Consecutive Interpreting in English
Unit 2 Discussion
Questions
Question 1:
• How can knowing about types of
interpreter errors affect your
understanding of the interpreting
process?
Answer to question 1:
• Knowing the types and effects of
various errors on the interpretation
process can help you be more:
• Accountable for your work
• Ability to analyze your own work
• Helps focus attention on specific
component processes such as:
– Comprehension
– Memory
– Production
• Improvement strategies can be applied
Question 2:
• What are the main types of errors
according to Gonzalez et al (1991)?
Answer to question 2:
• The main types of errors are:
• Literal translation
• Inadequate language proficiency
– Grammatical errors
– Lexical errors
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Register conservation
Distortion
Additions
Omissions
Protocol, Procedures and Ethics and
Non-conservation of paralinguistic features
Literal Translation Errors :
• Literal translation errors where the
interpreter does not preserve the ideas
but focuses on substituting words from
the target language for words in the
source language.
• Example:
• Interpreter: I work in the package of
lemons.
• Should be: I’m a lemon packer.
Inadequate Language Proficiency:
• General lack of language fluency makes
it impossible for an interpreter to
comprehend text well enough to
convert ideas fully and faithfully at the
requisite speed into the TL without
faltering and communication
breakdowns.
4 Processing Problems:
1. Lack of ability to correctly predict
language patterns. (sentences & expressions)
• Example: “Good evening, ladies and
gentlemen” rather than “Good evening
gentlemen and ladies”
– Language patterns in intonation
• Example: “In conclusion” –prepare for a
summary of points-interpreter can mentally
access memory for points
4 Processing Problems:
2. Cognitive Processing Errors:
weaknesses in skills as comprehension,
memory, acuity and discrimination,
repetition, number processing, and
multi-tasking.
4 Processing Problems:
3. Inadequate attention span in the weaker
language due to a misuse of effort at the
comprehension and memory storage stage of
the interpreting process.
– It’s common to feel fatigue in listening to and
trying to comprehend a language in which you are
not completely fluent.
– Comprehension of source message is affected if
source language is the weaker language.
– If target language is the weaker language then
weaknesses in attention span will lead to errors in
monitoring and self-correction.
4 Processing Problems:
• 4. Interference between languages
means sounds, words, grammatical
patterns, and other features from one
language are incorrectly used in the
other language.
• Two main categories of errors in
language proficiency:
1. Grammatical Errors
• Verb Conjugation can skew the meaning of the
message
• Verb Tense Agreement can alter the sense and
can affect the credibility of the speaker
• Preserving Numbers can alter message
drastically
Example:
Interpreter: Maybe I had a relative there…
Should be: Maybe if I had had a relative there…
• Two main categories of errors in language
proficiency:
2. Lexical errors are due to a weak or
inadequate access to the wide variety of
synonyms and other intralingual skills.
– Weaknesses in target language vocabulary can be
overcome by accurate paraphrasing skills.
– With accurate & rapid paraphrasing skills the
interpreter can explain the topic or term in
different words even when they do not know the
specific term in the target language.
– Language deficient interpreters would
paraphrase, define, invent, omit, guess and very
often cause a web of confusion.
Examples of Lexical Errors:
Interpreter:“ Nowendays (sic) a lot of
people reappear dead.”
– Should be: “Nowadays a lot of people turn
up dead. “
– Interpreter: “They came to recruit her.”
– Should be: “They came to kidnap her.”
Errors in Register Conservation:
• Register refers to the level of formality of
speech from courtroom, classroom, to a
social event etc.
– If has limited register i.e., informal, then the
interpreter’s message is skewed in all other
registers.
– Interpreters must be able to correctly understand
a full range of registers and to match the
language.
Example: Idiom- “scared to death”
• She is afraid of death
• She can’t sleep at night
• She is very afraid of her death.
– None of these preserve the meaning thus message
is lost.
Distortion:
• When a message is distorted, either the
overall or part of meaning is lost.
• Prevalent among developing interpreters
possibly because interpreters doesn’t
understand the importance of preserving the
entire message.
• Three possible reasons:
– Deficient language skills,
– Memory, or
– Interpretation skills
• Most likely to happen when message is very
short. (under 15 words) or if it has technical
language, emotional intensity, hedges,
particles, false starts, unfinished sentences,
and incoherent language.
Examples of Distortion:
1. Interpreter: He has received some
threats; all the time they were after
him until he was killed.
Should be: they threatened him, they
pursued him until they killed him.
2. Interpreter: I just felt a little punched.
Should be: I just felt the great blow.
3. Interpreter: I lost my eyesight.
Should be: I lost my eye in combat.
Omission:
• Information that is deleted or left out.
– If experienced interpreters leave out
information tends to be due to fatigue. ‘
– Less experienced interpreters tend to omit
due to failure to comprehend, inability to
express a concept in the target language,
or other language-based problems.
– Processing or memory problems can lead
to omission.
Examples of Omission:
• Interpreter: She said that when they came in
she got nervous, that she was very nervous.
She asked what’s happening and when she
asked that and got in front of them, they put
her aside.
• Should be: Well, when they entered, she says
she got scared and became very nervous.
When she asked them what was happening
and faced them, they took her aside and beat
her up.
• Interpreter: Well, they didn’t kill him, they
threw him in there.
• Should be: Well, they didn’t kill him, they
threw him in there alive.
Additions:
Several Reasons:
• When an interpreter does not understand source
message, may add several possible meanings to
express concept.
• Using silence to add fillers & repetitions which can
change a concise & compelling answer into a
rambling & weak response.
– Use silence as a brief rest period.
– Powerless speech is characterized by lengthened responses.
• Does not remember the source message so “invent”
information than keep silent or ask for clarification.
• Example:
• Interpreter: I believed that they killed, and it was an
injustice what they did to her.
• Should be: …that they killed her unjustly.
Protocol, Procedure, and Ethics
• Being faithful to the message even when the
message includes profanities
• Necessity to correct errors especially when
interpretation becomes part of a formal
record.
• Ex: in legal settings, which can cause
confusion and harm.
• Ex: conversing with a witness while waiting
for a trial to begin may provide interpreter
with additional information that may later
bias the interpretation or lead to mistakes.
• Ethics, procedures, protocol, and
confidentiality are all extremely important.
Nonconservation of Paralinguistic Elements,
Hedges, and Fillers
• Repetition of words or phrases, incomplete
sentences, and words like “um”, “uh”, and “ah”.
• Example:
• Interpreter: Well, uh, because it is that way, Let’s
put it this way…
• Should be: Well, uh, I don’t know how to say it. It’s
that when..no of course it was that way, but how can
I tell you: Let’s see , let’s see, let’s put it this way…
• Adding or subtracting fillers and hedges can change
the impact of the message. Interpreters must be
aware of the importance of preserving the message
in its entirety including these paralinguistic
elements.
Question 3:
• How does lack of language proficiency
affect the interpretation process?
Answer to question 3:
• Lack of language proficiency affects the
interpretation process in several
important ways:
• If weakness is in the source language,
it may mean the interpreter cannot
understand the source message fully
enough to interpret it.
• If weakness is in target language, the
interpreter will have difficulty
expressing the message clearly and
accurately in the target language.
Question 4:
• How does the point in the process
where the error occurs impact the
message?
Answer to Question 4:
• The earlier in the process the error occurs,
the more serious the error is likely to be and
more likely to cause a serious problem in the
target language message.
• Ex: Errors in comprehension are likely to be
more serious than errors in transfer.
• Likewise, errors in transfer is likely to be
more serious than errors in reformulation.
• Reformulation errors can be less serious if
they are pronunciation errors.
• However errors in reformulation can be very
serious if the error is in word selection or
syntax and if it changes the meaning.
Errors in Interpreting:
Comprehension
Very serious
Transfer
Serious
Reformulation
Less serious
Describing an Audience:
• Factors:
1. Size of the group
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Large-over 50 people
Medium-25-49 people
Small-under 25
Interview setting-3-4 participants
2. Language used by the audience members and which
register of that language is most appropriate for the setting
and participants.
– Mix of hearing and deaf
– All deaf members (signed languages primary)
– All hearing members (spoken language primary)
– Unknown
3. Background knowledge and culture of the target audience
4. Conferences-tend to know the jargon and related
background information.
Be prepared to describe your audience