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Destabilizing factors in simultaneous interpreting (using the example of oral syntactic features in speeches delivered by French politicians)

Zigmantovich Dar'ya Sergeevna

PhD in Philology

Senior Lecturer; Faculty of Higher School of Translation; Lomonosov Moscow State University

119991, Russia, Moscow, Leninskie Gory str., 1, p. 51, ---

dashazigmantovich@mail.ru
Other publications by this author
 

 

DOI:

10.25136/2409-8698.2024.9.71636

EDN:

VWKRYB

Received:

30-08-2024


Published:

06-09-2024


Abstract: Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is one of the most complex types of cognitive and communicative activity. Such factors as the simultaneity of speech perception and speech production, multichannel nature of data received for processing, high speed of interpreting, etc. dictate the need educate highly qualified interpreters. This also indicates the importance of determining the criteria that must be taken into account while selecting speeches for the step-by-step mastering of the technique of SI. The subject of the study of this article are the factors influencing the handling of information in the process of simultaneous interpreting and embodied in the individual syntactic features of the speaker's speech. These features determine speeches' translatability and can either represent some destabilizing factors for simultaneous interpreters, or contribute to a more accurate and high-quality interpreting. The author analyzes the syntactic features inherent in the speeches delivered by two presidents of the French Republic – N. Sarkozy and F. Hollande. The article provides a comparative analysis of written texts and delivered speeches and a linguistic analysis of the text in order to identify syntactic features and to describe the impact they can have on the work of interpreters. The author of the article came to the conclusion that the analysis of such features can help in the selection of authentic speeches at the initial stage of mastering the technique of SI and for practicing and automating certain skills at a more advanced level or in the selection of speeches for intensive training in the language combination "French – Russian". The results of the research can be used in the study of texts produced by other speakers and / or in other languages. The results of the research can find application in educational and pedagogical activities, as well as in real interpreting practice.


Keywords:

interpreting, simultaneous interpreting, syntax, syntactic features, destabilizing factor, speech compression, interpreting didactics, orator, French, French political discourse

This article is automatically translated.

Introduction

Simultaneous interpretation (hereinafter – USP) is one of the most difficult types of cognitive and communicative activity. It is distinguished from other types of translation by a number of factors: a high rate of perception, processing and reproduction of incoming information; simultaneous perception of speech in the original language and generation of speech in the target language; the one-time nature of the presentation of the original; limited volume of processed data; work in conditions of time shortage and in the presence of stressful factors.

Mediation of simultaneous interpreters is necessary today in the course of multilingual communication at various events: conferences, summits, forums, round tables, exhibitions, etc. At the same time, there are no restrictions in terms of the subject matter in relation to which translation is required. This can be military affairs, politics, healthcare, court case, cinematography, science and education, trade, etc. From the first days of its existence, simultaneous interpretation has been in demand precisely in the field of international politics: the first courses on the introduction of USP into the activities of international institutions were opened at the International Labour Organization in 1928 [1, pp. 140-143]; the first relevant large-scale experiments concerned issues of politics, peace, security and diplomacy [2, p. 172; 3, p. 21] (in particular, we are talking about the Nuremberg trials in 1939-1945). The existence of a political agenda, as well as the fact that simultaneous interpreters turn out to be the main actors of interlanguage mediation and provide oral communication in the field of politics in a situation of multilingualism, determine the importance of studying the factors influencing the USP, its features and mechanisms through the prism of political discourse.

The experiments conducted, as well as the practice of simultaneous interpretation itself, have shown that there are elements of a destabilizing nature in the speeches of politicians that influence the handling of information in the translation process [4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9].

Destabilizing factors in simultaneous interpretation

In simultaneous interpretation, a crucial role for the process and result of translation is played by "communication participants using signs" [8, p. 238]. It should be noted that the elements of the USP as a "systemic intellectual activity of a person" are connected with each other by systemic relations. The work of simultaneous interpreters, as direct participants in this system, is influenced by a number of external factors: informational, psychological, technological, historical, economic, ethical, aesthetic, etc. [11, pp. 18-19]. Speakers and the peculiarities of their speech also have a significant impact on the process, result and quality of translation. The factors that can destabilize the translator's activity, in particular, include: prosodic features of speech; syntactic features of speech; lexical and stylistic features of speech; personal attitude to the topic; circumstances of the speech.

Let's turn to the definition of the concept of "destabilizing factor". A destabilizing factor is an element of the present situation that disrupts the steady course of a process or phenomenon [12, p. 254]. With regard to simultaneous interpretation, destabilizing factors in the form of the presence of individual prosodic, syntactic, and lexico-stylistic features in political speeches affect the handling of information in the process of translation and determine the translatability/ untranslatability of these speeches.

In this study, the author will show how the individual syntactic features inherent in the speeches of French-speaking politicians can destabilize (complicate) or optimize (facilitate) the work with information in the implementation of the USP. To achieve this goal, we have analyzed the syntactic features characteristic of the speeches of French speakers.

Syntactic features of speakers' speech as a destabilizing factor in simultaneous interpretation

Working with the syntactic features of the speeches of certain speakers often underlies systems of exercises aimed at practicing, improving and automating the skills of simultaneous interpretation [13; 14; 15; 16, etc.]. The didactics of interpretation is actively developing today and is complemented by various kinds of theoretical and practical research.

The definition of syntactic features of speech inherent in certain speakers – rows of homogeneous sentence members, introductory words, participial and adverbial phrases, simple and/or complex syntactic constructions, repetitions, rhetorical questions, etc. – helps in identifying communicative parameters characteristic of speakers [17].

The research was carried out on the basis of speeches by two French politicians – presidents of the French Republic: Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012) and Francois Hollande (2012-2017).

As a result of the analysis, it was found that both politicians use a large number of complex sentences in their speeches: these are mainly complex sentences with various connections (concessions, goals, consequences, causes, etc.) with such unions as que, qui, parce que, car and pour que. Together with these conjunctions, in the vast majority of cases, such verbs are used, such as cgoige, être convaincu, (vouloir, devoir) dire, savoir, falloir, souhaiter, penser, voir, considérer, démontrer, évoquer, regretter, rappeler, être conscious, affirme r and others.

The speeches of French speakers are characterized by an anaphoric repetition of "individual words and phrases at the beginning of several relatively independent segments of speech" [18, p. 110], which sets the necessary emotional background, which is very important in political discourse to properly influence the opinion of the audience and to form the desired attitude to the problem described in the speech. To significantly save time, simultaneous interpreters can resort to speech compression, reducing the volume of text in the target language by compressing duplicate elements of the speech chain and without losing the semantic content of the original, and thereby ensuring the maximum possible completeness and accuracy of translation [19, p. 37; 20, p. 6; 5; 21; 6, p. 83]. However, sometimes, if the translation situation itself requires it, the translator must translate the construction as many times as it was spoken in speech in order to have a relevant impact on the audience.

N. Sarkozy uses anaphoric constructions more often than F. Hollande, and to a greater extent this is true of the speeches that the politician made when addressing the United Nations General Assembly (note that a number of examples were also found in the speech that the politician gave at the university in Dakar):

Anaphoric construction

Example

«Je veux dire au nom de la France que <...>" (speech by Nicolas Sarkozy at the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly, 2007)

Translation: "I want to say on behalf of France that <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

«Je veux dire au nom de la France que cette crise ne sera résolue <...>. Je veux dire, au nom de la France, qu'à la volonté de puissance <...>. Je veux dire au nom de la France qu'il n'y aura pas de paix, <...>».

«On ne peut pas attendre pour <...>" (speech by Nicolas Sarkozy at the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly, 2008)

Translation: "We can't wait, we need to <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

«On ne peut pas attendre pour faire la paix <...>. On ne peut pas attendre pour lutter contre le terrorisme. On ne peut pas attendre pour conjurer la crise alimentaire <...>. On ne peut pas attendre pour préparer le monde de l'après-pétrole, <...>. On ne peut pas attendre pour moraliser le capitalisme financier».

«Voilà/Voici (donc) soixante ans que <...>" (speech by Nicolas Sarkozy at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, 2011)

Translation: "For sixty years now <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

«Voilà donc soixante ans que les Palestiniens attendent leur État. <...> Voilà soixante ans quIsraël souffre de ne pas pouvoir vivre en paix. Voici soixante ans que la question de la coexistence pacifique des deux peuples <...>».

Several interesting examples of anaphoric constructions were also found in F. Hollande's speeches, and this mainly refers to appeals to the United Nations General Assembly:

Anaphoric construction

Example

«Qu’avons-nous appris <...>?" (speech by F. Hollande at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, 2015)

Translation: "What have we learned <...> ?" (our translation is D. Z.).

«Qu’avons-nous appris ces derniers jours et ces dernières semaines ? C’est que le HCR n’avait plus les moyens d’assurer <...> le soutien <...>. Qu’avons-nous appris ? Que le Programme alimentaire mondial n’avait pas les moyens d’assurer <...> le niveau de subsistance et d’alimentation indispensable. Qu’avons-nous appris ?».

«L’enjeu, c’est (donc) de <...>" (speech by F. Hollande at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, 2016)

Translation: "Our goal is to <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

«L’enjeu, c’est donc de répondre aux besoins <...>. L’enjeu, c’est de permettre aux pays africains de <...>. L’enjeu, c’est de réduire les déplacements de populations, <...>».

In the first of the above examples, the speaker shortens the second and third questions, while leaving only the beginning of the phrase.

The next syntactic feature inherent in the speeches of French politicians is a three–part construction - "a syntactic series of three homogeneous members of a sentence or three simple sentences" (see in more detail the dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Philological sciences "Oral political discourse: factors of translatability", 2021). The components of these constructions can either be synonymous (and then simultaneous interpreters can resort to the above-mentioned speech compression and translate only one of the three components), or indirectly or directly referring to the same topic, transmit different meanings (in this case, simultaneous interpreters must translate each of the three components of the structure).

In their speeches, French speakers prefer the first option (to a greater extent F. Hollande) – the components of three-part constructions are synonymous:

Three-part construction

Translation

Comment

«<...> c'est la volatilité, l'instabilité, l'incertitude <...>" (speech by F. Hollande in Davos, 2015).

«<...> we are talking about variability, instability, uncertainty <...>". (our translation is D. Z.).

The meaning of "variability" => "we are talking about variability."

«<...> qu'il n'y ait pas d'autre voie que le dialogue, que la coopération, que la concertation, <...>" (press conference by F. Hollande with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 2014).

«<...> so that there is no other way but dialogue, cooperation, coordination of actions <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

The meaning of "cooperation" => "so that there is no other way but cooperation."

«<...> l’Amérique et la France ont toujours été côte à côte, elles se sont soutenues, elles se sont aidées <...>" (N. Sarkozy's address to the US Congress, 2007).

«<...> America and France have always been close to each other, supported each other and helped each other <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

The meaning of "helping" => "America and France have always helped each other."

"L'alliance, la compréhension, la convergence entre la première économie d'Europe et la deuxième économie d'Europe" (N. Sarkozy's press conference with German Chancellor A. Merkel, 2012).

"Union, understanding and common ground between the first and second economic powers of Europe" (our translation – D. Z.).

The meaning of "similarity of views" and "partnership" => "Mutual understanding between the first and second economic powers of Europe".

N. Sarkozy usually prefers the enumeration of homogeneous members of a sentence (more than three), which are not always connected by a common meaning:

Three-part construction

Translation

«C'est la science et c'est la technologie et c'est l'innovation qui permettront à nos deux peuples <...>" (N. Sarkozy's speech in India, 2010).

"It is science, technology and innovation that will enable our two peoples <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

«<...> les Français ont peur pour leurs économies, peur pour leur employi, peur pour leur pouvoir d'achat" (speech by N. Sarkozy in Toulon, 2008).

"The French are afraid for their savings, for their jobs and purchasing power <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

«<...> elle [cette solution] créera des violences, des amertumes et des oppositions <...>" (speech by Nicolas Sarkozy at the 66th session of the UN General Assembly, 2011).

"This decision will lead to violence, painful experiences and confrontation <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

Another feature of French political discourse, which acts as a destabilizing factor in simultaneous interpretation, is the presence of plug-in structures: speakers, without completing the development of an idea, insert another phrase into their speech, which is indirectly related to the main idea. This construction acts as a barrier for a simultaneous interpreter and creates additional difficulties, since there is a "gap" between the beginning and the end of the sentence (see in more detail the dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Philological sciences "Oral political discourse: factors of translatability", 2021).

Plug-in structures were found mainly in F.'s speeches. Hollande:

Plug-in design

Comment

«Nous avons saisi cette occasion, même si nous nous sommes quittés il y a peu, puisque la dernière fois c’était à Bruxelles, et nous avons eu depuis plusieurs conversations téléphoniques. Mais nous avons convenu que cette rencontre pouvait être aussi l'occasion d'aborder d'autres sujets d'actualité" (press conference by F. Hollande with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 2015).

Translation: "We took this opportunity, even if our paths parted recently, since we last met in Brussels, and since then we have held a number of telephone conversations, but we agreed that this meeting could also be an opportunity to discuss other current issues" (our translation is D. Z.).

The plug-in design is 25 units.

«Mais ce dont je suis sûr – parce que j’ai cette expérience d’élu et parce que j’ai cette responsabilité qui est la mienne aujourd’hui avec conscience de notre Histoire qui est la nôtre, ce dont je suis sûr, c’est que <...>" (speech by F. Hollande in Paris, 2012).

Translation: "But what I am sure of – because I have this experience as an elected official and because I bear this responsibility that lies with me today, with the awareness of our history, which belongs to us – I am sure that <...>" (our translation is D. Z.).

The plug-in design is 26 units.

Conclusions

The syntactic features of the original speech works have a direct impact on the process and result of simultaneous interpretation, on the work of simultaneous interpreters. Unloaded sentences take the load off the translators' memory, and also allow the use of speech compression. In addition, knowledge of the features of speakers' speeches can have an impact on the ability to predict perceived information. The use of "typical" syntax by speakers helps to minimize semantic errors in simultaneous interpretation.

The study of the syntactic features of the speech of the original speech works makes it possible to establish destabilizing factors in the work of translators (which include, for example, plug-in constructions), which is especially important and relevant at the initial stage of mastering the technique of simultaneous interpretation. Along with pauses that do not correspond to the logic of utterance and a high rate of speech, these destabilizing elements can negatively affect the quality and accuracy of translation. Knowledge of syntactic (as well as prosodic and lexico-stylistic) features of speakers' speech is a promising area for further research and makes it possible to develop new exercises, which is very important for optimizing the training of translators for USP as a complex type of cognitive and communicative activity.

References
1. Baigorri-Jalón, J. (2014). From Paris to Nuremberg: The birth of conference interpreting. Translated by H. Mikkelson and B. Slaughter Olsen. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
2. Garbovsky, N. K. (2007). Translation Theory: textbook. 2nd ed. Moscow: Moscow University Press.
3. Matasov, R. A. (2008). Simultaneous Interpretation at the Nuremberg Trial, Moscow University Translation Studies. Bulletin, Series 22, Translation Theory, 2, 18-34.
4. Minyar-Beloruchev, R. K. (1959). Методика обучения переводу на слух [Methodology of teaching oral translation]. Moscow: Institute of International Relations Publ.
5. Chernov, G. V. (1987). Основы синхронного перевода [Basics of simultaneous interpreting]. Moscow: Higher School Publ.
6. Shiryaev, A. F. (1979). Синхронный перевод: Деятельность синхронного переводчика и методика преподавания синхронного перевода [Simultaneous interpreting. Simultaneous interpreter and methodology of teaching simultaneous interpreting]. Moscow: Voenizdat Publ.
7. Barik, H. C. (1969). A Study of Simultaneous Interpretation. Unpublished thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
8. Gerver, D. (2002). The Effects of Source Language Presentation Rate on the Performance of Simultaneous Conference Interpreters, 1969. In F. Pöchhacker & M. Shlesinger (Eds.), The Interpreting Studies Reader (pp. 53-66). London; New York: Routledge.
9. Oléron, P., & Nanpon, H. (2002). Research into simultaneous translation (translated by Ruth Morris), 1965. In F. Pöchhacker & M. Shlesinger (Eds.), The Interpreting Studies Reader (pp. 43-50). London; New York: Routledge.
10. Komissarov, V. N. (2011). Современное переводоведение [Modern translation studies]. 2nd ed. Moscow: R. ValentPubl.
11. Garbovsky, N. K., & Kostikova, O. I. (2018). Translation and society. Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin, Series 22, Translation Theory, 1, 17-40.
12. Kuznetsov, S. A. (2000). Большой толковый словарь русского языка [Big explanatory dictionary of the Russian language]. Saint Petersburg: Norint Publ.
13. Wisson, L. (2005). Russian problems in English Speech. Words and phrases in the context of two cultures. 3rd ed. Moscow: R. Valent Publ.
14. Pogodin, B. P. (2018). Опыт преподавания синхронного перевода [Experience in teaching simultaneous interpreting]. Moscow: R. Valent Publ.
15. Falaleev, A., & Malofeeva, A. (2014). Упражнения для синхрониста. Зеленое яблоко. Самоучитель устного перевода с английского языка на русский [Exercises for a simultaneous interpreter. Green apple]. Saint Petersburg: Perspektiva Publ., Yuniks Publ.
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Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

It is worth recognizing that "simultaneous interpretation is one of the most difficult types of cognitive and communicative activity. It is distinguished from other types of translation by a number of factors: the high rate of perception, processing and reproduction of incoming information; simultaneous perception of speech in the original language and generation of speech in the target language; the one-time nature of the presentation of the original ...". In this regard, new scientific research is fully justified and necessary. The article has a finished look, its main goal has been achieved, the tasks have been solved, the practical nature of the work is justified. Judgments, variants of theses are objective and verified: for example, "The speeches of French speakers are characterized by anaphoric repetition of "individual words and phrases at the beginning of several relatively independent segments of speech" [18, p. 110], due to which the necessary emotional background is set, which is very important in political discourse to properly influence the opinion of the audience and to form the desired attitude to the problem described in the speech. To significantly save time, simultaneous interpreters can resort to speech compression, reducing the volume of text in the target language by compressing duplicate elements of the speech chain and without losing the semantic content of the original, and thereby ensure the maximum possible completeness and accuracy of translation...", or "the next syntactic feature inherent in the speeches of French politicians is a three-part The construction is "a syntactic series of three homogeneous members of a sentence or three simple sentences" (see in more detail the dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Philological sciences "Oral political discourse: factors of translatability", 2021). The components of these constructions can either be synonymous (and then simultaneous interpreters can resort to the above-mentioned speech compression and translate only one of the three components), or indirectly or directly referring to the same topic, transmit different meanings (in this case simultaneous interpreters must translate each of the three components of the structure),"etc. Material for analysis It is selected constructively, taking into account relevant positions within the framework of political discourse: "the study was carried out on the basis of speeches by two French politicians – presidents of the French Republic: Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012) and Francois Hollande (2012-2017)." The comparative tone is maintained throughout the work, in fact, this is the novelty of this work, and this actualizes the research for an interested audience. The option of comparing the speeches of two "significant" French politicians of recent years is justified, balanced, and probably still significant. Tabular view / stabilization of the visuality of the accumulated data in the format of linguistic works, in my opinion, is effective. The methods of analyzing "live speech" are relevant, justified, accurate; no serious discrepancies have been identified, the basic requirements of the publication have been taken into account. In the final, the author concludes that "the study of the syntactic features of the speech of the original speech works makes it possible to establish destabilizing factors in the work of translators (which include, for example, plug-in constructions), which is especially important and relevant at the initial stage of mastering the technique of simultaneous interpretation. Along with pauses that do not correspond to the logic of utterance and a high rate of speech, these destabilizing elements can negatively affect the quality and accuracy of translation. Knowledge of syntactic (as well as prosodic and lexico-stylistic) features of speakers' speech is a promising area for further research and makes it possible to develop new exercises, which is very important for optimizing the training of translators for USP as a complex type of cognitive and communicative activity." The result, I think, corresponds to the basic part, while as such the conclusion is "open", i.e. research in related thematic areas is possible and justified. With that said, I can note that the reviewed article "Destabilizing factors in simultaneous interpretation (using the example of syntactic features of speeches by French politicians)" is interesting, useful, practically directed, it can be recommended for publication in the scientific journal "Litera".