Branca Vianna
Simultaneous interpreting: A relevance-theoretic approach
This paper is an attempt to discuss a specific mode of translation?simultaneous interpreting (SI)?within the framework of relevance theory (RT). It is based on Ernst-August Gutt’s account of translation, Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context (2000). The introduction presents the notion of simultaneous interpreting as interpretive use of language, in which the speech produced by the interpreter achieves relevance by virtue of its interpretive resemblance with the source speech. Part one reflects on the differences between written translation and simultaneous interpreting. Part two considers the question of effort, a crucial relevance-theoretic concept, in terms of the effort expended both by the interpreter and by her listeners. Part three discusses the role of the interpreter in the communicative act and the possible degrees of interpretive resemblance achieved by the interpreter’s rendering of the source speech. Part four suggests a few relevance-theoretic explanations to certain types of errors in simultaneous interpreting. The paper comes to the conclusion that relevance-theory is not only an excellent framework for simultaneous interpreting research but also a possible tool for improving interpreter-training methods.
Intercultural Pragmatics, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 1612-295X
Volume: 2, 06/2005
Pages: 169 - 190
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