engleski

Simultaneous interpretation of numbers: cognitive- linguistic approach or how to be on cloud nine

Various studies (Lederer 1978, Pinochi 2009) have shown that numbers represent lexical items which are very difficult to interpret since they are short segments lacking redundancy. Nonetheless, they are very high in informative content and as such require extreme concentration on the part of the interpreter. Traditionally, in simultaneous interpretation numbers were observed as having univocity of meaning, i.e. correspondence between 'signifiant' and 'signifié', and lacking semantic content (Gile 2009, Seleskovitch, 1988, Alessandrini, 1990). However, by relying on approaches drawing on the cognitive-linguistic approach to meaning (Dobrovolskij and Piirainen 2006, Núñez 2009) we suggest that numbers, especially when parts of idiomatic expressions, should also be observed as (bona fide) meaningful linguistic units which fall back on cognitive mechanisms shaped by the appropriate cultural and historical settings, supported by language, writing systems, and education. This study aims to establish how trainees interpret figurative elements containing numbers that can be explained by means of the cognitive-linguistic approach. The study was conducted by observing trainee- interpreters interpreting speeches with idiomatic expressions containing numbers. The instances of numbers and their interpretations were identified and analyzed with the aim of identifying the preferred strategies and the impact of the chosen strategy on the quality of the rendered text. Categorization of errors was initially based on the coding schemes of Braun and Clarici (1996), Cheung (2009), Mazza (2001), McDonald and Carpenter (1981) and Pinochi (2009), but since this study applied the cognitive-linguistic approach to interpretation of numbers, it was modified to meet our needs. The results show that trainees mostly use omissions and approximations or that their interpretation relies on the interpreter’s (lack) of awareness/knowledge of the proper idiom in the target language

simultaneous interpretation, numbers, cognitive-linguistic approach, omissions, errors

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