Nelson Mandala, Eisaku Sato, Margaret Thatcher, Kakuei Tanaka and Bill Clinton are different in so many ways, but these leading politicians all have one thing in common -- their interpreter, Tatsuya Komatsu.
Renowned as one of the pioneers of simultaneous interpreting in Japan, Komatsu has for more than 40 years been summoned to serve at international gatherings all over the world, including at G-8 Summits.
"As an interpreter, my job is to connect two different cultures, two different languages," says Komatsu. "I find this job fascinating because it is up to the interpreter to help the two parties overcome their differences and understand each other."
Interpreting simultaneously is no easy task. Take English and Japanese, for example. In each language, the sentence structures are completely different. Whereas in English there is a subject with a verb following it at the start of a sentence, in Japanese the subject is often omitted and verbs are at the end of sentences.
"The differences between languages are a matter of course," says Komatsu. "That goes for any language. But if you train properly, simultaneous interpreting is not impossible."
The central difficulty about simultaneous interpreting is, according to Komatsu, "that you are doing two different things at once -- listening in one language and speaking in another."
Multitask training
Consequently, at Simul Academy in Tokyo, where Komatsu teaches, students undergo what he calls "multitask training." This, he explains, might require them to listen to a speech while counting backward out loud. Or while listening to the speech, students may have to read aloud from a completely unrelated book. Then they have to relate the speech to the class.
"This way, you learn how to use different parts of the brain, which is necessary to be able to listen and speak at the same time," says Komatsu.
But even for those who master this formidable challenge, the toll on their concentration is enormous. As a result, organizers for major events normally enlist two or three simultaneous interpreters for each language involved, and they rotate every 10 or 15 minutes.
"Listening and speaking at the same time takes a lot of mental energy," says Komatsu. "If you continue for too long, your brain gets worn out."
If that happens, mistakes are likely to be made, even by veterans. In fact, Komatsu recalls one time when he was interpreting for a person with a strong Indian accent who said "from all over the world." However, Komatsu heard it as "from Urubu the world." Without thinking, he then repeated the word "Urubu."
"When another person asked where Urubu was, I realized my mistake," says Komatsu with a laugh. "When you think about it, it is a stupid mistake. But these things happen often."
Although there are now schools all over Japan that specialize in teaching interpretation and translation, in the 1960s when Komatsu embarked on his career, there were none -- nor were there any professional interpreters.
Learning on the job
Back then, as a student at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, the only training Komatsu had was just practicing with his fellow classmates.
"I learned mostly on the job," says Komatsu. "Even though I was not very skillful at first, the more I interpreted, the better I became."
Nowadays, of course, the English language has become a lot more familiar to Japanese people, with foreign books, television shows and movies part of everyday life. In addition, grade-school English classes are now common, and computer software that translates from English to Japanese and vice versa is readily and cheaply available.
Could this be the end for interpreters?
"No," Komatsu says firmly. "Japan is a monolingual society and it is very difficult to improve your English skills.
"If the demand for interpreters ever decreases, it will be when Japanese people learn to speak English fluently. But I don't see that happening for the next 30, 50 or 100 years."
