2. History of translation History of theory

Practical Suggestions. Note-taking is, among other things, a mechanical exercise, and a number of practical suggestions are needed.
• Interpreters must take notes quickly and write on something convenient and easy to handle. A 15cm-20cm stenographer's note-pad is recommended, and loose sheets should definitely be avoided.
• Interpreters should write only on one side of the sheets, and these must be clipped at the top, so that they can be turned quickly and easily. The best thing to be used when writing is still the good old lead pencil. It is fundamental that the notes should be easily readable, in order to allow visual contact between interpreters and the audience. Therefore, notes will be well spread on the page, written in large characters, and one single sentence can even occupy one sheet, without ecological concerns.
• Notes must be unequivocal: for instance, the abbreviation ‘-ind’ must be always used to represent one idea, be it industrial or independent, without inventing symbols or abbreviations in the course of a conference: if a new symbol is used, it must be so clear as not to create problems.
What to note. The first thing to be noted should be the main ideas,
• first because they are the most significant elements of a speech, and
• secondly because they are the pillars of its structure.
It is also important to systematically note the links between the different ideas as well to divide them very clearly.
Another element that has to be clear is the point of view being expressed:
• the audience must immediately realize who is speaking.
As far as verbs are concerned, there are two basic things, which must appear in the notes:
• verb tenses, with special attention to conditional forms, and
• modal verbs, whose semantic role in the sentence is always of paramount importance.
Other fundamental data are numbers, dates and proper names, which must be noted accurately, being preferable in a good interpretation to miss some elements of another sentence than to get names or statistics wrong.
These are some of the basic needs in consecutive interpreting as regards note-taking. Of course, interpreters have their own styles, and they could note down almost everything, or just the main elements, if they trust their short-term memory. Anyway, noting down everything, without paying the proper attention to active listening, must be avoided at all costs.
How to Note. Notes should reflect the structure of a speech clearly so as to help interpreters reproduce that structure in their interpretation. On the basis of the fundamental subject-verb-object structure, it is necessary to separate these elements clearly and to note them always in the same position on the sheets. These positions will form a diagonal axis, from left to right and from top to bottom, following this scheme:
subject(s) verb(s) object(s)
leaving a lot of space on the same sheet so that the secondary elements of a sentence could be noted too. The beginning of each sentence must be very clear, and notes must be taken in a concise, non-literary manner.
The left-hand margin and Lists. The left-hand margin is all-important, since in this section of the sheet the subjects of and the links between the sentences are to be noted. Some interpreters may choose to leave a left-hand margin of one to two centimeters for links only. In the previous example, it is immediately clear that the words:
Hungary - because - but - so -
are to be found on the same column on the left-hand margin of the sheet. Obviously,
• on the one hand, ideas must be clearly linked and
• on the other, they have to be clearly separated, and
• to this end, we normally use a horizontal or diagonal line to indicate the separation between two sentences. As to lists, the general principle is that they should be noted vertically.