Struggling to Remember During Interpreting or Support Work? Here's One Simple Trick You Can Try Immediately

If you’ve ever left a session feeling flustered because you forgot a name, a number, or missed a detail mid-interpretation… you’re not alone. Memory challenges are one of the biggest silent stressors in our line of work. Research confirms it: interpreters often struggle especially with storing and retrieving tricky items like names, numbers, or lists — all under heavy cognitive load and in a time-sensitive context.  

Try This Right Now: “Chunk and Hook” Technique

Here’s a quick exercise; effective, instant, and no preparation needed:

1. Chunk: As you listen/watch, mentally group information into small, meaningful “chunks.” For instance: instead of treating five separate instructions as 1-2-3-4-5, mentally bundle them as “Intro,” “Main point,” and “Conclusion” (or other relevant groupings).

2. Hook: For each chunk, create a simple mental “hook” — a vivid image, a gesture, or a memorable word that represents the chunk. Maybe “Main point” becomes a lightbulb flicking on, or “Conclusion” becomes a waving flag.

3. Visualise and Anchor: As soon as the chunk ends, take a mental snapshot: see your hook, imagine the shape/colour/gesture, and anchor it.

4. Recall: When you need to output (interpret/respond), retrieve the hooks — like pulling files from a folder in your mind.

This method uses two powerful memory aids: chunking (which reduces overload) and visual/motor hooks (which help encoding and recall). And the best part: you can use it right away, during any session.

Soon, this technique will be one of many tools taught in our upcoming online course “Memory Boosting Strategies for CSWs”. In that course, you’ll find: memory maps, spaced-review schedules, mindfulness for interpreters, nutrition & rest guidance, and more.

If this small trick helps, imagine what consistent memory training will do. Stay tuned.