Presenting to Middle School Students

What to say
How to say it
For extra credit
Presentation materials

What to say

Translation is written and interpreting is spoken: they’re two different skills. 用课堂上的一些基本练习来证明两者的区别(见下文).
会两种语言并不足以让你成为一名笔译或口译员:你需要额外的培训. Briefly discuss educational requirements and helpful life experiences. Emphasize the need for excellent English vocabulary, grammar and writing in addition to foreign language skills.
Translation is more than word-substitution. 给出翻译错误或直译的具体例子，并鼓励学生改进.
机器翻译不会在短期内取代人工翻译。请提供Babelfish或其他机器翻译来源的具体例子.

How to say it

Make it personal

Begin by introducing yourself and identifying the languages you use. As you talk about your work, use anecdotes from your own experience.

Examples:

Describe how you became interested in languages and how you entered the profession. 以此为跳板，提到你的工作所需的才能和性格特征(良好的记忆力), good vocabulary, love of languages, good writing skills, etc.).
Sketch out your working conditions and tell the students what a typical day is like. If they’re likely to recognize any of your clients or projects, be sure to mention them. Many students are fascinated by the travel and prestige events involved in interpreting.

Make it interactive.

让孩子们尽快参与进来:问问题并鼓励他们也这样做. 询问他们接触其他语言的情况可以打破僵局，同时让你对听众有更好的感觉.

Questions might include:

Who can point out the countries where my languages are spoken on the map?
Who speaks another language at home?
What language?
Can you point out the country or countries where it is spoken on the map?
Who knows someone who speaks another language?
Who has learned another language in school?
What do you call someone who speaks two languages very well (bilingual)?
Where have you used another language (e.g., travel, fun, talking to grandparents)?
Where have you seen a translator/interpreter?

Make it concrete.

Give specific, hands-on examples and use props and audiovisuals whenever you can.

展示或分发一些翻译样本，最好是孩子们可能熟悉的东西. Tell them their names in a foreign language; show them bilingual labels on the packaging for international foods; or show them photographs of signs in foreign countries.
利用这个机会讨论一下您所使用的技术的“绝妙”方面. Discuss Web research, on-line dictionaries, search engines, dictation software, and machine-assisted translation. If the classroom has the appropriate facilities, you can do some of this live; otherwise, use transparencies.
Use maps. Most classrooms have a world map, 但是最好问问老师教室里有没有地图可以用. If you’re focusing on a particular country, you may want to bring your own map. Better yet, bring photocopies of the map for the students to keep.
Put photographs, postcards, crafts, or other objects in an album or a protective cover and pass it around the classroom. 孩子们可以触摸的工艺品是一个很好的主意:一个六年级的班级喜欢看到和触摸一件来自秘鲁的手工编织雨披.
Reinforce the message: write key points on the board as you go. At the end, give a short, 简单有趣的多项选择“突击测验”，可以强化你的要点(参见上面的“该说什么”)。. A sample question might be “Which of the following countries is not Spanish-speaking? a) Mexico; b) Venezuela; c) Uruguay; or d) Mesopotamia.“让学生交换论文，然后改正它们，并与全班一起复习问题.

Make it fun.

Use audiovisuals and/or a game format to keep your presentation lively and interesting.

在原文和目标文本中引入适合年龄的翻译材料，以说明翻译的重要性. One of the Harry Potter books in two or more languages would almost certainly be a hit. 或者带上适合他们年龄的配音和/或字幕电影，让学生看到和听到源版本和目标版本之间的差异.
Impress them with a brief interpreting demonstration. One mother does live interpreting demos with her sons in their school. Pretending that she only speaks French, she addresses the class, and one of her sons interprets what she’s said to his classmates. If the kids have questions on interpreting and translating, they can also be interpreted back to her in French.
Play Word Detective. Present the students with literal translations of foreign turns of phrase, similes or proverbs that have well-known English equivalents (e.g., “first come, first served,” “I’m sick as a dog,“早起的鸟儿有虫吃”)，并要求他们拿出更好的翻译. If the class has some knowledge of your languages, 你可以使用实际的外国短语，并从字面翻译成习惯用语.
Use funny translation bloopers. Humorous examples of machine translation are another good option. Signs and bizarre menu items also work well, but be careful to avoid any suggestion that foreigners are dumb or “can’t talk right.” Once the laughter has died down, challenge the kids to come up with an idiomatic translation into English. 要强调的一点是，一个合格的专业翻译员或口译员可以通过培训和他或她的语言和学科领域的优秀知识来避免这种错误. 这是讨论教育要求和机器翻译限制的一个很好的起点.
举例说明翻译歧义术语的困难，给学生一个词，如“draft”，并挑战他们定义或翻译它的所有含义(NFL draft), bank draft, military draft, rough draft, Bud Lite, draft from window). 给出(或要求学生提供)这个术语的每个含义的翻译，并指出 you can’t possibly translate it accurately until you know what it means in context.
尝试联合国挑战:让学生说出联合国的六种官方语言(阿拉伯语), Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish) and give a prize to the student who names the sixth one. It’s also useful to point out that UN linguists don’t simply work into and out of English; they also need people who can work from Chinese to Spanish, French to Russian, Arabic to Chinese, and so on.
Give prizes for correct answers. Try novelty school supplies (a notepad in the shape of a globe; a pen that lights up), stickers, buttons or bumper stickers in a foreign language, chocolates, or candy.

Make it count.

留下一些有形的东西会放大你的访问效果，最终为你在演讲中投入的时间和精力带来更好的回报. Give the kids souvenirs or treats, 给老师一份资源讲义，上面有更多关于翻译和口译职业的信息. 即使是关于你的工作的传单或雇主的小册子，学生们也可以保留，这将有助于他们记住你和你的演讲.

For More Information

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Statistics on the size and growth of the translating and interpreting professions.

For extra credit

Spend some time with the teacher before or after your presentation.
这可以是关于这个关卡的资源讲义的五分钟聊天，也可以是一杯咖啡或一次午餐约会. 一位经验丰富的演讲者报告说，老师们非常渴望从她身上学到更多，她发现与他们的接触非常有益.

Cultivate a relationship with your local school.
让你孩子的老师(或最近的学校)知道你的职业，并在学校的职业导向活动中提供与外语相关的主题演讲. 一位家长每个月去女儿的教室两次，每次15分钟，教她小时候学过的一些语言.

Help organize an “International Night” at your child’s school.
Begin with a “parade of nations” with the kids carrying flags of various countries. Afterwards parents and students can share artifacts, information, food, dance, etc. from their countries of origin or interest.

Sample Slideshow

ATA has assembled a sample slideshow that you can download and adapt.
Download Slideshow

What to say

How to say it

Make it personal

Make it interactive.

Make it concrete.

Make it fun.

Make it count.

For More Information

For extra credit

Sample Slideshow

More presentation materials