An Analysis of the Iranain Simultaneous Interpreter’s Strategies Based on Translation Spotting: A Study of Inferetial and Temporal Discourse Markers

Document Type : research article

Author

Assistant professor of applied linguistics, Arak University, Arak, Iran

Abstract

Simultaneous interpretation involves the parallel and temporal decoding and encoding of information within natural language processing framework. And language processing includes change and adaptation. The present researcher tried to analyze simultaneous interpreter’s interpreting strategies in the interpretation of the two groups of the most frequent, effective, complex, and apparently simple discourse monitoring elements, that is, discourse markers (DMs). To carry out the study, the researcher applied parallel data focusing on the comparative analysis of inferential and temporal discourse markers from Persian into English. To meet the aims of the research, three Persian lectures along with their simultaneous interpretation were selected randomly. Coherence theory in discourse analysis and translation spotting in translation studies shaped the theoretical perspectives the study, and an inventory of discourse markers. The basis of this analysis was a comparative analysis of discourse markers in source and target texts. The results revealed that this simultaneous interpreter applied four groups of elaborative, contrastive, inferential, and temporal discourse markers in simultaneous interpretation of inferential and temporal discourse markers. This is a creative, flexible, and innovative approach in construction of discourse substantiated from an awareness of discoursal differences between two languages and application of this awareness in planning and creation of proper discourse for the audience. Moreover, this analysis revealed that this Iranian simultaneous interpreter applied a theory in pragmatics, that is, underspecification and another theory in linguistics, that is, co-operative principles. Different implications in various research and educational perspectives about curriculum planning, material preparation, and educational discourse were suggested.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Aijmer, K. & Simon-Vanderbergen, A. (2006). Pragmatic markers in contrast. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Aijmer, K. (2002). English discourse particles: Evidence from a corpus. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Alo, M. (2010). A pragmatic appraisal of the translation of Yoruba discourse markers into English. African Journal of History and Culture, 2(4), 55-63.
Cartoni, L & Zuferry, S. (2013). Annotating the meaning of discourse connectives by looking at their translation based on translation spotting, Dialogue and Discourse, 4(8), 65-86. 
Castro, C. M. (2009). The use and functions of discourse markers in EFL classroom interaction. Profile, 11, 57-77.
Chaume, F. (2004). Discourse markers in audiovisual translating. Meta: Translators' Journal, 49(4), 843-855.
Chen, Z. & Dong, X. (2010). Simultaneous interpreting: principles and training. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 1(5), 714-716.
Chesterman, A. (2016). Memes of translation. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 
Crible, L. Abuczki, A. Burksaitiene, N. Furko, P. & Nedoluzhko, A. (2019). Functions and translations of discourse markers in TED talks: a parallel corpus study of underspecification in five languages. Journal of Pragmatics, 4(142), 139-155.
Crible, L. & Degand, L. (2019). Domains and functions: a two-dimensional account of discourse markers. Discours, 4(5), pp. 15-30.
Egg, M.  & Redeker, G. (2008). Underspecified discourse representation. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
Frank-Job, B. (2006). A Dynamic-interactional approach to aiscourse markers. In K. Fischer (Ed), Approaches to discourse particles (pp. 359-375). Oxford: Elsevier.
Frisson, S. & Pickering, M. (2001). Obtaining a figurative interpretation of a word: support for underspecification. Metaphor and Symbol, 16(4), 149–171.
Frisson, S. (2009). Semantic underspecification in language processing. Language and Linguistics Compass, 3(1), 111–127.
Furko, P. (2014). Perspectives on the translation of discourse markers. Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica, 6(2), 181–196.
Gile, D. (2005). Directionality in conference interpreting: a cognitive view, Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260120149.
Gile, D. (2018). Simultaneous interpreting, in C. Sinwai (ed). An encyclopedia of practical translation and interpreting (pp. 531-561), Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.
Glanzberg, M. (2018). The coherence theory. Available: https://www .oxfordhandbooks.
Gonzalez, M., (2004). Pragmatic markers in oral narrative: the case of English and Catalan.
Pragmatics and Beyond New Series. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 
Grice, H. P (1975). Logic and conversation. Available: https://www .oxfordhandbooks.
Groute, B. (2002) Representing temporal discourse markers for generation purposes, Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2416454.
Gumul, E. (2006). Explicitation in simultaneous interpreting. Across Languages and Cultures, 7(2), 171–190.
Hajimia, H. (2018). A corpus based analysis of discourse markers in Malaysian online news paper articles. Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(1), 19-24.
Hauge, S. (2014). Corpus-based studies in contrastive linguistics. Oslo Studies in Language 6(1), 43–52.
Hoek, J. & Zufferey, S. (2015). Factors influencing the implicitation of discourse relations across languages. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269105580
Jiang, Z. & Tao, Y. (2017). Translation universals of Discourse Markers in Russian-to-Chinease academic texts. Zeitschrift fur Slawistik, 62(4), 583-605.
Maschler, Y. & Schiffrin, D. (2015). Discourse markers: language, meaning, and context. In N. Tanen, T. Hamilton, and D. Schiffrin. (Eds.), The handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 179-221) Oxford: Blackwell. 
Mohammadi, A. M. (2021). An analysis of the underspecifications of “AND” in parallel corpora: a case study in simultaneous translation in Iranian context. Foreign Language Research Journal, 11(1), 67-80.
Mohammadi, A. M. & Dehghan, R. (2020). An analysis of discourse markers in translation criticism: introducing a discourse monitoring model in the Iranian context. Translation Studies Quarterly, 18(69), 7–24.
Redeker, G. (2006). Discourse markers as attentional cues at discourse transitions. In K. Fischer (Ed), Approaches to discourse particles (pp. 339-357). Amstersam: Elsevier.
Schiffrin, D. (1987). Discourse markers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Schiffrin, D. (2006). Discourse marker research and theory: revisiting and. In K. Fischer (Ed), Approaches to discourse particles (pp. 315-339). Amstersam: Elsevier. 
Schilder, F. (1998). Temporal discourse markers and the flow of events. Available: https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/W98-0310
Scholman, M.  & Demberg, V. (2017). Examples and Specifications That Prove a Point, Dialogue and Discourse, 8(2), 56-83.
Spooren, W. (1997). The Processing of Underspecified Coherence Relations. Discourse Processes, 24, 149-168.
Steele, D. (2015). Improving the translation of discourse markers for chinese into English. Available: https://www.oxfordhandbooks.
Urgelles-Coll, M. (2010). The syntax and semantics of discourse markers. London: Continuum.
Zufferey, S. (2017). Discourse connectives across languages: factors influencing their explicit or implicit translation. Languages in Contrast, 16(2), 264-279.
فقیه ملک مرزبان، نسرین. (1387). شور عطف.  فصلنامه علمی-پژوهشی علوم انسانی دانشگاه الزهرا، 4(2)، 145-168.
محمدی، علی محمد. (1394). درآمدی بر مدیریت گفتمان. پژوهش­های زبان­شناختی در زبان‌های خارجی، 4(1)، 34-52.
Journal of Foreign Language Research
Volume 12, Issue 1
April 2022
Pages 132-152

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics