On Oral Interpretation From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

The Relevance Theory (RT hereafter) put forward by Dan Sperber and DeirdreWilson (S&W hereafter) studies the dynamic inferential nature of communication in asystematic way, which has drawn much concern from linguists. In translation and oralinterpretation, RT is also very powerful. The thesis presents a brief review of the study,analyzing the problems of their studies at first on translation and oral interpretationfrom the perspective of RT, and introduces the two goals of this study, i.e.ostensive-inferential communication and the two Principles of Relevance in RT canaccount for oral interpretation and its dilemma. Meanwhile in ostensive-inferentialcommunication the contextual effect upon which relevance relies will help the furtherstudy of anticipation in oral interpretation. The logical connection between these twoaspects is the former one focuses on the relevance in RT, and the latter one focuses onthe contextual effect relevance relies on.As the ostensive-inferential communication and the two Principles of Relevancecan account for oral interpretation in terms of dynamic nature, so this thesisintroduces the advantages and disadvantages of the code model and inferential modelin communication and emphatically explains the ostensive-inferential communicationin RT. According to E. A. Gutt, translation is one ostensive-inferentialcommunication.And as oral interpretation is one special act of translation, so the thesis definesoral interpretation in terms of its dynamic nature, and introduces the three features oforal interpretation, i.e. oral interpretation is one highly interactive communicationwith a high speed and a heavy workload; and clients have high expectations uponinterpreters. Therefore as the link in the dynamic triangle relationship in oralinterpretation, interpreters have to perform well in this triangle relationship. ThereforeRT is a new perspective in studying oral interpretation. As oral interpretation is oneact of ostensive-inferential communication, so the dilemma, i.e. the issues of thequality assessment, the redundancy, the cultural default, the relation between validity and fidelity in oral interpretation, can be well accounted for within RT.Not only does RT account for oral interpretation in terms of ostensive-inferential communication theoretically, the three entries of information that constitute contextual assumption, the inferential nature of memorization and the forming of the three contextual effects in RT also help interpreters reduce the processing effort, thus making it possible for interpreters to anticipate reasonably in the process of seeking relevance. Therefore RT also makes much sense in the further study of anticipation in oral interpretation practice. So this thesis gives a literature review of the study of anticipation in oral interpretation, analyzing its limitations at first, and then it discusses the three possibilities, i.e. the three entries of information that constitute contextual assumption, the inferential nature of memorization and the forming of the three contextual effects to anticipate in oral interpretation from RT. Finally, this thesis chooses one of the three contextual effects, upon which relevance ultimately relies, and demonstrates how it works in oral interpretation anticipation.To make a summary of the major ideas in this thesis:(1) Oral interpretation is also an ostensive-inferential communication;(2) The dilemma, i.e. the quality assessment, the redundancy, the cultural default, and the relationship between validity and fidelity in oral interpretation can be well accounted for within RT;(3) The notion of contextual effect in RT helps the further study on the anticipation in oral interpretation.Based on RT and through examples, this thesis gives its priority to the theoretical study of oral interpretation, and it is supposed to have a further study on oral interpretation in a systematic way, thus to shed some light on the oral interpretation practice.