Translation and Interpreting Studies

Interpreting Studies19 November 2007

Interpreting Studies

Aims To discuss the factors which affect

research into interpreting (particularly Simultaneous Interpreting) that distinguish it from translation, the focus of much early research into interpreting

To give a brief overview of the further evolution of Interpreting Studies

To focus on current research and concerns

Interpreting Studies

Interpreting “The oral translation of oral discourse”

(Gile 1998:40)

Interpreting Studies

Conference Interpreting Consecutive Interpreting Simultaneous Interpreting

Liaison Interpreting Community/Public Service

Interpreting (PSI)

Interpreting Studies

Consecutive Interpreting “The interpreter listens to a speech

segment for a few minutes or so, takes notes, and then delivers the whole segment in the target language; then the speaker resumes for a few minutes, the interpreter delivers the next segment, and the process continues until the end of the speech” (Gile 2000: 41).

Interpreting Studies

Simultaneous Interpreting “In a sound-proof booth with direct view onto the

conference room, the interpreter listens to a speaker through earphones and simultaneously transmits the message in another language through a microphone to listeners in the room” (http://www.aiic.net/ViewPage.cfm/article1097.htm#sim, last accessed 18.09.2007).

“In simultaneous interpreting (SI), the interpreter, using technical equipment, perceives a sender’s source language (SL) message in segments, processes it and renders it immediately and continuously in the target language (TL) for a receiver” (Kirchhoff 1976:111).

Interpreting Studies

Distinguishing Factors Orality Temporal factors Cognitive factors

Interpreting Studies

“Sense can be defined as a cognitive construction made by the addressee on the basis of the sounds he received from the addresser‘s mouth; he adds to them such cognitive remembrance as fits the sounds, and such additional knowledge, whether from his long or medium term memory, that fits the whole of a clause or sentence” (Seleskovitch 1978: 335).

Moser (1978); Moser-Mercer (1995)

Phases of Simultaneous Interpreting

Modelling the Process (Gile 1997)

SI= L+P+M+C

SI=Simultaneous Interpreting, L=listening and analysis, P=Production, M=memory, C=Coordination

(Gile 1997:165)

Setto

n (1

99

8)

Interpreting Studies

“The theoretical sources must be adapted to the model of study: we cannot ignore existing theories of language, but we must embed them in a theory of communication; we cannot ignore current models of cognitive architecture, but we must allow that it may be configured in a task-specific way for SI” (Setton 1999: 65).

Interpreting Studies

“In short, the concept of sens is underspecified and unassailable in that it tacitly conflates utterance meaning and hearer-meaning (i.e. Interpreter meaning), implying full determinacy and perfect symmetry between brain states – there is no account of how relevant contexts are chosen” (Setton 1999: 48).

Interpreting Studies

Paradigm shifts in TS Cultural turn (Snell-Hornby 1990,

Lefevere 1990), Power turn (Tymoczko & Gentzler 2002) Ideological turn (Leung 2006:130)