Document1
Print Interpreting from the perspective of linguistics, phonetics and translation
studies
Anukaisa Alanen1, Mari Lehtinen1, Maija Tanhuamäki2, Liisa Tiittula1
1
University of Helsinki, 2University of Tampere
The project sub-programme presented in this poster investigates the process of print
interpreting from the perspective of linguistics, phonetics and translations studies. The subprogramme is led by Professor Liisa Tiittula, and it is implemented at the Department of
Modern Languages of the University of Helsinki. The poster includes brief descriptions of
different subjects that are being studied, as well as some preliminary results.
Roughly speaking, there are five parts in this sub-programme. Each of them approaches the
process of print interpreting from a slightly different angle. One part concerns the role of nonverbal elements in print interpreting. Another one is about interaction in print interpreting
mediated conversations. The third part concentrates on print interpreting in the context of
foreign language learning. The fourth one, in turn, is focussed on coherence of print
interpreted output. The fifth part deals with the relationship between the prosody of speech
and the features of the written output.
The data comes from different video- and audiotaped situations (conferences, group meetings,
learning situations, etc.) that have been translated by professional print interpreters. For
example, methods of conversation analysis and instrumental phonetics have been used in the
analyses of this data. Contrastive analyses of the spoken source text and the written target
text have been carried out with varying scopes. In addition to the video- and audiotaped
situations, interviews and discussions of print interpreters as well as documents regulating the
profession have been studied.
Figure 1: Printed output on the computer screen of the interpreter