Analysis Of The Role Of Interpreter Based On Goffman’s Participation Framework

Diplomatic interpreting is a common form of interpreting,in which interpreters play an important role in its bilateral and multilateral communication.However,the role of interpreters in diplomatic and political occasions has not been paid enough attention,because compared with interpreters in other settings,diplomatic interpreters have less room for adjustment and enjoy a lower interpreting flexibility.Therefore,it is generally believed that diplomatic interpreters are more in line with the traditional definition of interpreters,playing passive roles such as "channels","mouthpieces","microphones",and "language converters",but this is not the case.Even in serious and solemn diplomatic settings,the interpreter is a complex and dynamic role,and its role is constantly changing,which also has a certain impact on the parties involved in the conversation and the process of the conversation.With the development of globalization and multilateralism,the demand for diplomatic interpretation in China has been increasing.Therefore,it is particularly important to study the role of interpreters in this situation.This study selects the 2021 China-US High-Level Strategic Dialogue as a case,and uses Goffman’s participation framework as the guiding theory to analyze the role of Chinese consecutive interpreters in the strategic dialogue through verbal and non-verbal factors,and its impact on the communication process.At the same time,this paper refines the translator’s role as a speaker based on the "production formats" in the participation framework,including the roles of "animator","author" and "principal",which proves that the interpreter indeed is an active participant.In addition,based on the "reception formats " of the participation framework,the study also analyzes how interpreters switch between "addressed listeners" and "unaddressed listeners",having interactions with communicative parties,thus making a positive impact on the communication process.The innovation of this research is mainly reflected in the following three points:First,this paper focuses on the role of diplomatic interpreters that lacks attention and encounters misunderstandings so as to provide references for future related research.2.In addition to discussing the common role of interpreter as "speaker",this paper also focuses on the role of interpreter as "listener",which expands the research perspective of interpreter’s roles.3.The research results of this paper also have certain value for interpreting practice,and certain enlightening significance for professional training,interpreter norms,interpreting service and other fields.