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Shared Features and Differences
By way of a reminder, a few definitions and a brief review of the fundamental
shared features and differences between translation and interpreting
may help prepare the ground for a discussion of research into these two disciplines.
Since these aspects are explained elsewhere in the literature, and are
only mentioned here by way of introduction to an analysis of research into
translation and interpreting, the following review will remain fairly general,
with a few pointers to the literature for further information and views.
Definitions
For the purposes of this chapter, I shall use the word translation for a written
target-language reformulation of a written source text and the words interpretation
or interpreting for a non-written re-expression of a non-written source
text. Most of the discussion will focus on interpretation from a spoken
language into another spoken language, but much of it also applies to interpretation
from a spoken language into a sign language and vice versa. Within
interpreting, I shall refer mostly to conference interpreting, the type of interpreting
which enjoys the highest prestige and the highest remuneration.
Conference interpreters work mostly at meetings organised by international
organisations, by large industrial corporations, by government bodies at a high
level and for radio and television. Court interpreters work essentially at court
proceedings. Sign-language interpreters work in all environments where deaf
people need to communicate with hearing people. Community interpreters
(also called dialogue interpreters, public service interpreters, etc.) work mostly
in environments where individuals from minority groups or foreigners,
interact with the public authorities and medical authorities in a host-country
(see Roberts et al., 2000). This ‘social’ classification of interpreting has implications
for the development of research, as is explained later.
Besides ‘pure translation’ and ‘pure interpreting’, there are also ‘intermediate’
types, such as sight translation, where the source text is written and the
target text is spoken but this distinction is not relevant to the present discussion.