Simultaneous interpretation would surely be a better option for such assignments, but logistic and economic demands often make it impossible for festival organisers to consider it. Yet the job has to be performed. And interpreters have to be aware of this facet of their work and have to be prepared and trained to focus, on certain occasions, as much on words as on ideas.
As far as training is concerned, the issue is not a new one. As Danica Seleskovitch explained as early as 1965, three forms of speech exist (descriptive, dialectic and affective) to which three forms of interpretation correspond (an explanation, an argumentation, and an eloquence exercise).[vi] Obviously, speech can be a mix of those different forms, and the role of the interpreter is always to be absolutely faithful to the speaker. However, each form implies a more or less “deverbalised" interpretation. The interpreter will thus have to be either more - or less - faithful to the words of the source speech.
The explanatory, descriptive interpretation (e.g. technical or scientific debates, procedural discussions), totally devoid of emotive power, can be longer or shorter than the original, and also very free as far as reformulation is concerned. The meaning is what matters, and the content of the interpretation prevails even if its form differs from the original.
The argumentative interpretation (e.g. political negotiations, arbitration tribunals, where the stances of the participants are known beforehand) must scrupulously reflect the original speech and all the nuances, as well as convey all the arguments and intentions of the speaker (threat, limitation, compromise, etc.). Both content and form matter.
An eloquent speech (e.g. welcoming remarks, thank-you dinner speeches) is generally targeted at an audience, not at interlocutors. It aims at moving the audience and triggering emotions. When interpreting eloquence, the interpreter has to convey the same emotions, feelings and style, and therefore has to make a connection with the audience and find the right voice. During an eloquence exercise, the form matters.
Despite the artificial character of such distinctions, it is nevertheless relevant to train interpreters in the different methods of interpretation they imply. When interpreting for an artist as eloquent as Makine, the form of the interpretation is essential. Words matter as much as ideas. No doubt I worked differently on that occasion; I had to be more creative than usual and call upon my linguistic and literary skills. I found the resources to do so in my own literary background. Was such a background a requirement to perform well that day? I don't know. But the work I did was definitely of a stylistic, literary order. This is why I wonder today whether we should recognise the existence of a new facet in the role of interpreters. Working with Makine, I felt that I was a sort of literary translator of the spoken word, a literary interpreter.
Daniel Gile has explained that if we accept taxonomy for written translation, which differentiates literary translation and the translation of essentially informative texts (legal, medical, etc.), we could also differentiate conference, court, and social/community interpreting.[vii] How would we classify what interpreters do when they work for artists and writers? I would be tempted to add a new category to this acknowledged taxonomy: that of literary interpreting.
| Title | Translate into | Role | Rating |
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English
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Main translator
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Not provided
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