The transition from consecutive to simultaneous interpretation: varying approaches to curriculum design in Slovakia

Pavol Šveda

Abstract: The transition from consecutive to simultaneous interpretation is a very sensitive part of the training process of future interpreters. When looking at the different educational schemes of four Slovak universities, we examined their organisational approaches as well as their allocation of time and teaching staff to the two interpretation disciplines with a particular focus on the transition from consecutive to simultaneous interpretation. Through a questionnaire we identified some discrepancies in the curricula of some of the universities and at the level of the Accreditation Committee’s Programme Description, which determines the content of higher educational programmes in the field of Translation and Interpretation Studies. On the other hand, our brief research also identified some positive and promising trends and outlines areas for future research.

Keywords: curriculum design, simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting, quality, consecutive skills

1. Key Questions and Objectives

Being a very small country, the Slovak Republic has a growing number of Translation and Interpretation Studies programmes and equally a growing number of enrolled students. As of 2015 there were five universities offering Translation and Interpretation (T&I) study programmes, which in the Slovak context combine the preparation of future translators and interpreters within one study programme. The following universities offer T&I study programmes at both Bachelor’s and Master’s level (the number of students enrolled in the final year of the MA programmes in 2015 is given in brackets): Comenius University (61), Matej Bel University (56), the University of Presov (26), Constantine the Philosopher University (40) and Pavol Jozef Safarik University (6).

As each of the study programmes has a different layout and approaches the training of future translators and interpreters from a different angle, we decided to use this as study material which should enable us to compare and briefly analyse different strategies and concepts adopted in the educational process. The second reason why the Slovak context is particularly interesting is the fact that all universities offering T&I study programmes need to follow the basic Programme Description defined by the Accreditation Commission of the Ministry of Education. This outline defines the study programme which combines translation and interpretation studies (separate study programmes focusing solely on translation or interpretation are not possible in the current conditions). However, the application of this outline is arbitrary and, in certain cases, very different. This leads to even more pronounced differences between different study programmes.

In this paper we decided to take a closer look at the basic organisation of the interpretation part of the T&I study programmes at four universities (Comenius University, Matej Bel University, Constantine the Philosopher University and the University of Presov) which provided us with information and data, and analyse the educational aspects of the transition between consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. The process of transition between consecutive and simultaneous interpretation is very interesting for us from both the practical teaching perspective and from the point of view of general programme organisation and the sharing of best practice. As Gile states, “The transition from consecutive to simultaneous is a sensitive and critical one” [CITATION Dan05 \t \l 1033 ]. For these reasons, we have formulated the following research questions:

• How is the transition process from consecutive to simultaneous interpretation covered in the curricula of Slovak universities in terms of organisation and staff allocation?

• Is consecutive interpretation taught in parallel with simultaneous interpretation in the training process?

• How are consecutive skills further developed after the start of simultaneous interpretation?

We believe that the large diversity in approaches which need to fall within one general programme outline gives us a rather unique opportunity to compare and analyse differences and perhaps, in the future, look for a recommendable solution based on existing best practice which would combine the most effective methods and strategies in curriculum organisation and reflect the overarching general programme description.

2. Theoretical Concepts

   1. Literature overview

Some of the most influential authors (Seleskovitch and Lederer 1995, Jones 2011, Sawyer 2004) agree on the basic layout of the training programme for future interpreters. The basic logic of this traditional approach seems to be defined by Selekovitch and Lederer: “Consecutive is the first step in interpretation, and simultaneous training should not begin until the teacher is sure that the students have mastered the interpreting techniques acquired for consecutive interpretation” (Seleskovitch and Lederer 1995, 104). This traditional approach places consecutive before simultaneous mainly because of the higher complexity of simultaneous interpretation and because it prioritises simultaneous interpretation in practical usage:

Consecutive interpretation is taught before simultaneous because it is a good preparation. The proportions of a training program devoted to teaching each mode does not really reflect professional reality, since the greatest demand is unquestionably for simultaneous. Consecutive makes it possible to break down the interpretation process into the various component tasks which in simultaneous must be performed concurrently. (Seleskovitch and Lederer 1995: 110)

We may only add that this perspective is quite typical for French-speaking authors and has been taken over by European institutions due to their natural interest in simultaneous interpretation. The reality for smaller languages (such as Slovak or Czech) is slightly different, and the demand for consecutive interpretation is higher for cultural as well as practical reasons. Nevertheless, returning back to the general concept that consecutive precedes simultaneous in the training process, Sawyer very interestingly notes that:

There are little empirical data on whether translation ability, or basic competence in consecutive interpreting, should be required at specific points in the curriculum progression or whether translation ability should be a prerequisite for consecutive course work, which in turn would be a prerequisite for classes in simultaneous interpreting. (Sawyer 2004: 65)

Indeed, it seems to have been mainly the long-term experience of interpreter trainers which has determined the most standard method and curriculum for interpreter education: placing consecutive before simultaneous interpreting. The linearity of individual processes and tasks in consecutive interpreting as opposed to parallelism in simultaneous interpreting naturally defined consecutive as a precondition to simultaneous. In the Slovak context, the sequential model has been the generally accepted norm since the early 1990s and the establishment of the current form of T&I study programmes. The question of sequential/parallel consecutive and simultaneous interpretation training is also inevitably translated into the practical implications on curriculum design. Should the disciplines be taught in parallel? Is any transitory course necessary? What portion of time should be dedicated to the further development of consecutive skills once simultaneous is started?

Firstly, when comparing our combined BA and MA T&I programmes with the programmes of member universities in the European Master of Conference Interpreting (EMCI) Consortium, all of the EMCI programmes are designed as two year post-graduate programmes. Sawyer also proposes his curriculum models for intensive two-year programmes [ CITATION Saw04 \l 1033 ]. Similarly, Seleskovitch and Lederer (1995), and Gile (2005, 2009), presuppose that interpreter training programmes have two years in length and in certain cases of intensive training can be modified to single-year programmes. Gile, Seleskovitch and Lederer also assume that in a certain phase of the training process, consecutive interpretation training progresses to simultaneous. Nevertheless, in order to maintain and further develop the specific skills for consecutive interpretation and facilitate the acquisition of simultaneous skills, some consecutive exercises are done in parallel to simultaneous training (Seleskovitch and Lederer 1995: 140–141). A strong emphasis is also given to the continuity and fluency in the transition from consecutive into simultaneous (ibid.). Quite logically, skills connected with textual analysis, short-term memory, the sequencing of information and the logical reconstruction of the informational content in the target language need to be maintained and readjusted to the simultaneous process.

In his major work on curriculum design, Sawyer (2004) slightly deviates from this approach by proposing a full parallelism between simultaneous and consecutive. In his case study of two master’s programmes at the Graduate School of Translation and Interpretation (Monterrey), which combine translation and interpretation studies (Master of Arts in Translation and Interpretation – MATI) or focus only on conference interpreting (Master of Arts in Conference Interpreting), consecutive interpretation training after the first semester is complemented by simultaneous interpretation, and both disciplines are taught in parallel throughout the whole length of the programme (Sawyer 2004: 147–156) with the same class hours allocated to them.

1. 2. The Slovak context

The situation in Central Europe is historically different. The main differences stem from different historical development and the traditionally different organisation of university education, which in post-communist countries meant five-year study programmes equivalent to an MA which were later divided into BA and MA study programmes. Another field-specific tradition is the combination of translation and interpretation studies within one study programme. These specificities remained even after the adjustment to the Bologna Process. As a result, today in Slovakia we have one study programme called Translation and Interpretation Studies divided into a Bachelor’s degree (three years), a Master’s degree (two years) and a Doctoral degree. The key educational objectives as well as basic curricular content are defined by the Programme Description (see Akreditačná komisia 2002), which is binding and is the prerequisite for the accreditation of the given programmes.

According to the Programme Description, a graduate of the Bachelor’s programme in T&I studies should, among other things, “have a perfect command of all processes, skills and strategies of literary and technical translation as well as of consecutive and simultaneous interpretation” [ CITATION Akr15 \l 1051 ]. The description of the key competences for the Bachelor’s programme (ibid.), however, lists only consecutive interpretation. In the case of the Master’s programme, the same sentence reappears in the definition of the graduate profile with the adjective “perfect” at the beginning of the sentence; in this case, simultaneous interpretation is listed among the key competences together with consecutive (ibid.). The document does mention certain specific skills (e. g. note-taking techniques, attention splitting and memory skills), but, for example, does not mention the directionality of interpretation between the mother tongue and foreign languages.

In general, the Programme Description is rather general; it provides very broad definitions and outlines, but at the level of details it contains some contradictions and leaves a wide space for interpretation and differences in application, which is demonstrated by the high level of differences between T&I programmes at different universities.

3. Summary of Findings

   1. Data collection method

For the purposes of this paper, we collected data through questionnaires submitted to faculty members and heads of translation studies departments at four Slovak universities in 2014. We examined study programmes where translation and interpretation studies are taught in English and one additional foreign language. According to the Programme Description of the Translation and Interpretation study programme, both of these languages are given the same amount of courses and are taught at B1 and B2 level into and from Slovak (A). However, in order to maintain comparability we only looked at the part of the curriculum dedicated to interpretation from and into English and Slovak.

After comparing the overall organisation of the study programme from the perspective of practical interpretation courses, we focused on the distribution of consecutive/simultaneous interpretation courses, the time devoted to each discipline and possible overlaps between them. The main objective was to compare the different models which exist within the same general framework and look for best practices and inspirational approaches. Secondly, we enquired whether there was any specialisation or profiling in consecutive/simultaneous interpretation on the part of teachers and whether there was any specific transitional course between consecutive and simultaneous.

1. 2. The University of Presov

The University of Presov has a rather small programme in terms of language combinations and the number of students. This programme is also one of the youngest in Slovakia. Practical courses in interpretation are taught only in winter semesters, which means that the spring semesters are without practical interpretation classes in English. The University of Presov only has one teacher for practical interpretation classes, who teaches both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting in English as well as other translation-focused courses. This limited capacity was one of the explanations for the specific distribution of interpretation classes. The University of Presov does not offer any transitional course when consecutive is replaced by simultaneous interpreting in its curriculum.

Table 1: Practical Interpretation Courses – University of Presov

Consecutive interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
		135 min		135 min
Simultaneous interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
						135 min

1. 3. Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica

For several years Banska Bystrica has been the leader in innovation and the implementation of new approaches in the field of translation and interpretation studies, and therefore we were very interested in learning about their programme. It is quite clear that in terms of the total number of courses dedicated to practical interpretation, Matej Bel University is the leader. It is also the only university which offers parallel courses in consecutive and simultaneous training. The programme’s Introduction into Consecutive Interpreting is followed by a similar introductory course on simultaneous interpretation, and consecutive is taught in parallel with simultaneous over the rest of the programme. We would also like to underline that the Bachelor’s part of the programme offers only introductory courses and forms a theoretical basis for the Master’s programme, which is heavily focused on practical application and training. Three teachers teach both consecutive and simultaneous courses, and, if possible, they try to maintain continuity, meaning one teacher is assigned to one study group over several semesters. Matej Bel University also has a specific introductory course which in the first semester lays the basis for consecutive technique and in the second semester adapts these skills to the simultaneous technique. We find such an introductory course to be an interesting example of synergising and using the potential of the consecutive skills in the simultaneous environment.

Table 2: Practical Interpretation Courses – Matej Bel University

Consecutive interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
		40 min		80 min	80 min	100 min	80 min
Simultaneous interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
			40 min	80 min	80 min	100 min

1. 4. Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra

Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra has a slightly smaller range of language combinations when compared with other universities, where English is the dominant language alongside German and Russian. There is slightly more time devoted to consecutive training, which is replaced by simultaneous in the middle of the fourth year. One group of students is taught by the same teacher throughout their whole practical interpretation training. Obligatory practical classes are complemented by optional courses which combine simultaneous and consecutive interpreting in the Master’s part of the programme. However, there is no mandatory transitional course between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting.

Table 3: Practical Interpretation Courses – Constantine the Philosopher University

Consecutive interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
		80 min	80 min	80 min
Simultaneous interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
					80 min	80 min

1. 5. Comenius University in Bratislava

The longest tradition in T&I studies is at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava, which is the author’s employer and place of work. English is the dominant language and the vast majority of bilingual T&I programmes are offered in combination with the English language. Due to the high number of language combinations and demands on the organisation of studies, there is no long-term link between interpretation teachers and student study groups. Teachers teach both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation courses. The distribution of students among teachers is arbitrary, although students do have a limited possibility to choose their teacher. There is no transitional course or any methodological instruction for the transition between simultaneous and consecutive, which are separated in the organisation of the curriculum. Consecutive training is almost exclusively in the Bachelor’s programme and simultaneous is in the Master’s programme with a one-semester gap.

Table 4: Practical Interpretation Courses – Comenius University

Consecutive interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
	40 min	80 min	80 min
Simultaneous interpretation courses – obligatory courses minutes/week
2nd Winter	2nd Summer	3rd Winter	3rd Summer	4th Winter	4th Summer	5th Winter	5th Summer
					80 min	80 min

1. 6. State exams

As the Programme Description for Translation and Interpretation Studies outlines the content of the state examination process which concludes each degree of studies (conf. Akreditačná komisia 2002), we were interested in finding out whether and how practical interpretation skills are tested at the end of the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. The framework document states that the state examination should test “translation and interpretation competences” (ibid.). Although consecutive interpretation skills are mentioned as a part of the core educational objectives in the Bachelor’s programme, none of the universities include it in the state examination which concludes that programme. In the case of the Master’s programme, only two universities have made it a part of the state examination and all four universities test simultaneous at the final examination of the Master’s programme.

Table 5: State exams and personal situation

	Average number of students in one class (both MA and BA)	Number of teachers for practical interpreting classes in English	Is the teacher the same for consecutive/simultaneous courses?	Is consecutive part of the state exam?	Is simultaneous part of the state exam?
University of Presov	15	1	Yes	No	Yes (MA)
Matej Bel University	90/45	3	Yes, if possible	Yes (MA)	Yes (MA)
Constantine the Philosopher University	45	2	Yes, if possible	Yes (MA)	Yes (MA)
Comenius University	80/50	3	No	No	Yes (MA)

1. 7. Comparison of student performance

In order to fully compare the performance of the individual curricula and university approaches, a more detailed study focusing on performance of students under identical conditions in both consecutive and simultaneous would be needed. At the moment we can only compare the results obtained in some recent Master’s theses which have compared the performance of students from a number of Slovak universities. The most relevant recent work was a diploma thesis by Lucia Kopacikova from Comenius University. In her work, Kopacikova compared the transcripts of simultaneous interpreting of identical speeches by students in the final year of the Master’s programme at Comenius University and at Matej Bel University. Her analysis indicated the better performance of students from Matej Bel University in terms of content and the acquisition of coping strategies. She linked this better performance to the higher number of practical classes and compulsory practical experience off-campus [ CITATION Luc14 \l 1033 ]. This research is valid for simultaneous interpretation only, and for the purposes of our study a thorough comparison of consecutive skills, specifically at the end of studies, would be needed.

The second set of data that might be used to compare the performance and results of different T&I programmes is the number of graduates who have been successfully accredited as conference interpreters for European institutions. The accreditation tests are interesting mainly because of their high level of difficulty and the fact that they include both simultaneous and consecutive interpretation. These data are, however, not fully representative as the success rate in institutional accreditation depends not only on the individual skills of candidates but also on their language combination and already acquired practical experience. An important role in this process is also played by the European Master Course in Conference Interpreting, a post-graduate course which is opened once every two or three years at Comenius University in Bratislava. Although it is open to graduates of all Slovak and Czech universities, and applicants are chosen through an aptitude test, the majority of participants tend to be from Comenius University. The following table summarises the number of graduates from individual T&I studies programmes who have been successfully accredited as conference interpreters for European institutions in the period from 2004 to 2014 before reaching the age of 30; the number of applicants is given in brackets.

Table 6: T&I studies graduates accredited (number of applicants) as conference interpreters for the EU, 2004–2014

University of Presov	1 (1)
Matej Bel University	2 (7)
Constantine the Philosopher University	2 (6)
Comenius University	15 (26)

The last factor that needs to be taken into consideration when comparing the students’ results and performance is the aptitude testing and entry exams. Only Comenius University has consistently had more applicants for studies than the number of available places in the T&I studies programmes over the last ten years and has therefore selected its future students in an entrance examination. These exams are focused on practical and theoretical language skills, general knowledge and English literature and do not include any testing of aptitude for interpreting. To a certain degree, however, they may influence the future performance of these students (Šveda and Poláček 2015). The other universities have no entry exams (Constantine the Philosopher University) or organise entrance exams with the vast majority of applicants being generally accepted (Matej Bel University and the University of Presov). The current focus and content of these exams at all universities, however, is such that they do not serve as an aptitude test for assessing the crucial skills for translators and interpreters; rather, they can be classified as general overview tests and language tests (Šveda and Poláček 2015).

4. Conclusions

Looking at the programme summaries of the four selected universities, we can see some general lines of similarity but also some dramatic differences. First of all, it seems that the legislative background and Programme Description are rather vague and inconsistent. None of the T&I programmes fully meet the criteria of the Programme Description (e.g. a test of interpretation skills at Bachelor’s level), but, as we have illustrated earlier, the ambiguity of the texts leaves a lot of space for interpretation. This is positive on one hand as it gives each university sufficient space for creativity and the application of its own designs and schemes; on the other hand, the low level of comparability and high discrepancies between study programmes might cause difficulties: e.g. in the frequent cases of student mobility when students change universities after the completion of their Bachelor’s degree. For example, if someone was to transfer from Matej Bel University to Comenius University for the Master’s programme, he would finish his studies without having any intensive consecutive courses at all, given that Comenius University only has mandatory consecutive courses in the BA programme and Matej Bel University in the MA programme.

In terms of general trends in curriculum organisation, we can see that three universities maintain a traditional approach to teaching interpretation by following consecutive with simultaneous interpretation (Comenius University, Constantine the Philosopher University and the University of Presov), whereas Matej Bel University has adopted a parallel training model very similar to the model of David B. Sawyer (Sawyer, 2004). Matej Bel University is also the only university which has a transitional course, albeit a theoretical one. This course combines an early introduction to consecutive interpreting with one for simultaneous and focuses on the textual analysis of oral discourse and memory exercises. Matej Bel University also has the highest total amount of teaching time devoted to obligatory practical interpretation courses. A detailed comparison of student performance within these two models is a topic for further research with a special focus on performance in consecutive and simultaneous disciplines at the end of the programme. The accreditation tests for EU institutions are dominated by T&I studies graduates from Comenius University. However, this may be influenced by the fact that Comenius University selects students from the largest pool of applicants and that it organises a post-gradual training programme specifically designed to train applicants for EU institutions.

As far as the transition process between consecutive and simultaneous is concerned, little is done in this field to overcome barriers and assist students in this modal shift. Some universities even leave out whole semesters of practical interpreting courses (the University of Presov, Comenius University) between consecutive and simultaneous, which can significantly influence the transition from one discipline to the other. Much of this is owed to the difficult management of a large number of students with a high number of different language combinations and other limitations stemming from the practical spatial and capacity difficulties that Slovak universities struggle with. We believe that much more can be done to streamline and improve the system even within the current boundaries: e.g. by offering more practical courses, enabling the profiling of students in translation or interpreting by means of selective courses and offering more opportunities to acquire practical skills off-campus.

To conclude, we may say that we have struggled to find many positive and practical solutions which would assist students and trainers in overcoming the difficult modal shift from consecutive to simultaneous interpretation. It seems that the majority of Slovak T&I study programmes continue to apply the customary approach to teaching and training without looking for possible synergies and improvements. There are some positive and promising alternative programmes (Matej Bel University) which apply a parallel training process to simultaneous and consecutive, and a comparison of this model with the traditional one remains to be mapped and researched.

References:

Akreditačná komisia. “Sústava študijných odborov.” 16 12 2002. http://www.akredkom.sk/isac/public/odbory/2/2.1/2.1.35.doc (accessed 12 20, 2015).

Gile, Daniel. Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training. John Benjamins B. V., 2009.

Gile, Daniel. “Teaching Conference Interpreting.” In Training for the New Millenium, by Martha Tennent, 127 – 152. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins B. V., 2005.

Kopacikova, Lucia. The Interpreter’s Intervention Limits in Simultaneous Interpreting . Comenius University in Bratislava : Diploma Thesis, 2014.

Sawyer, David B. “Fundamental Aspects of Interpreter Education.” John Benjamins B. V., 2004.

Seleskovitch, Daniela, and Marianne Lederer. A Systematic Approach to Teaching Interpretation. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, 1995.

Šveda, Pavol, and Ivo Poláček. “Trendy v posudzovaní talentových predpokladov pre štúdium tlmočenia.” Tlmočenie v interdisciplinárnej perspektíve so zameraním na osobnostné charakteristiky a kognitívne aspekty. Banská Bystrica: Belianum, 2015. 60 – 70.