Interpreter mediation at political press conferences: A narrative account
TL;DR: This paper investigated the interpreter's mediating role at a 2011 joint press conference with the American and Chinese Presidents, at that time Barack Obama and Hu Jintao respectively, examining how the interpretation comprises reduced, expanded and summarized renditions of the speakers' narratives, and how the resulting mediation can affect not only their image, but also the outcome of the diplomatic communication between their respective countries.
Abstract: Political press conferences, while playing a significant role in international communication by heads of state and government, are still largely underexplored in interpreting studies. More scholarly attention is needed, particularly to examine the interpreter’s mediating role in these uniquely constrained communicative settings. Drawing on narrative theory and Wadensjo’s model of renditions, this paper investigates the interpreter’s mediating role at a 2011 joint press conference with the American and Chinese Presidents, at that time Barack Obama and Hu Jintao respectively. Specifically, the study examines how the interpretation comprises reduced, expanded and summarized renditions of the speakers’ narratives, and how the resulting mediation can affect not only their image, but also the outcome of the diplomatic communication between their respective countries. Here, the interpreter’s performance is subject not only to his language competence, but also to a number of other factors. On the one hand, his mediation can be facilitated rather than restricted by the constraints of the setting where the interpreting occurs, such as technical problems and time limitations. On the other hand, the mediation can also reflect the interpreter’s institutional role and the public narratives within the socio-cultural context.
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TL;DR: An overview of the publications on journalistic translation research spanning the period 2015-present day can be found in this article, which includes three sections that highlight the main theoretical frame for translation research.
Abstract: This article presents an overview of the publications on journalistic translation research spanning the period 2015-present day. It includes three sections that highlight the main theoretical frame...
33 citations
Cites background from "Interpreter mediation at political ..."
...Liao and Pan (2018) combined Wadensjö’s approach to the study of interpreting processes and narrative theory in order to examine differences between the original and translated versions of the premiers’ speeches....
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TL;DR: In this paper, news translation of conflicts might provide an important context for investigating translat- ing translat... and positioning, crucial in shaping the interpretation of a text, is usually unobtrusive in news translation.
Abstract: Positioning, crucial in shaping the interpretation of a text, is usually unobtrusive in news translation. News translation of conflicts might provide an important context for investigating translat...
13 citations
Cites background from "Interpreter mediation at political ..."
...The study of Liao and Pan (2018) also shows that, Narrative Theory allows the investigation of translators’ and interpreters’ mediation in a way that goes beyond the semantic content of discourse and focuses more on the subtle devices that can have a significant impact on the outcome of the…...
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...For this reason, in recent years there have been many attempts to apply narrative accounts to studies on translation and interpreting (e.g., Baker 2010, 2013; Harding, 2012; Liao & Pan, 2018; Luo, 2015; Pérez-González, 2010; Qin & Zhang, 2018; Sanatifar & Daghigh, 2018)....
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05 Aug 2022
TL;DR: This paper investigated empirically the way in which interpreter ideology is manifested in the evaluative language of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in China in 2016 (English-Chinese language pair). And they revealed an overall positive-us' and negative-means' pattern in the interpreter's ideological positioning.
Abstract:
This study investigates empirically the way in which interpreter ideology is manifested in the evaluative language of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in China in 2016 (English–Chinese language pair). Methodologically, van Dijk’s Ideological Square and Martin and White’s Appraisal framework have been operationalised for the analysis of positive or negative evaluative language in ‘us’ vs ‘them’ discourses. The results reveal an overall positive-‘us’ and negative-‘them’ pattern in the interpreter’s ideological positioning. This is manifested in three ways: (i) negative, pejorative, and sensitive discourses about China are self-censored; (ii) positivity is accentuated and negativity is neutralised in China-related discourses, and (iii) negative tones in the discourses of other countries are amplified. The speaker discourse is ‘edited’ when interpreter ideology is at work during the simultaneous interpreting process. However, the linguistic patterns can provide only partial indications of the possible relationship between interpreter ideology and cognitive operations.
4 citations
TL;DR: Although it is important to research the images of politicians as recreated in interpreted discourse, to date, minimal attention has been paid to interpreter-reshaped contrastive images of journal articles as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Although it is important to research the images of politicians as recreated in interpreted discourse, to date, minimal attention has been paid to interpreter-reshaped contrastive images of journali...
3 citations
TL;DR: The authors compared the use of hedges in interpreted and spontaneous English speeches collected in similar settings and found that interpreted speeches not only contain significantly fewer hedges but they are also dependent on a narrower range of such devices than spontaneous speeches, consistent with the tendency towards simplification in translations.
Abstract:
The investigation of potential stylistic differences between translated and non-translated texts has been proven to be a promising line in corpus-based translation studies, yet similar research on the product of interpreting seems both smaller in scale and slower in development. This study compares the use of hedges in interpreted and spontaneous English speeches collected in similar settings. Specifically, we gathered the two types of speech data from Chinese and American political press briefings respectively and analyzed their differences in the employment of various hedging devices. The results show that interpreted speeches not only contain significantly fewer hedges but they are also dependent on a narrower range of such devices than spontaneous speeches, which is consistent with the tendency towards simplification in translations. Also, our findings suggest that interpreted and spontaneous speeches tend to follow distinct hedging patterns in terms of preferred linguistic choices. Potential factors triggering such differences are discussed.
3 citations
References
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01 Jun 1974
TL;DR: The enormous problem of the volume of background common sense knowledge required to understand even very simple natural language texts is discussed and it is suggested that networks of frames are a reasonable approach to represent such knowledge.
Abstract: : A partial theory is presented of thinking, combining a number of classical and modern concepts from psychology, linguistics, and AI. In a new situation one selects from memory a structure called a frame: a remembered framework to be adapted to fit reality by changing details as necessary, and a data-structure for representing a stereotyped situation. Attached to each frame are several kinds of information -- how to use the frame, what one can expect to happen next, and what to do if these expectations are not confirmed. The report discusses collections of related frames that are linked together into frame-systems.
5,812 citations
01 Jan 1975
TL;DR: The authors describes frame systems as a formalism for representing knowledge and then concentrates on the issue of what the content of knowledge should be in specific domains, arguing that vision should be viewed symbolically with an emphasis on forming expectations and then using details to fill in slots in those expectations.
Abstract: Briefly describes frame systems as a formalism for representing knowledge and then concentrates on the issue of what the content of knowledge should be in specific domains. Argues that vision should be viewed symbolically with an emphasis on forming expectations and then using details to fill in slots in those expectations. Discusses the enormous problem of the volume of background common sense knowledge required to understand even very simple natural language texts and suggests that networks of frames are a reasonable approach to represent such knowledge. Discusses the concept of expectation further including ways to adapt to and understand expectation failures. Argues that numerical approaches to knowledge representation are inherently limited.
4,461 citations
TL;DR: In this article, news discourse is conceived as a sociocognitive process involving all three players: sources, journalists, and audience members operating in the universe of shared culture and on the basis of socially defined roles.
Abstract: In the American political process, news discourse concerning public policy issues is carefully constructed. This occurs in part because both politicians and interest groups take an increasingly proactive approach to amplify their views of what an issue is about However, news media also play an active role in framing public policy issues. Thus, in this article, news discourse is conceived as a sociocognitive process involving all three players: sources, journalists, and audience members operating in the universe of shared culture and on the basis of socially defined roles. Framing analysis is presented as a constructivist approach to examine news discourse with the primary focus on conceptualizing news texts into empirically operationalizable dimensions—syntactical, script, thematic, and rhetorical structures—so that evidence of the news media's framing of issues in news texts may be gathered. This is considered an initial step toward analyzing the news discourse process as a whole. Finally, an ex...
1,764 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: Interpreting in Interaction as mentioned in this paper examines ways of understanding the distribution of responsibility of content and the progression of talk in interpreter-mediated institutional face-to-face encounters in the community interpreting context.
Abstract: Interpreting in Interaction provides an account of interpreter-mediated communication, exploring the responsibilities of the interpreter and the expectations of both the interpreter and of other participants involved in the interaction. The book examines ways of understanding the distribution of responsibility of content and the progression of talk in interpreter-mediated institutional face-to-face encounters in the community interpreting context.Bringing attention to discursive and social practices prominent in modern society but largely unexplored in the existing literature, the book describes and explains real-life interpreter-mediated conversations as documented in various public institutions, such as hospitals and police stations. The data show that the interpreter's prescribed role as a non-participating, non-person does not -and cannot - always hold true. The book convincingly argues that this in one sense exceptional form of communication can be used as a magnifying glass in the grounded study of face-to-face institutional interaction more generally.Cecilia Wadensjo explains and applies a Bakhtinian dialogic theory of language and mind, and offers an alternative understanding of the interpreter's task, as one consisting of translating and co-ordinating, and of the interpreter as an engaged actor solving problems of translatability and problems of mutual understanding in situated social interactions.Teachers and students of translation and interpretation studies, including sign language interpreting, applied linguistics and sociolinguistics will welcome this text. Students and professionals within law, medicine and education will also find the study useful to help them understand the role of the interpreter within these frameworks.
778 citations
Book•
27 Nov 2003TL;DR: Introducing Introducin Part I: Foundations - Interpreting studies in the twenty-first century, with a focus on interaction and the notion of 'paradigm'.
Abstract: Introducing Introducin Part I: Foundations 1. Concepts 1.1 Conceptual roots 1.2 Interpreting defined 1.3 Settings and constellations 1.4 Typological parameters 1.5 Domains and dimensions 2. Evolution 2.1 Socio-professional underpinnings 2.2 Breaking ground: professionals and psychologists 2.3 Laying academic foundations 2.4 Renewal and new beginnings 2.5 Consolidation and integration 2.6 Interpreting studies in the twenty-first century 3. Approaches 3.1 Disciplinary perspectives 3.2 Memes of interpreting 3.3 Methodology 4. Paradigms 4.1 The notion of 'paradigm' 4.2 Forging a paradigm 4.3 Experimenting with interpreting 4.4 Aspiring to science 4.5 Broadening the view 4.6 Focusing on interaction 4.7 Unity in diversity 5. Models 5.1 On modeling 5.2 Socio-professional and institutional models 5.3 Interaction models 5.4 Processing models 5.5 Models, tests and applications Part II: Selected Topics and Research 6. Process 6.1 Bilingualism 6.2 Simultaneity 6.3 Comprehension 6.4 Memory 6.5 Production 6.6 Input variables 6.7 Strategies 7. Product and Performance 7.1 Discourse 7.2 Source-target correspondence 7.3 Effect 7.4 Role 7.5 Quality 8. Practice and profession 8.1 History 8.2 Settings 8.3 Standards 8.4 Competence 8.5 Technology 8.6 Ecology 8.7 Sociology 9. Pedagogy 9.1 Curriculum 9.2 Selection 9.3 Teaching 9.4 Assessment 9.5 Meta-level training Part III. Directions 10. Directions 10.1 Trends 10.2 Perspectives 10.3 Orientation Bibliography Internet links Index
734 citations