Shifts in Cohesion in Simultaneous Interpreting

Abstract

AbstractAny text hangs together by virtue of a network of relations which establish links between its various parts; these links, or cohesive ties, enable the reader or hearer to process the text in a coherent way. For the simultaneous interpreter, the process of recognizing cohesive ties is encumbered by various constraints which are intrinsic to simultaneous interpreting, including speed of delivery (which the interpreter cannot control), linearity (the fact that the text becomes available only gradually), and the interpreter's own limitations in terms of accessing background information assumed by the speaker to be available to his/her audience, including the interpreter. This study examines shifts of cohesion which occur in simultaneous interpreting, using data drawn from an eleven-minute piece of spontaneous discourse as rendered by thirteen student interpreters. Preliminary findings suggest that shifts do occur in all types of cohesive devices, particularly in those perceived as not essential to the informational content of the text and in devices whose recognition requires knowledge which is not available to the interpreter. Additional informationNotes on contributorsMiriam ShlesingerMiriam Shlesinger, Department of Translation and Interpretation, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Can, Israel. [e-mail]