Interpreting Techniques

Written and spoken language, as well as pictures, body language, and situations, all need to be interpreted in order to be understood. Interpreting techniques exist to help people understand what is going on in the world around them. To be fully aware of what people are communicating, you must use techniques to understand their speech, their writing, their pictures, their body language and the situation that they are in.

Speech Interpreting Techniques

Speech is usually interpreted by listening. However, it can also be written down and read. Those that do not hear might use sign language, the written word, or light or picture signals to interpret what someone is saying.

Writing Intepretation Techniques

The written word is important to interpret to understand the world around you. Reading is the best interpretation technique for the written word. However, you can also have something that is written read out loud to you. You can ask for audio copies of books, reports, or assignments. You can also use a computer to read written or typed words to you. The blind use Braille, a way of reading with fingers, to interpret the written word.

Body Language Interpretation Techniques

Body language can tell a lot about a person. Interpret body language by studying your friends and family to see what actions are commonly associated with which feelings. Some are inherently known to most people, such as putting hands to a throat to signal choking, or waving to say hello or goodbye. Some signs take practice to interpret, such as crossing arms while talking, pointing, or leaning towards or away from someone. To better interpret body language, buy a book on signals that people give off, and keep a written record of what you notice, such as how many times a person ends up answering "no" when they've listened to your question with their arms crossed.

It is important to learn how to interpret body language within a culture. Different cultures have body language that means different things, so when learning to interpret body language, learn some of the common signs and signals from a particular culture. This will help you figure out what someone might be telling you.

Picture Interpretation Techniques

You must be able to interpret pictures. A technique for this type of interpretation is to learn what the pictures you most commonly see---like traffic pictures, Walk and Don't Walk signs, and specific signs like No Smoking signs---mean. Memorize the signs you see so that you can interpret them the next time you see them. An other technique for interpreting signs is to look for visual clues within the sign of picture.

If you see a picture of a person walking, you can interpret that the message has something to do with a person. If there is a cross through it, the sign might mean that it isn't a good idea for a person to walk there, or people aren't allowed. By taking apart the picture in your mind and reading each part of it individually, you can interpret the pictures that you see. Learn to read signs and signals so that you understand the whole situation when you look at it.

Situational Intrepretation Techniques

You must be able to interpret situations in order to understand what is going on. Situational interpreting is often the hardest type of interpreting. If someone is telling you that everything is fine, but you can see that all of their belongings have been stolen, their car is totaled, or the chair they are sitting in has broken, you can tell by the situation that everything is not fine. Techniques to interpret situations include inference.

You must infer from what you can see, hear, smell, and feel in the situation, and make an adjustment to what someone is saying based on those things. Another technique for situational interpreting includes thinking about what must have happened or what is going to happen, and making a guess about how someone feels, how they will react, or what the implications are of the situation around you.

References

• Interpretation Techinques