The Interplay among Variables in Consecutive Interpreting and their Effects upon Human Interactions

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Date
2017-02-20
Authors
داود, تحسين محمد حسن خميس
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جامعة النجاح الوطنية
Abstract
"Interpreters are linguistic acrobats constantly walking on a tightrope" (Roland, 1999:3).This is a succinct and an eloquent description of the interpreting process, emphasizing its delicacy and complexity at the same time. The interpreting process is a multi-faceted activity in which several variables interact and affect each other in extremely complex ways. The prime emphasis of this thesis is on the interplay among the psychological, social, pragmatic and political dimensions of the multi-layered process of consecutive interpreting. Moreover, it aims at probing the different ways in which these variables interact, cooperate, collaborate, compete and, in certain cases, be in struggle with each other, for the purpose of dictating interpreters' verbal behaviors during the interpreting encounter. First of all, the external and internal psychological constraints can exert tremendous pressures on consecutive interpreters' performance, particularly where the interpreters are in the midst of the action. These pressures, sometimes, compel interpreters to enter into some sort of internal struggle with their psyche to cope with the criteria of their own job, as to achieve an acceptable level of integrity and impartiality. Secondly, and owing to the fact taken for granted and has a consensus endorsement among scholars of interpretation, that the interpretive communicative event does not take place in a social vacuum, but instead is surrounded and shaped by a multiple array of social determinants, such as class, status, ethnicity, power relations, which may inevitably affect the performance of consecutive interpreters. Interpreters as human beings cannot isolate themselves from the influence emanating from their social environment, surrounding the reception and production of speech, especially its hierarchies and the power which pervades every aspect of its structure. Closely related to the social and sociological dimension of the mediated interpretive encounter, is the controversial issue regarding the role of interpreters during face-to-face interactions, and the permissible degree of intervention on the part of interpreters as linguistic and cultural mediators. In carrying out their task, interpreters will recognize that there are cultural gaps and formidable social barriers among languages, and even between various classes within the same speech community, and the task of interpreters is to narrow these gaps. Thirdly, the interpretation of any segment of speech is not only determined by the surface meaning of an utterance, but also, and probably, to a great extent, by the reality of the situation in which the interpreted encounter takes place. This will bring us directly to the domain of pragmatics, and how this unavoidable dimension will reshape the interpretive outcomes. At the end of the interpreting tunnel, it seems that, it is all pragmatics that must be taken into account. The importance of this variable emerges from the fact that it may not be included directly and explicitly in the messages delivered. Finally, needles to indicate the influence of the political scene overshadowing and surrounding mediated encounters, including the balance of power, the identity of interlocutors, and the political atmosphere, whether it is tense or relaxed, and how all of these might affect interpreters' performances in recognizable and consistent ways.
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