Da neofita a esperto: formazione e competenza professionale in interpretazione simultanea

The first part of this paper describes fundamental knowledge for the study of conference interpreting stressing the role played by declarative and procedural knowledge for acquiring simultaneous interpreting skills. Knowledge reorganization, both at linguistic and encyclopaedic level, is paramount for acquiring strategic behaviour leading to suitable solutions in the translation process from the original speech to the target speech. Fast reaction times, control over monitoring and décalage, reformulation and restructuring of the source language, natural prosody, are all elements reflecting the use of strategic behaviour aimed at optimising resources while interpreting simultaneously. The efficient application of a well-developed array of strategies provides for a well-balanced allocation of cognitive resources. Interpreters’ and students’ performances differ in the extent to which strategies are applied. Once the basic technique and skills of simultaneous interpreting have been acquired, there is another component essential for becoming an expert and acquiring the status of a professional within the community in question. Interpreting competence alone is not sufficient. It has to be augmented by the social aspect of participating in the relevant professional culture