English 3 (MED3)

Unit 2 - Mediating specialised

discourse in English
Lesson 1: September 29, 2023
Module introduction and introduction to
interpreting

Prof. Jekaterina NIKITINA

Prof. Paola CATENACCIO

Università degli Studi di Milano

Dipartimento di Lingue, Letterature, Culture e Mediazioni
 Unit 2 structure & contents
• Introduction to oral language mediation and dialogue interpreting
• Skills and aptitudes in dialogue interpreting
• Ethical standards
• Role of the interpreter as a linguistic and intercultural mediator
• Focus on:
• Business settings
• Medical settings
• Refugee/ asylum seekers
• Parent-teacher conferences
• Case studies -> interrelated with Skills D (oral mediation)
Lesson 1: outline
• Clarification of concepts: translator, interpreter, mediator
• Introduction to interpreting: different modes and contexts
• Participation framework and interpreting
• Simultaneous, consecutive & dialogue interpreting
• Footing and the position of the interpreter
• From dialogue interpreting to mediation
To clarify the concepts: a simplified view
Translator Interpreter (inter)linguistic/cultural
mediator

translation ≠ interpreting
• written mode • oral mode + cultural awareness
• delayed delivery • real time
 NB!
Source language (SL) = lingua di partenza

Interpreting Target language (TL) = lingua di arrivo

❑Interpreting / interpretation is rendering spoken or signed

information from a source language (SL) to a target language (TL) in
oral or signed form, conveying both the register and meaning of the
source language content. (ISO 18841: 2018, art. 3.1.2)
• Oral transfer of messages between speakers of different languages
• Started during the Versailles peace talks in 1918-1919
• World War II - Advances in technology -> conference interpreting
 Different contexts > different interpreting modes; for definitions see other slides

Interpreting
SETTING Dialogue / Liaison/
Conference community /public service
Short-
MODE Simultaneous Consecutive
consecutive
Whispering RSI – remote Remote short
(chuchotage simultaneous consecutive
) interpreting

Monologic Dialogic
Where is the interpreter? Who can speak in an
interpreter-mediated event? How do they interact?
❑Participation framework concerns the recognition of the
participant’s status based on their ability or inability to act within a
communicative event, as well as their rights and obligations to do so
in a certain way (Goffman 1974; 1981).
• Ratified participants -> recognized status
• Unratified participants -> their participation status was unrecognized before
the event.
• Once it has been established whether participants are actually
considered as such or not, it becomes possible to describe their
function or role (Goffman 1981: 137), i.e. listener or speaker, and all
their contextual variants
Interpreting contexts and participation framework
Conference settings Community / Liaison settings
• Great variety of situations and • Great variety of situations and
topics, but invariably monologic topics, but invariably dialogic
• Audience = ratified listeners (not • Participants are not only ratified
co-conversationalists or speakers) listeners, but also ratified co-
• Mode of discourse: rehearsed or speakers
semi-rehearsed (spoken prose, no • Mode of discourse: fresh
fresh talk) unrehearsed talk, spontaneous face-
to-face interactions
Interpreting contexts and participation framework
Conference settings Community / Liaison settings
• Simultaneous interpreting:
• no need to produce an autonomous text • Semi-consecutive interpreting:
(reliance on the same semiotic coordinates
and visual input); • The interpreter is physically present in
• the interpreter is not a co-participant, but the setting (at the same level as other
only a “voice-over”; not physically present participants, not separated by a stage
• Consecutive interpreting: or podium)
• the interpreter is a ratified co-speaker (but • The interpreter is a ratified participant
not really a co-participant) ‘who has to and a ratified co-speaker (even more
imitate and transfer the immediate so for cultural mediators)
interpretant of the source text into the
target text” (Dressler 1994: 104-105)
• Physically present in the setting, limited
interaction with the speaker
• Some aspects are similar to dialogue
interpreting
• Note-taking, memory techniques
Simultaneous interpreting
• In simultaneous interpreting, the interpreter translates spoken or signed language into
another language in real-time
• TIME: almost at the same time, with just a few seconds of delay.
• DISTANCE between the interpreter and the speaker: significant; the interpreter is not
part of the interaction; frequently the interpreter remains invisible, just a “Voice-over”
• This type of interpretation is typically used in conferences, meetings, and events where
participants require immediate access to the content in multiple languages. It is almost
never used in liaison settings.
• Interpreters work in soundproof booths, listen to the speaker through headphones, and
convey the interpretation to the target audience almost instantaneously.
• Simultaneous interpreting requires strong language proficiency, excellent listening skills,
and the ability to think quickly and communicate clearly in both languages.
Consecutive interpreting
• In consecutive interpretation, the interpreter waits for the speaker to
finish a sentence or an idea, and then renders the speaker's words into
the target language
• TIME FACTOR: Generally speaking, the more formal the setting, the longer
the segments will be.
• Compare: hospital settings (short-consecutive) vs. domestic courtroom settings
(semi-consecutive, but can be also consecutive)
• Interpreters are trained in special note-taking and memory techniques
that enable them to render passages as long as 6-10 minutes more
faithfully and accurately.
• DISTANCE: close to the speaker, but not to the audience (a co-speaker)
Physically present,
next to the speaker:
ratified co-speaker

Limited interactions:
no subdialogues with
the speaker -> still
some distance

Time: in a formal
setting up to 6-10
minutes
 Interpreting modes

Conference Dialogue / Liaison

Short-
Simultaneous Consecutive
consecutive

Whispering RSI – remote

(chuchotage) simultaneous
interpreting

Cultural mediation
 Linguistic and cultural mediation Pöchhacker (1992):
• in simultaneous interpreting the
extent and feasibility of cultural
mediation is often extremely
limited;
• the lapse of time occurring
between the original utterance
Consecutive and the translation is too short to
allow any major rephrasing or
cultural mediation on the part of
Dialogue
Time lapse

the interpreter.
The
interpreter
becomes a
participant
Simultaneous

Contact between the interpreter and the parties

 Dialogue interpreting
❑Dialogue interpreting is “interpreter-
mediated communication in
spontaneous face-to-face
interaction” (cf. Mason 1999: 147)
❑ triadic exchange (Mason 1999) => a
three way exchange, in which each
party, including the interpreter is a
full participant.
Barack Obama meets with Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office, 28
May 2009
Triadic exchange does
not necessarily mean
three people; it may
mean three parties
Speed legal
networking (multiple
parties, but three
language groups):
1) Barristers from the
UK & New Zealand
2) Lawyers from
Russia, Ukraine
and Kazakhstan
3) JN (interpreter)
 Presumption of invisibility of the interpreter
• Most interpreting studies focussed on conference interpreting
-> invisibility of the interpreter
• To use Goffman’s framework, interpreters take on the so-called
“animator” role, almost like a “talking machine”, i.e. the body
producing the sound, but not necessarily its “author” (Goffman 1981:
167).
• In dialogue setting, it has been defined as a «myth» (Ozolins
2016; Angelelli 2004; Berk-Seligson 2017).
• Building on Goffman, Wadensjö (1998: 92) and then Merlini
and Favaron (2003) analysed the interpreter’s status in
dialogue settings referring to it as footing, i.e. the alignment
speakers decide to take in relation to their interlocutor (what
type of participants they are).
 Footing
• Within the three-way exchanges (in contrast to simultaneous interpreting, for
example) there are continuous changes of footing
❑Footing stands for the role and positioning of the interpreter within a
communicative event.
• Originally introduced by the sociolinguist Erving Goffman; later adapted for the study
of interpreting by scholars like Gile and Wadensjö.
• Footing involves understanding how the interpreter establishes their identity and role
in the interaction and how it affects the dynamics of communication
❑In other words, footing is the conversational alignment, position (who is the
author of the message? How is the message delivered?).
• For example, in three-way exchanges sometimes even sub-dialogues are
initiated (e.g. when the interpreter is addressed directly, which changes the
position of the interpreter).
Footing Short description
Principal The speaker is the one whose opinion is uttered (Goffman, 1981: 226) and who is
bound to what is being said (ibid.: 144). The speaker answers directly.
Animator / Almost like a “talking machine”, the body producing the sound, but not necessarily its
Reporter* “author” (Goffman, 1981: 167). The speaker just repeats the utterance.
The interpreter is similar to an “animator” who is neither “author” nor “principal”,
thus just saying the same as the original speaker but in a different language
(Wadensjö, 1998: 92)
Narrator The interpreter reports the utterance with indirect speech, while the original speaker
addressed the listener directly (Merlini & Favaron, 2003: 219).
Pseudo-co- The interpreter uses the first person plural and groups with the original speaker
principal (Merlini & Favaron, 2003: 219): a co-responsibility in the linguistic act
Recapitulator The interpreter is both “animator” and “author”, i.e. they paraphrase the original
speaker’s (“principal”) utterances leaving the responsibility of what is being said to
them (Wadensjö, 1998: 92).
Responder The interpreter is “animator”, “author” and “principal” (Wadensjö, 1998: 92), taking
personal responsibility (ibid.: 165). Common in instances of clarification and repair.
*animator and reporter are conceptually the same, with the difference that Wadensjo’s taxonomy applies to dialogue
interpreting specifically
From Merlini and Favaron 2003
 Footing: general considerations
1. Interpreter's Positioning: Footing looks at how interpreters position themselves within the
conversation. Interpreters can adopt different roles and identities, such as being an “invisible
conduit” who merely conveys messages without interference, or an “active participant” who
engages more actively in the discourse by asking for clarifications or providing cultural context.
2. Shifts in Footing: In dialogue interpreting, interpreters may need to shift their footing during
an interaction. For example, they might start as an invisible conduit but then shift to an active
participant role if the conversation becomes complex or if cultural nuances need to be
explained.
3. Managing Power Dynamics: Footing also involves managing power dynamics in the
conversation. The interpreter can influence how power is distributed between the speakers by
their choice of language, tone, and involvement in the conversation. They must navigate these
dynamics ethically and professionally.
4. Cultural Considerations: Footing takes into account the cultural context of the
communication. Interpreters, and especially dialogue interpreters, must be aware of how their
footing affects cross-cultural interactions and adjust their approach accordingly to ensure
effective communication.
5. Maintaining Neutrality: While interpreters aim to be accurate and convey the intended
message, they also need to maintain neutrality. Footing helps interpreters strike a balance
between conveying the speaker's message faithfully and not injecting their personal opinions
or biases.
Pöchhacker 2003
 Dialogue interpreting/mediation
Community-oriented interpreting Business-oriented or escort interpreting
Public service interpreting • accompanying visitors, diplomats
• Healthcare interpreting and businessmen to meetings and
negotiations
• Interpreting in pedagogical settings
• other forms of dialogue interpreting
• Interpreting in immigration in various settings
hearings • E.g. a trade fair context
• Police station interpreting • GMP inspections (auditors coming to
inspect production of
• Courtroom interpreting in national pharmaceuticals)
courts
Public service / community interpreting
❑ “oral and signed communication that enables access to services for
people who have limited proficiency in the language of such services.”
(Interpreting – Guidelines for community interpreting (ISO 13611: 2014))
• Community interpreters assist people
• who do not speak the societal language or
• who do not speak it well enough to enable them
• to access services provided by public institutions
• schools, universities, and community centres
• healthcare institutions,
• human and social services (e.g., refugee boards and self-help centres)
• Faith-based events and emergency contexts
Pokorn and Mikolič Južnič 2020: 2