On omission in simultaneous interpreting: Risk analysis of a hidden effort
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Anthony Pym
Abstract
One of the long-standing debates in studies on simultaneous interpreting would pit “contextualists”, who see interpreters’ performances as being conditioned by contextual determinants, against “cognitivists”, who analyze performances in terms of cognitive constraints that would be the same for all professionals, regardless of context. Gile’s Effort Models would seem to be very much in the cognitive camp. However, modeling of the resources used when interpreters make omissions suggests that cognitive management may actively respond to contextual factors such as the aims of the discourse, the strategies of the speakers, and the variable risks of the text items. Analysis of the data from one of Gile’s experiments indicates that the cognitive management of omissions is indeed highly variable. Omissions that are low-risk for the aims of the discourse occur in a constant background mode, almost without sourcetext stimuli, such that in repeat performances they are found with similar frequency but in different places. On the other hand, omissions that incur high levels of risk tend to be repaired in repeat performance. This suggests that simultaneous interpreters strive for non-omission only in the case of high-risk contextualization. Further, since their management skills must incorporate enough contextualization for the necessary risk analysis to take place, the cognitive strategies of interpreters should be modeled in the same terms as those of all other linguistic mediators.
Abstract
One of the long-standing debates in studies on simultaneous interpreting would pit “contextualists”, who see interpreters’ performances as being conditioned by contextual determinants, against “cognitivists”, who analyze performances in terms of cognitive constraints that would be the same for all professionals, regardless of context. Gile’s Effort Models would seem to be very much in the cognitive camp. However, modeling of the resources used when interpreters make omissions suggests that cognitive management may actively respond to contextual factors such as the aims of the discourse, the strategies of the speakers, and the variable risks of the text items. Analysis of the data from one of Gile’s experiments indicates that the cognitive management of omissions is indeed highly variable. Omissions that are low-risk for the aims of the discourse occur in a constant background mode, almost without sourcetext stimuli, such that in repeat performances they are found with similar frequency but in different places. On the other hand, omissions that incur high levels of risk tend to be repaired in repeat performance. This suggests that simultaneous interpreters strive for non-omission only in the case of high-risk contextualization. Further, since their management skills must incorporate enough contextualization for the necessary risk analysis to take place, the cognitive strategies of interpreters should be modeled in the same terms as those of all other linguistic mediators.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Scientometrics and history
- An author-centred scientometric analysis of Daniel Gile's œuvre 3
- The turns of Interpreting Studies 25
-
Conceptual analysis
- The status of interpretive hypotheses 49
- Stratégies et tactiques en traduction et interprétation 63
- On omission in simultaneous interpreting: Risk analysis of a hidden effort 83
-
Research skills
- Doctoral training programmes: Research skills for the discipline or career management skills? 109
- Getting started: Writing communicative abstracts 127
- Construct-ing quality 143
-
Empirical studies
- How do experts interpret? Implications from research in Interpreting Studies and cognitive science 159
- The impact of non-native English on students' interpreting performance 179
- Evaluación de la calidad en interpretación simultánea: Contrastes de exposición e inferencias emocionales. Evaluación de la evaluación 193
- Linguistic interference in simultaneous interpreting with text: A case study 215
- Towards a definition of Interpretese: An intermodal, corpus-based study 237
- The speck in your brother's eye – the beam in your own: Quality management in translation and revision 255
- Publications by Daniel Gile 281
- Name index 295
- Subject index 299
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
-
Scientometrics and history
- An author-centred scientometric analysis of Daniel Gile's œuvre 3
- The turns of Interpreting Studies 25
-
Conceptual analysis
- The status of interpretive hypotheses 49
- Stratégies et tactiques en traduction et interprétation 63
- On omission in simultaneous interpreting: Risk analysis of a hidden effort 83
-
Research skills
- Doctoral training programmes: Research skills for the discipline or career management skills? 109
- Getting started: Writing communicative abstracts 127
- Construct-ing quality 143
-
Empirical studies
- How do experts interpret? Implications from research in Interpreting Studies and cognitive science 159
- The impact of non-native English on students' interpreting performance 179
- Evaluación de la calidad en interpretación simultánea: Contrastes de exposición e inferencias emocionales. Evaluación de la evaluación 193
- Linguistic interference in simultaneous interpreting with text: A case study 215
- Towards a definition of Interpretese: An intermodal, corpus-based study 237
- The speck in your brother's eye – the beam in your own: Quality management in translation and revision 255
- Publications by Daniel Gile 281
- Name index 295
- Subject index 299
