Don Q Fan Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Did anyone attend the BA evening with Osipova - if so is it possible to give a resume of what she was asked or talked about for those of us who do not live in London? Would be ever so interested and grateful to hear! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 Reports of Ballet Association meetings appear on their website (which I run). It usually takes some time… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 It was one of those occasions when the services of someone who came along to act as an interpreter provided those that attended with edited highlights of the guest's responses rather than a word for word translation.As reports of the meetings are sent to the interviewee for approval before they are published it is quite possible that the published report will tell us more than the interview did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 That will presumably depend on whether someone translates what Osipova said, or types down the intepreter's words. Do you speak Russian then, FLOSS? I have a feeling there is quite a large ... contraction factor, shall we call it? between Russian and English. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLOSS Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Unfortunately I don't speak Russian. But I recognised several borrowed words that did not find their way into the translation. I have extensive experience of working with interpreters across a wide range of languages in a job where it is essential that you have a verbatim translation.You know after a minute or so of testimony whether you are being given a witness's own account in their own words or whether you are getting edited highlights.In real life it is as obvious as it is in the cinema with a subtitled foreign language film when a long section of animated dialogue is translated by one word. I did not intend to go into so much detail but I now think that I should. I do not want anyone to think that I was expecting simultaneous translation. I was not.No one suggested that the lady who translated was a professional interpreter.This is not a criticism of her efforts. It is a comment on my experience of interviews conducted with guests whose first language is not English where an interpreter is used.The two that spring to mind are an interview with Madame Legat where the interpreter and the interviewee had what appeared to be a very interesting and animated conversation of which the audience was granted a few crumbs and the Osipova interview which, while it was not quite as bad, was far from perfect. In my experience failures in translation at this sort of meeting arise, just as they do in the courtroom, because no one has told the individual who is to interpret what the function of an interpreter is. This is true whether you are working with someone who is trying to help or a Ministry of Justice approved interpreter. Unless the interpreter understands that they are merely a mouthpiece for the person who requires their assistance and that they should translate word for word you will at best get a third party account and at worst get edited highlights consisting of what the interpreter considers to be important and what they can remember of what was said. What I found less than satisfactory was that while Osipova was clearly giving a lengthy animated account of herself we were given a severely edited account of what she said. In the end it is the responsibility of the person who organises the meeting to ensure that those who attend such a meeting as an interpreter understand what their function is going to be.It is the responsibility of the interviewer to ensure, ideally by a pre-talk chat, that the interviewee and interpreter understand how the interview will be conducted and that both know that if necessary the interviewee will be stopped in mid flow so that the interpreter can catch up.It really is not rocket science.If and when such an interview goes wrong it is the interviewer who has failed not the interpreter. My comments about getting a fuller account is more of a hope than anything. Quite simply interviewees are sent a copy of the report of the meeting so that they can approve its contents.I have no doubt that this usually means editing out rather than adding things.But with any luck Osipova will have time to read the report and decide to put some of the detail back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Reports of Ballet Association meetings appear on their website (which I run). It usually takes some time… Many thanks...will read with interest when available! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 In my experience failures in translation at this sort of meeting arise, just as they do in the courtroom, because no one has told the individual who is to interpret what the function of an interpreter is. This is true whether you are working with someone who is trying to help or a Ministry of Justice approved interpreter. Unless the interpreter understands that they are merely a mouthpiece for the person who requires their assistance and that they should translate word for word you will at best get a third party account and at worst get edited highlights consisting of what the interpreter considers to be important and what they can remember of what was said. Thank you, FLOSS. Anyone who is an experienced/qualified legal interpreter will automatically understand that, of course. I'm just not sure there are many of those left now the MoJ has hived the "service" off to the private sector (and probably cheapest bidder), with disastrous results for those being interpreted, and the whole legal system, for that matter , but don't let's get started down that road, or I shall get really irate. I thought she did well under the circumstances, actually - she kept it in the first person all the way through apart from a couple of times when I think she said "Natalia" for clarification, which I don't think a lot of people know to do - but obviously what I can't tell is whether she transmitted everything that was said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 I notice the report is now out: http://www.balletassociation.co.uk/Reports/2015/Osipova15.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Thanks Alison...a very interesting read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 (edited) Was not planning to do this, but reading the report I think I will just have to go and see her R&J with Vadim in the Autumn season, damn Edited May 27, 2015 by SPD444 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Was not planning to do this, but reading the report I think I will just have to go and see her R&J with Vadim in the Autumn season, damn Why "damn" SPD444? Their R&Js are surely the hot tickets of the autumn - alongside Frankie's and Yasmine/Matthew's, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Why "damn" SPD444? Their R&Js are surely the hot tickets of the autumn - alongside Frankie's and Yasmine/Matthew's, of course. On cost grounds I would think!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPD444 Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Just thinking of my bank account!!!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Their R&Js are surely the hot tickets of the autumn - alongside Frankie's and Yasmine/Matthew's, of course. With all due respect to the debutants, I doubt that their performances would be rated as "hot tickets" except among balletomanes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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