way which avoidsall confusionClearly separated and distinctni,i.s are importantfor ease of reading.

Second, asjust mentioned, thebeginningof eachnew ideais clearlymarked. Third,notes mustbe taken in a concise and rranner. non-literary The gleattemptation is to takenoteshorizontally and thentc)align ideasoneaboveanother. For example, let us take : Hungary hascomplained thatits steel exports to theEuropean Union areunable to develop because ofexcessively restrictive tariffquotas. But theUnion representative pointed outthatquotas arestill underusedby Hungaryby a large margin, themselvcs so thetariff quotas didn'tappear to irc: crcating thedifficulties. Thiscouldbcr nolctl: - steel HU complaincd exports to EU can'tdevelop Becausc loo strict tariffquotas But Elj rcrp quotas underused by HU a lot So quotas nol prob The drawbacks hcrebecome immediately apparent. The interpreter, taking notes rather as a lleeting secretaryor a sfudentat a university iecture, is writing too rluch. The ideasdo not standout clearlyat a glancefrom the page.And thc idcasare nor analyzed through the notes(eventhough they may be in the intclpreter's mind): they are a slavishreproduction of the words usedby the speaker, in the orderin which they werespoken, which wiil tend to lead the interpreter to functionsimilarlywhen acfuallyreproducing the speechorally. The upshotwill probablybe an unanaiyzed interpretationwith inferior style, as the expression in the target language will be too influenccd by the form of expression in the source language. The diagonal lbrm offers a naturalmovementfor one's eyesto move from left to right and fiom top to bottom of a pagewhen reading.By combining thesetwo nafuralmovements and reproducing them in the diagonal lay-out the interpreter will make it easierfor themseives to pick out the elements of a sentence astheycasttheireyes rapidlyovera page. Of course, this last cornrnentonly appliesto usersof scriptwhich is readfrom left to right and from top to bottom. Interpreters of Chinese, Japanese and Arabic, for example,must adapttheir note-takingsystems as they seefit. The Left-hand Margin The secondmajor component of a speech which we havesaid shouldbe

between and the separations ideas cctedin notesarethe links between presenthe subject-verb-ob.lect outside as.The links lie, by definition, placehasto be foundfor them.Giventhat the diagonal iari,,u.so a special sideof thepaget0 your eyes backto the left-hand bringing |lny-u,rtinvolves left of the the extreme to , tr,rrr, new idea,the logical placeto put the iink is idea.To make surethat of the substantive beforethe beginning "just '',pug.. with the subjectof the :.lirrksare eas),tofind, and to avoidany confusion marginof oneto t\\'o ieft-hand a to leave it is best a link introduces, $cntence to drawa margindown maychoose interpreters for links.Sonre Llcrltimetres to keepthe margin merelY may choose sideof thepagc,6tltcrs tlrcleft-hand of the thesubject page as the The link is notedat thesatrclcvclon nutional. 'Grain exportsto Thus,if we (akethc cxample: it is introducing. Ncntcnce the United States havebeenunableto developbecause tlrc United States high importtariffs',thiscouldbe noted: Irlvc imposed .,/

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(This exampleserves merely to show the structureof notes:no interpreter in this way.)The first idea is easily identifiwould seriously notelong-hand able in the diagonal layout; the link standsout clearly in the left-hand margin; and the secondidea foilows from it equally ciearly. Besidesbeingusedfor iinks,the lefrhand column is also ideal for representingpoints of view, anotherkey elementin notes.To show this we returnto the text usedabovefor the exampleof unwantedhorizontal notetaking: Unton to theEuropean thatits steelexports Hungaryhascomplained tariffquorestrictive ofexcessively because arenot ableto develop pointedout that quotasare still tas. But the Union representative

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thedifTicuities. to be creating didn't appear selves This couldnow be noted:

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is thatlistsshould lay-out to thegeneraiprinciple.ofdiagonal An exception vaiueandshould in the.listiavethesame fi;;il";ts vertically. benoted Thus' onecould note in notes' position attribu;;;;;;;;;t be violent wtntherefore catastrophes' of natural Tu*ty *'u'"Juf""J u "'lt' 'Western as: ,.t ti".."t, flooiing andearthquake'

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{2.4

From this exampleone can seehow links and points of view can be easily picked out by the interpreter.They can even be combined,as in but EU. apparent. Hunllere theeconomyof note-takingfor pointsof view becomes as these words pointed out, but gaty complained,the EU representative will rememberthe first verb such cJo not needto be noted: the interpreter verb couldjust as well have witlr the help of the context,and the second [:een,rrrirl, ,tltted, or any of a number of equivalents. rnarginwe shouldrecall of the left-hand IJcfire leavingthe question just they needto be but on occasions needto be linked, that ideasdo not It may therefbrebe very useful to draw a short line after each separated. superfluit clearly from the next one.Ifthis is considered idea to separate ideas,a page case separate in any should ous, as the diagonallay-out ofa Thus, in the line should at least be drawn after each completesentence. example aboveone could draw a line after too restrictive,a\d, assuming

note: would one case iJilt"J'4, in which

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Out in My Notes If I've MissedSomething

that they faii to some time in their career interpreters all to happen It will

thatpage.But the interpreter alsoneeds to be ableto find therelevanr page, and quickly,so as nor ro keepderegates waitingwhire they rookfrrrrheir question. An easythingto cr. is to havea spare pencilor penavailabre^ and to slip it in between thc pages of your note-pad ar rhepagererevanr to trrc questron. This will n*kc it possible at the cnd of a speectr to flip back immediately t. rlrc: concemed lrrssage a'<l pul .your question qurckry and directly. Abbreviations a lrd Symbols The obviousarr'rrrrruge of abbreviati',s andsymbols is thattheyheipsave time in taking tlrusaddingt'thc cfliciency of note-taking. Further, '.tcs, by reducingarr iclca, which may trc cxpressed by one word or a numberof words,to a synrh'1,rl*: intcr?reter f incrs ir easier to escape thetrapof word_ for-word translltion.'llrc.s),nrbol rc:prcsents an idea,ratherthanthe word or words,and the irrlcrl.rr clc:r, sccingthesymbolin theirnotes, is moreliable to think in termso1'llre: idsarathcrthanof words. Having decidcdtlrat wishesto useabbreviations andsymbors, the 'nc questionimnrediatcry arisesas to what extentthey shourdbe usea. one couid take the minim.rist view of useof symbols as being represented by Rozan,who in his ./'r'is.de notes statesthat one can make do with 20 symbolsand that of thesein factonly ten areindispensabre. otherschools of thoughthavetendedto a maximalist approach, deveroping comprehensive systemsof symborization suchastrraitaugtit for a numberof yearsby Matyssek at Heidelberg, enshrined in his r 9g9 HandbuchderNottzentechnikfilr Dolmetscher. As in so many areas of interpretation we wourdarguethatthe approach you adopt is very much a question of personal taste. Both the minimalist and the maximaristpositions, and indied any other intermediary smtion, have their merits. Rather than laying down a hard-and-fast rure as to the desirabledegreeof symborization,it is better to ret each interpreterfind their own balance. But in trying to strike that barance a numberof basic

c-r-gss in therigl$erdgglg_rlgi_Lbe!-oles-at theru-" t.uEi-B-tnaa;rrr,i'g itcm would have been rnthe notei. Tnir*ilr enabre youtofindthe point on

hear something,or hearingit fair to registerit immediarely, and so areunableto noteit down, while knowingthatthereis something theyhavemissed. In thosecircumstances, you will wantro put a question to the speaker after_ and to pur the question you will want to knorv wherethe relevant '"ards, point in the spcechis and what its conrextis. This meansyou shourd note clearly rharsomerhing is missing. The simprest thrngis ro pur a very rarge

be obsen'ed. should principles ' are.Iike andsymbols thatabbreviations First.it shouldbe remembered XdnV a meansto an end,and not an end in thernselves. otherpart of notes, syssatisfying, intellectually perhaps a vast, ,1l'ti"r"is littlepoint in creating interpreter doesnot heipthe if thesystem andsymbols tcnrof abbreviations their from note-taking, fully to benefit interpreter the l:' ln ,',r".pr.t better.For immediateiy be It must must be unequivocal. and symbols i ui,brcviari6ns -.,' readingback their notesexactlyu'hat all their oirviousto the intcrpreter i: abbreviations mean. andsymbols systems abstract i of complex, thearbitrarlcreation against This pleads Such andremembering. ' thatthe interpreter rnanipulating will havecliffic:ulty andanalyzing ' rrsystem attentively fionr listt:ning theinterpreter mayprevent of how to question tcrcltnical on thepure:lt' rlrcoriginal,asthey concentrate the ino'cn assuming Worse. wordsinto symbols. the speaker's tritnsform back reading in difficulty then have they may hasnotedcorrectly, . tcrpreter i thcir notes. evolve cannot thisdoesnot meanthatan interpreter Of course, The simpleconditionis andsymbols. abbreviations of extensive system , an to the interpreter' sense and make . thatthey should clear alwaysbeperfectly and symbolsmust be 'logical' to the abbreviations To make sense, in inverled placed interpreter usingthem.Theword 'logical' is deliberately have should and symbols conunas here.in thatwe meanthatabbreviations is. That them' :i an intrinsic connotative who uses function for the interpreter ls " they shouldbe genuinely not just signs.But as the interpreter symbots, the only and them writes person who the . thecreatorof their own symbols, is that to readthem,theoniy 'logic' they needto respect person who needs theyuseshould'logically' meansomething andsymbols theabbreviations are meaningless to them; It may well be that the symbolsof one interpreter but that is neither here nor there. For or illogical to any other interpreter, pitchfork, looking like may find that a schematic example,one interpreter with the pitchthe Greek letter psi, meansagriculture.The resemblance even if for anotherone fork makesthis symbol logical for that interpreter, at all. nothing maybe or else, something means letter the Greek it, the symbol who uses If a symbol is meaningfulto the interpreter that other of becoming'organic' in the sense should standa good chance logic. Thus, symbolscan be derivedfrom it by using the samesubjective economic the in demand ? to indicate to use an interpretermay wish mind their in triggers mark senseof 'supply and demand',as a question the notion of asking,and thus demand.They may then take the inverse Clearly, 'suppiy'in thesame context. economic of ?, which is;, to indicate know not does there is no way that ; can logically nean'supply'if one

lr

:?;,",1K:,# themserves the strait-jact<et or"na;;*.y system which theythentry to learnby roteastheywourd mathematical formulas. auil.""i"ii* andsym_ bolsmustbeunequivocal, logical ;;;t;#;;:.::t::I
at lhe way abbreviations and F requently Occurring Notions occur often have its corresponding uuur.uiu;;; ;;:^il,]"ffi lil:.HliJl""Tj symbors w'r necessar'y save Any notion that is likely to

m od es t rimits ra iddown byR";;; ;; l#i:|",l:,,:r::,

r's Bcrcsrs or rhitsymbor, but in this case it hasgrownorganicary, so to speak, out of another syrnbol. In summary, then,abbreviations ands{mbolsarevery much a personal affair.Theyare indispensabt" una.un'

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Having'"'iil:::g^fi ;;'iiil:5'J';f ,3fr :H:T:1y;Ili symbolscanbe used.

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to' say,a stalfinterpreter.atNATo. iu.rr n.quentry occurring notions concern often notthesubstantive content ofAiscu theapparatus andgenerar p.o".a,,*r environment of the.::::^o:]l1tler

can one or two others,suchas the World Bank, where a specitic abbreviatia may comein handy' I3eyond thir.onon core'eachinterpreter shouldhaveabbreviations or syrnbols fbr the n,To" fi|,[T#tilT::Jl"

abbreviations for the countrynur"r^tir", comeacross most frequently. l-lere aneasy sorution is to tul" ini"-u,ilnut registration codes, tlrst letter or the of thecountryname, "u. or some mix of theJe. ;;;;;, in notes, all ambiguity is to be avoided: cry'i. i*, for switzerrand, provrded is sornerhing there different for china,il;';". Sim'arry,interpreters Itavesomething shouid to represent themajorinternational organizations. As a designated

ers' as thev work inun int"rn";l;-#Hill;,tT:ffi'f"i:TT,T,'".?

*u"i, andshourd not be difficurtto rcmember insofar "rron asrheywill be in .onl

bv;'"-"vis, whichrhe interprerer

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ro r'E uropean un io ninrerpre rers sho u ldn. J:?lffff i: J:|ff fiffii each of theinstiturions orine union, for'iresrdency of thecouncir,lbrrhe and tunds or'n' unron, und so u;;;;ations ilill3i:3 l'ffTil. ";, s",u,ttya;,-e';":::;::::;y#":2;,1:,,:',Assemblv,,esotutro,,
emberof theSecurity Council.

Thenthereis the wholerangeof notionswhich may occuroftenenough ' firr an interpreterto decideit is worthwhile having a symbol or abbrevia(itrrr systematically for them.words suchaspoiirical, economic, budgetary, i:' nt(,nelery, industry, agriculture, territory, country, internationai (the list andall theirderivatives. i..' is literallyendless) Eachinteroreter is freeto choose whctheror not to use abbreviations and symbolsfor these, but if they do so llrcyshouldrespect the general principlesmentioned above,namerythatthe *ymbols be intrinsically meaningfulto them, and can thus be developed organically. one way of creatingan inner logic in symbols,andat the same tinremaking them easierto remember, is to takethem in groups.Thus, for cxarnple, one may decide that economic,monetary,budgetaryandfinani:ial are four words justifuing a symbol, and that as they are related but tlistinctnotionsthey shouldbe represented by related but carefullydifferentiated symbols. These symbols could be the first letter of each word transcribed into the Greekalphabet, thusbeingrespectively , p,p,O. These symbolscan in turn be developed by being combinedwith others. Then, if increase,improvementis noted by using t, growth in the senseof 'ecottomicgrowth' could be notedeT; a budgetsurpluscould benoted p+; and soon.Thus, by using family groupsof symbolsand logicarcombinations of symbols, a vast rangeof frequentlyoccurringnotionscan be notedwithout beinga burdento the interpreter eitherwhen they are noting or when they arereadingback their notes. However, a note of waming shouldbe soundedhere.In creatingfamily groupsof symbolsthe interpreter hasthe freedomto link ideaswithout beingtied down by words.But they mustthenusetheir symbols with total rigour in order to avoid vagueness and confusion. If the sign! is usedto tnean'country', then ! al can mean'national'.The interpreter can ignore thatlexically nationalisderivedtiomnation,andtheinterpreter may choose to symbolise countt-vratherthan nation, as it is a more frequently used notion.But thcn, if nation is usedby a speaker, what doesthe inrerprerer do in their note-taking? somemight arguethat they can still usethe symbol lJ and just rememberthat on this occasionthe word is different. we wouldargue,however,thatthis meanstakingan immense risk; it is opening thedoor to thepossibility of confus ingcountry and, nation,twonotions that it may be necessary to distinguish. And if the one symboican do lbr country and nation, why not for state? Then where does the interprctoli,: ,,'.,i,. standif the debate turnsto the question of thenation-state? Herethc linl. =. _-1,,' its of symbolizationbecomeclear.Eitherthe interpreter . ,i writestfreacljric4ti; -.1 notionsof 'nation' and 'state' long-handor in someabbreviated fonrr,*{-a:. they choosedifferent symbolsfor them. we thus condonefamily ;# $