How to take notes and avoid garbling the

messageSemantic analysis and translational action

Presentation by Helen Eby, Gaucha Translations

gaucha@gauchatranslations.com

(c) 2016 Gaucha TI

Messages are delivered in context:

Place

Reason/Purpose

Noise

Medium

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A A’

Linguaculture 1

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I have a tight schedule. The interpreter will work everything out.I am the doctor.

I just found out that I know nothing about this topic. It is highly technical. I am the interpreter.

I didn’t get the message on time, and just got a reminder from the receptionist 15 minutes ago. That is why I am late.I am the patient.

What message do we receive?

The message that was sent?

The message we understood?

In teacher’s training we were taught this principle:

We have taught what the students have learned.

The message people have understood is the message we have delivered.

(c) 2016 Gaucha TI

From Introducción a la Lingüística Hispánica

La lengua no representa el mundo real directamente sino nuestra conceptualización o percepción del mismo. (p. 343)

Language does not represent the real world. It represents our understanding or perception of it.

In other words: Language is not an exact expression of the real world!!! Language is, by definition, imprecise!

As interpreters, translators, etc., there is no shame in asking for a clarification, since those who speak are by definition unable to be 100% precise in the first place!

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Ways to analyze a message

Syntactic analysis Structure of the sentence.

Useful for studying the written language and for analyzing why a word or phrase seems to fit well or poorly.

Not particularly useful for interpreting.

Semantic analysis• Units of meaning: Who did it,

where, why, etc.

• In interpreting, we don’t see the punctuation, so this is more practical.

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Pragmatic analysis

• The intention of the message.• What is really understood.• The practical application.

The message is:

What the speaker said:Sign here, sir, to indicate consent.

What the speaker meant to say (intention):Sign, sir [and please let’s not waste time with questions].

Many times, the interpreter asks:Do you have a Spanish version of this form? The patient would like to sign something he understands. [And they take longer… which doesn’t make everyone happier.]

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Useful term: Translational Action

Translational action: Transferring a message from one linguaculture to another one.

Translational action means transferring the message. Not the words, but the message.

See http://atasavvynewcomer.org/2015/07/21/take-the-message-and-jump/, by Christiane Nord

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Useful term: Linguaculture

Linguaculture: Languages are used in the context of culture. Language and culture are inseparable.

The spoken language has gestures and tone of voice that are inseparable from speaking it.

In writing, letters are addressed and signed differently in different linguacultures.

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What is the message?

The message is, of course, what the speaker tried to communicate! It’s what we transfer accurately and completely as interpreters! And we get it right every time! Of course!

Not really.

As Kevin Hendzel put it… “Translation is not about words. It’s about what the words are about.”

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Some aspects of context

First, the message is delivered in a context. The context always affects the meaning of the message.

The context could be:

Place

Purpose/Reason

Noise (background noise, etc.)

Whether the message delivery is mandatory or optional

Whether listening to the message is mandatory or optional

Whether responding to the message is mandatory or optional

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Pre-assignment Controls

Controls that are employed before or in the preparation for the formal assignment

EducationFormal (ITP)Informal

ExperienceWork-relatedPersonal

Direct Preparation for the assignment

ContactsTeam InterpreterConsumersMaterials/Readings

Environmental Demands

Physical surroundings (room temp., chemicals and odors, seating arrangements/sight lines, lighting quality, visual distractions, background noise, space – people, furniture, equipment)

Goal/Purpose of setting Terminology Personnel/Clientele (Who’s present?) SAFETY

Interpersonal Demands

Power & personal dynamics Communication style and goals Emotional tone or mood Role & cultural differences Communication flow (turn-taking,

etc…) Relationship nuances (new,

familiar, intimate, tension, power, etc…)

“thought worlds”

Assignment Controls

Controls that are employed during the interpreting assignment

Acknowledgments

Self-talk

Direct Interventions

Adjusted Translations

Prior Relationships

Code of Ethics

Role Metaphors

Paralinguistic Demands

Idiosyncrasies of speaking/signing Volume/Sign Space Pace Accents/Regional Signs Clarity of speech/signs Physical position Physical or cognitive limitations

Intrapersonal Demands

Feelings or ruminations one may have about own safety, interpreting performance, liability, the people and the dynamics, the environment

Physiological distractions Psychological responses or

distractions Availability of supervision and

support Anonymity and isolation

Post-Assignment Controls

Controls that are employed after the assignment

Debriefing/Venting with support system Self-Care Follow-up with people involved, with further education, with referring party Supervision: Formal with supervisor; Informal with colleagues

Based on the Demand-Control Schema for Interpreting developed by Robyn Dean and Robert Pollard (graphic by Lentha Zinsky)

Elements of the message itself

This is my own version, based on Introducción a la Lingüística Hispánica.

Semantic analysis. Semantics is the study of meaning. We will be looking for units of meaning in the message.

This presentation focuses on how to understand the message, its context and its purpose. That will help you to take notes.

I believe that taking notes without understanding the message leads to having notes that are not useful for interpreting.

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Units of meaning in the message*names are not universally accepted

Roles often covered by the subject in English grammar

Name* Unit of meaning in the message Example

Agent Animate initiator of the action. Does things on purpose.

John opened the door.The book was written by Peter.

Force (Cause) Inanimate initiator of the action. Does not have a will.

The wind opened the door.Mary was killed by a rock slide.

Instrument (Tool)

Indirect cause of an action. Often used by an agent.

John broke in with a hammer.The gun fired the fatal shot.

Experiencer Neither controls nor is visibly affected by an action. Experiences a physical or mental sensation.

Mary saw the bicycle.The boys are hungry.The recital touched Jean.

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Units of meaning in the message*names are not universally accepted

Name Unit of meaning in the message Example

Recipient The person who receives something. Animate destination of a moving object.

We gave the food to the dog.Peter got a package in the mail.

Destination The location to which a moving object is sent.

I sent the book to France.I hit the ball into the stands.

Patient Is present and may be affected but has no initiative or other obvious interactions of its own.

We sold the books.The party was cancelled.Mary was born.

Others Modifiers of place, time, manner, purpose, etc.

It is cold in New York in the winter.I went there to buy cheese.

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Semantic roles from Payne (pp 47-51)

Pragmatics: What for?Verbs that make something a reality

Performative I declare you husband and wife.

We commit ourselves to something

Promising verbs I promise to go to that meeting.

Directing someone to dosomething

Conative function – uses imperatives

Please do this for me.

Express our emotions Expressive Wow! That was nice!

Giving context Referential The weather was nice when I was driving to the zoo.

Language for the sake of interaction

Phatic How are you doing? Nice weather today!

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From Jakobson’s functions of language, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakobson%27s_functions_of_language

Cooperative principle and Maxims of conversation

To conversationally implicate something in speaking, according to Grice, is to mean something that goes beyond what one says in such a way that it must be inferred from non-linguistic features of a conversational situation together with general principles of communication and cooperation.

Cooperative Principle: "Make your contribution such as it is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged."

The conversational maxims can be thought of as precisifications of the cooperative principle that deal specifically with communication.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Grice

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Cooperative principle and Maxims of conversation

Maxim of Quantity: Information

Contribute all the necessary information for the exchange.

Do not give more information than necessary.

Maxim of Quality: Truth

Do not lie.

Do not say anything you can’t prove.

Maxim of Relation: Relevance

Say what pertains to the situation.

Maxim of Manner: Clarity

Avoid obscurity of expression.

Avoid ambiguity.

Be brief.

Be orderly.

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Linguistic variations

Dialects (in Spanish: Dominican, Argentine, Chilean, etc.)

Sociolects (how certain social groups speak)

Registers (legalese, etc.)

Cronolect (for a specific time period. We call them archaisms, but some “archaisms” are current in some areas.)

Standard written variety – nobody actually speaks standard written Spanish!!!

Oral educated variety: spoken by the social classes in political, economic and cultural power.

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Let’s outline something:

In the ER:

Please, call me Glory. I’d like it if you just called me Glory. All I can remember for sure is that we were driving along and I was uncomfortable with the seat belt on. But I wanted to keep it buckled. I know it’s important to wear a seat belt. So, it was bothering me on the left side of my belly. I hooked my thumb inside the seat belt to keep the edge of it away from my skin a bit so it wouldn’t feel like it was cutting into me. That’s the last I remember about my hand. Medical Language, Terminology in Context, Hull, F.A. Davis, Philadelphia, 2013 , pg 76.

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The end!gaucha@gauchatranslations.com

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Bibliography

Hendzel, Kevin. Translation is Not About Words. It’s About What the Words are About. www.kevinhendzel.com. Web. 24 Feb 2016

Hualde, José Ignacio, Antxon Olarrea, Anna María Escobar, and Catherine E. Travis. Introducción a la Lingüística Hispánica. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Nord, Christiane. Take the Message and Jump! www.atasavvynewcomer.org. Web. 24 Feb 2016.

Nord, Christiane. Translating as a Purposeful Activity. New York: Routledge, 2014.

Payne, Thomas. Describing Morphosyntax: A guide for field linguists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997

Wikipedia, Paul Grice. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Grice. Web. 24 Feb 2016

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