Note-taking symbols for interpreters

A printable sheet of common symbols for consecutive interpreting, and a short drill to practice them.

Don’t try to learn them all at once. Pick five, use them on every practice until they’re automatic, then add five more. If a symbol doesn’t stick, drop it.

Change and direction

↑: goes up, gets worse or higher
↓: goes down, gets better or lower
→: goes to, sends, leads to
←: comes from, receives
Δ: change
~: about, around
>: more than
<: less than

Yes, no and how sure

✓: yes, OK, agrees
✗: no, wrong, refuses
=: is, the same as
≠: is not, different
?: question, not sure
!: important
!!: very important, urgent
≈: similar to

People and things

I: I, me
U: you
W: we
pt: patient
Dr: doctor
$: money, pay, cost
@: address, at
☎: call, phone

Medical shorthand

Sx: symptoms
Dx: diagnosis
Tx: treatment
Hx: history
Rx: prescription, medicine
appt: appointment
pn: pain
ER: emergency room

Time

d: day
wk: week
mo: month
yr: year
am / pm: morning / afternoon or evening
…d: past (add d to the word)
…ll: future (add ll to the word)
nt: night

Habits

How to take notes that you can read back

Note the idea, not the words. Write what the speaker means in as few marks as you can.
Write numbers, names and dates in full. These are the details people forget first, and the ones that matter most.
Go down the page, not across. Start each new idea on a new line. Indent what belongs to the line above.
Show links on the left. Put ∵, ∴ and // at the start of a line so you see how ideas connect.
Cross out to say no. A line through a symbol or word means the opposite. Underline for emphasis.
Keep it yours. These are common choices, not a standard. Use what you can read back in a second.

Drill

Try it

Read each line once, cover it, and write your notes. Then read your notes out loud as if you were interpreting. Open the line to compare with one way to note it.

The pain started three days ago, and last night it got a lot worse.

pn start 3d ago
   ↑↑ last nt

I stopped taking the blood pressure pills because they made me dizzy, but I still have them.

stop BP Rx
   ∵ dizzy
// still have

We can move your appointment to Tuesday the 14th at 9:30, or you can keep the one on Friday.

appt → Tue 14 9:30
/ keep Fri

Your bill was $240. Insurance paid about half, so you owe $118, and you have 30 days to pay.

bill $240
 ins ~½
 ∴ U owe $118
   30d

My son doesn't want the surgery. He wants to try the physical therapy first.

son ✗ surgery
   therapy 1st

For longer practice, have someone read you a short news story or a fictional call and note it. Our guide to note-taking on phone calls has more tips.

Try it on your next call

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