in preparing

• To introduce ways for students to identify points of debate and positions on

issues, and to anticipate meeting dynamics

• To give students the opportunity to test their preparation in a simulated

conference session

The outline presented here should be taken as a model framework put forward to

illustrate the ideas introduced in this paper. Indeed, it would be possible to imagine

variations of a CP class being offered at different points of students’ training and on

different subjects. For example, a general introduction to CP using a general topic may

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be appropriate for intermediate students, with a module based on a technical conference

offered the following semester to build on the skills acquired. A training program with a

high percentage of students geared to work in international organizations might consider

a module geared specifically to the daily work done in one or more such organizations.

A school in a western country where medical conferences abound might add new

elements, such as a review of Latin and Greek suffixes and prefixes. This simply goes to

emphasis that the course I shall describe is not being put forward as a sole model but

rather as a paradigm.

Although not strictly necessary, I prefer to organize a course of this kind using a

conference I have actually worked in. Having prepared for the assignment myself, I’ll be

familiar with the resources available, I’ll have experienced the dynamics of the actual

meeting, and I’ll have returned with further resources that can be used for the advanced

preparation and/or for the simulated session (opening speeches, conference room

documents, power point presentations, etc.). Here I will illustrate the course with one

such recent assignment: The 5th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Ad Hoc Task Force

on Foods Derived from Biotechnologyi.

While this conference can be classified as a technical meeting, discourse and interaction

between participants are more typical of a political meeting or a general seminar (direct

discussion, divergent points of view), and the level of technical difficulty is not as great

as the group’s name would suggest. Specialized terminology will include a limited

number of scientific, procedural and organizational terms (e.g. the names of other

Codex Committees). The objective of the meeting is clear: it has been convened to

discuss what topics should be taken up for consideration over the next four years. (This

Ad Hoc TF had completed its work in 2003; a year later it was reconstituted and this is

the first meeting of its second phase.) I believe that the technical subject matter being

discussed in a general policy-oriented fashion will prove accessible to students while

presenting them with the challenge of new concepts, terms and meeting dynamics.

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The Codex Alimentarius websiteii provides a wealth of documents in English, Spanish

and French, including reports of previous meetingsiii, which will provide students with the

historical and background information referred to in this paper. The documentation for

the 5th Session includes background papers drafted by the organization and comments

sent in by countries and NGOs. Students will have access to all the documentation that

was available to interpreters working in the actual meeting, either through active web

pages or paper copies. Opening speeches and Conference Room Documents (CRDs)

collected at the meeting will be reserved for the simulated session.

7.1 Course Structure

A short course of 3 classes is proposed. The first class will introduce the concept of

conference environments, the various facets of CP, and the exercises to be assigned for

the rest of the course. The second class will be dedicated to review of and feedback on

the preparation exercises. The final class will be a simulated conference session with

students as the interpreters, with time reserved for feedback from both teachers and

students.

7.1.1 Class 1

Duration: 90 minutes

Objectives:

• To introduce active conference preparation

• To introduce the concept of meeting environments and identify ways to

anticipate the dynamics of a meeting

• To review ways to use documentation

• To assign exercises

First of all the course itself will be outlined much as it is in section 7.1 so that students

will have an overview of the sequence of classes and what is expected of them.

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Before coming to the first class students will have been asked to read Gile’s article

(1989) “Les flux d’informations dans les réunions interlinguistiques et l’interprétation de

conférence: premières observations.” That piece will lead us into a discussion of the

various types of meetings therein defined (summarized in section 4.1 above), with

attention to differences among them and what they imply for meeting dynamics. The

students will be asked to offer examples to illustrate points made. During this discussion

questions will be posed on implications for preparation and available resources,

including both background and terminological resources.

Next the 5th session of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Foods Derived from Biotechnology will

be introduced as our “conference”. A short overview will include when the TF was

established (2000), how many previous meetings it has had (4), what documentation is

available and where it can be found. Students will be told that the general purpose of the

exercise is to prepare for a simulated session of the meeting, but that at the same time

we want to create awareness of the CP process. They will then be given the following

assignment:

1. Prepare a brief explanation of what Codex is

2. Identify the participants in this meeting and define the type of meeting you expect

this will be using the classification we reviewed

3. Describe the meeting dynamics you would expect given the information available

to you (i.e. will this meeting be characterized by master presentations by a few

participants, by question and answer sessions, by debate, etc.)

4. Identify the goal(s) of the meeting

5. Try to identify any significant differences in positions that could be expected (i.e.

are there controversial questions in play)

6. Make a short list of key terms that for you sum up the meeting

7. Make a short bilingual or multilingual glossary limited to 20 terms

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8. Identify a concept you found difficult to understand and explain how you

approached the problem

Students learn from each other and groups will be formed (depending on class size

these groups will range in size from 2-4). Students will be asked to keep individual

journals for the duration of the course, noting down information relevant to specific

questions posed and anything else they consider relevant to their CP process. Each

group will be asked to prepare items 6 and 7 in written form for presentation; the rest of

the items will be for in-class discussion. The class will end with questions from students

to make sure that all aspects of the assignment are understood.

7.1.2 Class 2

Duration: 90 minutes

Objective:

• Review the assignment and provide feedback

• Orient student preparation to the conference session

This class will be dedicated to a review of the exercises through open discussion. We

will go over the assigned items one by one, and groups will be asked to report on their

conclusions. The process of finding answers and an awareness of CP elements will be

stressed throughout the class.

Discussion can begin with information from the students on Codex, and go on to

examining the type of meeting we have before us, who the participants are (in this case

delegates representing countries, international organizations and NGOs, rather than

persons acting in an individual capacity), and any implications for meeting dynamics.

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We would then take a look at the agenda, asking students what they would expect under

each point (e.g. more formal speeches in the opening/more interactive discussion

elsewhere) and if they identified the main item of discussion (in addition to procedural

points such as “Adoption of the Agenda,” there are only 3 other items on the agenda.

The first two would seem to be potentially difficult, but a reading of a report of any past

meeting will show that they are “points of information” that are not discussed in any

detail). The point to be made is that an agenda, and especially an annotated agenda, is

a valuable tool, all the more so when it can be compared to reports of previous

meetings. As comprehension grows in regard to what each agenda item encompasses,

a sharper image or mental map of the meeting takes shape.

The goal of this meeting is quite clear (to set the agenda for future discussions/tasks)

and students should identify it quite easily. At this point they should also come to realize

that all substantial discussion will come under a single point of the agenda (item 4).

They will, however, be questioned about the “Project Documents” (annexed to document

4) that lay out more specific proposals for work put forward by specific participants (e.g.

did they notice them? Did that help them understand positions and priorities? Did it

make them suspect there might be a drafting exercise or side discussions?).

The same document contains statements by countries. We can refer to it to ask about

controversial matters and/or differences of opinion. Students can also be asked if these

differences were expected or not (e.g. certain differences in approach to these matters

between the US and the EU are well known and could be anticipated. Such mental links

to general knowledge contribute to comprehension by putting the meeting in context.).

We can proceed to key terms and glossaries. A list of key terms can provide a handy

review to activate memory before starting work, and the more complete the interpreter’s

mental image, the more such a list can evoke. We can review key words chosen and

why they were chosen (it may be interesting to see if key words were selected to

represent all aspects of the conference, what students thought most difficult, etc.). If

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appropriate, we may get into a discussion of the images and relationships evinced by

various key words. Discussion of glossaries could center on how students went about

generating them (use of parallel documents? Other sources?), and what they included in

them (only the technical terms they were not familiar with? Useful acronyms? Terms

they know they sometimes stumble over?). The various groups will be asked to

elaborate on the criteria they used in selecting the 20 terms allowed. This could lead into

a brief consideration of adapting a glossary to one’s own way of learning. And lastly, we

might invite students to take a minute to think about differences/similarities between a

list of key words and a glossary (i.e. do they serve different purposes? What are those

purposes?).

While discussing terminology we can bring in the question of conceptual difficulties. We

may ask if anyone included a concept he found difficult to understand among the key

words, and if so, why. We might also inquire about how they resolved any difficulty in

grasping concepts and to what extent their terminological work contributed to greater

understanding.

At the end of the class, the students will be asked to take into account our discussions

when fine-tuning their preparation for the simulated conference. They will be allowed to

expand their glossaries and notes in any way they wish. They will be informed that our 2

- 2.5 hour conference session will follow the agenda, and that they will be provided with

further documentation during the meeting (opening speeches, CRDs).

7.1.3 Class 3

Duration: 3 hours

Objectives:

• To present students with a realistic conference session

• To provide feedback to students

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• To give students a chance to give feedback and evaluate their work

As mentioned above, the session should be as realistic as possible. The meeting will

start out with opening speeches (3 are available) and then go into the agenda. “Notes

for the Chair” are available, and will serve as preparation for the person acting as chair

in the simulated session. They will also be distributed to the booths before our session

starts as they were in the actual meeting. Teachers (or others) playing the role of

delegates will be able to use the main document and the conference room documents to

prepare realistic interventions. CRDs will be distributed to the booths on an ongoing

basis as they were during the actual meeting. The influx of new documents and ongoing

reference from the floor to documents will present an interesting challenge to students,

perhaps spurring reflection on in-booth organization as well as on ability to anticipate

which documents would result most necessary or need further preparation (see Section

5 above).

We will not be able to cover a 3-day conference in 2 hours, but we will be able to touch

on key elements. We would have one or two specific proposals put forward, with

reference to one of the Project Documents previously mentioned. Also, one or two

controversial points will be introduced and debated (in the actual meeting, many

delegations wanted to include environmental risks and ethics as related to recombinant

DNA animals in future discussions, while other insisted on strictly limiting discussion to

food safety issues).

Time will be reserved for feedback and open discussion. Students will be asked how

preparation did or did not help their performance and be encouraged to ask about any

points that still remain unclear. They may also be asked how they distributed work in the

booth and handled new documentation coming to them. In the discussion they should be

invited to offer any suggestions for future courses of this kind.

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8. Final Considerations

As mentioned above, the CP course presented here is a framework that lends itself to

variations. It would be of interest to examine possibilities not just in regard to subject

matter, but also to meeting dynamics. I have chosen a conference marked by

discussion, which presents certain kinds of situations to students. A conference

composed of “master lectures” or a television debate would present other, equally useful

situations.

It may also be interesting to incorporate online learning into this course. The questions

posed for discussion in Class 2 would lend themselves to this, and more background

reading than the one article mentioned above is available. It is possible to imagine a

blended course with an initial online section that includes reading assignments,

discussion in a forum, collaborative group assignments along the lines of those

mentioned in this paper, mid-point and/or summing-up/feedback discussions in a

chatroom, etc. An online community of learners, in which students and teachers can

learn from each other as they explore ideas, would fit nicely into the beginning of this

course, and may indeed be an excellent way to expand the first segment of this course

without the limitations of having to find free periods convenient to busy students and

teachers.

This short course aims to broaden students’ understanding of what goes on in

multilingual meetings and expand their preparation strategies. By examining the

conference environment and meeting dynamics with the use of an example based on an

actual meeting, it aims to facilitate students’ transition to the world of work.

i A complete set of documents in English is annexed to this paper. ii www.codexalimentarius.com iii http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/archives.jsp?year=03

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