Consecutive Interpreting Note-Taking: A Practical Guide

Most interpreter note-taking systems taught today go back to a short list of principles usually credited to Jean-François Rozan's 1956 handbook. In practice they come down to seven habits:

1. Note the idea, not the words. "The government has decided to increase investment in renewable energy" becomes something like gov → ↑ invest ☀.
2. Abbreviate. Keep only enough letters to recognise the word: govt, eco (economy), intl, mgmt.
3. Note the links. Words such as because, but, therefore and however carry the logic. Give each one a fixed sign and put it at the left edge of the page.
4. Mark negation clearly. A missed "not" reverses the message. Cross the symbol through or write X before it.
5. Mark emphasis. Underline once for "important", twice for "very important", and a wavy line for doubt or "allegedly".
6. Write vertically. One idea per line, with the subject at the top left, the verb below and to the right, and the object below that.
7. Shift. Indent each new element so the page shows what depends on what. A glance should tell you where one idea ends.

Take this sentence: "The ministry has approved the new project because demand in the northern emirates has doubled, but the budget will only be released next year." Laid out vertically, the notes might read:

min.
   OK ✓
      new proj.
∵ demand N.em
   ×2
but $
   next y

The links (∵ for "because", but) sit on the left margin, so you can find the logic at a glance. Draw a horizontal line across the page when the speaker finishes a complete idea. Use a reporter's notepad with a spiral at the top and only one side of each page, so you can flip pages quickly while speaking.

Keep your symbol set small and stable. Twenty symbols you never hesitate over are worth more than a hundred you have to think about. A starter set:

Mark tense only when it matters: a short line after the verb symbol for the past, a line before it for the future. Most of the time the context tells you.

These are the details memory drops first, so they are the details you should always write down in full.

• Numbers: write the figure, and write the unit with it (AED, %, km, people). Use k for thousand, m for million and bn for billion. Write a large figure the moment you hear it; do not wait for the end of the sentence.
• Names and titles: write the first letters plus any part you are unsure of. If you know a name in advance, prepare a short code for it (for example MoJ or the initials of the speakers).
• Lists: stack the items vertically with a "+" or a bullet each, so you can count them before you start speaking. If the speaker says "three reasons", write 3 and check you have three items.
• Dates: write them in one fixed order every time, such as day/month/year, so you never confuse 4/5 with 5/4.

Which language should you note in?

There is no single rule. Many trainers recommend noting in the target language, because you are already half-way to your rendition. Many working interpreters use a mix: symbols for the structure, and words in whichever language is shorter or comes first to mind. Choose one approach, practise it, and do not switch on the day of an assignment.

Right-to-left notes

If you note in Arabic, your page runs from the right. Mirror the shift: start each idea at the top right, and indent leftwards for each dependent element. Keep the links on the right margin. Symbols such as arrows still work, but agree with yourself which way "→" points when your page runs right to left. Many Arabic-speaking interpreters simply keep arrows left-to-right as a convention, since figures are written left to right too.

Arabic number order

In Arabic the units come before the tens: خمسة وعشرون is "five and twenty", that is 25. In longer figures, such as ألف وتسعمائة وخمسة وثمانون (1,985), you hear thousands and hundreds first and then units before tens. Write the digits as you hear each part, and leave a gap for the tens. When interpreting into Arabic, take care to say the units first.

Million and billion

Arabic usually uses مليار for a thousand million (one billion), though you may also hear بليون. Note the figure as bn and never translate "billion" mechanically.

Long Arabic sentences

Formal Arabic speech often strings clauses together with و ("and"). In your notes, break them into separate ideas with separate lines. In English, render them as separate sentences with real links (because, so, while) rather than a chain of "and".

• Writing too much. If you are writing whole words while the speaker moves on, you stop listening. Write less and trust your memory.
• Inventing symbols on the day. A new symbol you cannot read back is worse than a word. Add symbols only in practice.
• Notes without links. A list of nouns tells you the topic but not the argument. The links are the most important thing on the page.
• Reading your notes aloud word by word. Look at the notes, look up, and speak in full sentences to the listener.
• Ignoring the end of the speech. Speakers often save the key message for the end. Note the last sentence carefully; it is the one you are most likely to be asked about.

1. Memory first. Listen to a two-minute speech without notes and retell it in the same language. This trains you to follow the logic.
2. Add notes in the same language. Take notes on the same kind of speech and retell it in its own language. You are training the note-taking, not the translation.
3. Then interpret. Move to full consecutive into your other language, starting with short passages and lengthening them.
4. Review your pad. After each speech, look at what you wrote. Circle what helped and cross out what you never used.
5. Record yourself. Listen back for omissions, wrong numbers and unfinished sentences.

The best system is the one you can read back without hesitation. Most systems share the same core: note ideas not words, write vertically, give each link a fixed sign, mark negation and emphasis, and write numbers and names in full. Build on that core and keep your symbol set small.

Many trainers suggest the target language because it moves you closer to your rendition. Many working interpreters use a mix of symbols and whichever words are shortest. Pick one approach in practice and stay with it.

Fewer than most beginners think. Twenty or thirty well-practised symbols cover most speeches. Add new ones only in practice sessions, never during an assignment.

Write the digits as you hear each part. Arabic says units before tens (خمسة وعشرون is 25), so leave space for the tens and fill it in. Note billions as "bn" because Arabic usually says مليار.

You can make a good start with recorded speeches and self-review. Feedback from a trained interpreter speeds things up, because it is hard to see your own habits. Our consecutive interpreting course teaches a note-taking system with memory and delivery drills.

Consecutive and dialogue interpreting are common wherever one person questions another, including hearings, police statements and interviews. Court work adds procedure and ethics on top of the core skills; see our court interpreting course.

Our consecutive interpreting course covers a note-taking system with symbols and layout, memory and active listening, sight translation, delivery, and liaison, business and community role-plays. If you aim for booth work, the conference interpreting course adds simultaneous interpreting. If you need an interpreter rather than training, see our consecutive interpreter service.

This article is general guidance on interpreting practice and training. It is not legal or medical advice. Professional codes, court rules and authority requirements change; check the current text of any code you rely on and confirm requirements with the court, hospital or authority concerned.

Tell us your languages, any interpreting you have done and the settings you want to work in, and we will suggest where to start. Smart World Legal Translation – Sole Proprietorship L.L.C. (SWLT) is a UAE Ministry of Justice-licensed legal translation company in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, led by Dr. Hani Elimam. Our federal accreditation is accepted across the UAE, including by Dubai Courts, and we hold exclusive interpretation contracts with the UAE Federal Courts and the Federal Public Prosecution. Our interpreting courses are led by Dr. Hani Elimam, a member of AIIC (the International Association of Conference Interpreters) and a UAE Ministry of Justice sworn translator, who holds a Master's in Interpreting and Translation from the American University of Sharjah and a PhD in Language and Management. Course fees, format and dates are confirmed on request before you enrol. The SWLT certificate of completion records your training; it is not a government licence or court accreditation. Message us on WhatsApp (+971 50 864 8439), email info@swlt.ae, or use our contact page.