Chapter 5 Verticality’ and Hierarchies$ of Values ‘Many a poor consecutive is sub-standard even though “everything is there, since everything is given the same weight and no particular elements or threads are highlighted, making it difficult for the listener of the interpretation to know what the speaker is really trying to say. ‘ones, 2002:22 In this chapter we look at four ways of reflecting in our notes the differing levels of importance (values) that the speaker has given to the elements of a speech. In learning to do this, we will learn to identify, note and through this communicate to the listener some of those same variations. ‘Any speaker will have more and less important things to say. Good speakers will vary the volume, speed and tone of their delivery to make these differences apparent to their audience. Interpreters will wish to do the same, but, unlike the speaker, they will be working not on the basis of their own convictions, but rather from what the speaker has said, their memory of the same and the notes they have made. Clearly then itis worth having a consistent system that will allow interpreters to see at a glance what is more and what is less important in the speech they are interpreting so that they too can offer the correct intonation, speed and volume. This is particularly important, although not only, in un-inflected languages. Parallel values’ ‘You may have noticed in the previous chapters that the notepad page has been divided more or less into four vertical columns. One of these, the margin, is visible because we draw it at the left of the page, and in it we note the links. The other three columns are virtual and in them we have been noting our Subject ‘Verb Object groups, our ideas.78 Andrew Gillies LINK suByeCT Let us imagine that there are two Subjects for the same verb in one group. Until we are told differently we must assume that they are equally important, that they are of “equal value”, in relation to the Verb and the Object. To represent this on the page they are noted on top of one another in the same (invisible) column. Let’s look at an example Tn the following basic sentence there is one ‘element in each column. Example Because the French government have cut customs duties. cos Fra cut duties Now imagine it had read, Because the French, German and British governments have cut customs duties. In this example, “French, German” and “British” are of equal “value”, They are noted parallel to one another. cos Fra Ger UK dutiesVerticality and Hierarchies of Values ” This technique, which is also known as “verticality” or “tiering! and ‘was first described by Jean-Frangois Rozan (1956), holds up to any number of permutations and still offers the interpreter a clear picture of what is going on. If you try noting Fra Ger UK horizontally in your notepad you will see how ‘much less clear itis on the page. ‘The same technique can be applied to the other columns if, for example there is more than one Verb or Object. If we expand the example further, we can see thatthe same system for note-taking can absorb any number of combinations. This will come in handy, as speakers often like to group things in threes for reasons of style Because the French, German and British governments have cut customs Alties. visa fees and administrative charzes. cos Fra Ger UK cut duties visa fees ‘admin charges or, ‘Because the French, German and British governments have eut, simplified or abolished customs duties, visa fees and administrative charges. cos Fra Ger UK cut simplified OR abolished duties visa fees ‘admin charges80 Andrew Gillies This technique is also useful for multiple adjectives. (Adjectives are best noted in the same virtual column as the noun they qualify). For example we could have noted the third example slightly different! Because the French, German and British goverments have cut customs duties. cos Fra UK Ger These examples are also a demonstration of the bottom-up approach that I mentioned in the introduction, That is that you may not have been aware of the idea of looking for hierarchies or parallels within the speech and consequently swon’t have scen them = now you are aware antl you will start seeing these hierarchies more and more. Example (MacShane 1) Now I am glad to be back in Bulgaria as a new generation of Bulgarian ‘and British European citizens prepare to shape a new Europe, I am expecially pleased to be speaking to you under the auspices of the Atlantic Club. Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, my friend the NATO General Secretary George Robertson, ‘Mikhail Gorbachev and the Dalai Lama have all spoken here.Verticality and Hierarchies of Values 81 I jz Bulg aon, Eurepecns Tony Blair Bill Clinton George Robertson Mikhail Gorbachev Dalai Lama happy Prepare ‘spoken here to shape Eur, Atlan © Club Exercise ‘Try noting the following passage in the boxes below or on your own note pad. Remember you are still not trying to note or reproduce everything, you are ooking for the Subject Verb Object group, the links and now the hierarchies of value. This speech (henceforth Blair 2) was given by the British Prime Minister, Tony82 Andrew Gillies to the Confederation of Indian Industry, on 5® January 2002, in Bangalore, India, Bangalore is the motor of the Indian high-tech industry. The war on terror ‘has begun and India has its own problems of violence in Kashmir and tensions between Hindu nationalists and India’s Muslim minority. The full textis available at the URL given on page 228. ‘Today as well as our business and trade links, we are joining together in the fight against terorism. I want to express our total solidarity with you in the face of recent terrorist outrages in Indi ‘There ean be no room in any civilised society for organisations such as Lashkar e Toiba and Jaish Mohammed - groups banned by the British {government some time ago. The appalling stacks on India’s Parliament of 13° December and on the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on 1* October demonstrate more clearly than ever the threat such fanatics pose not just 10 ‘your democracy, but to all democracies - and to civilised valves in the whole ‘world, Ofcourse, people are entitled to pursue their political views by legitimate ‘cans. But the indiscriminate and deliberate murder of civilians to cause chaos and mutilation defiles any political cause.