A Relevance-theoretic Approach To Inference In Interpreting

Inference is an important ability for correct comprehension in communication, including interpreting. To some extent, comprehension can be considered as a process of drawing inferences. In some cases, the speaker will not express his/her meaning explicitly; even when he/she does, the utterances and intentions may not be well matched. Thus in interpreting, without the participation of inference, successful interpreting can hardly be achieved.The importance of inference in interpreting has been recognized by some practitioners and researchers. However, many of the previous researches focus mainly on the simple classification of inference or are some intuitive, subjective discussion of inference without strong theoretical framework. As for the process of inference in interpreting, the essential factors helping interpreters draw inferences and the improvement of interpreters' inferential ability, in-depth research still need to be carried out. And this is the rationale of the present research.This thesis is an attempt to address the issue of inference from the perspective of Relevance Theory proposed by Sperber and Wilson. Relevance Theory holds that communication is an ostensive-inferential process. In interpreting which is a special form of communication, while the speaker makes the ostensive utterances the interpreter needs to draw inferences to understand the speaker's utterances. In the light of Relevance Theory, the author devises a model of the process of inference in interpreting which is expected to not only explain the inferential process in interpreting but also shed some light on interpreter training. In the process of making inferences, the interpreter's encyclopedic, logical and lexical information in his/her cognitive environment are the essential factors ensuing successful inferences. Based on this, the author classifies the inferences in interpreting into three types, namely encyclopedic inference, logical inference and lexical inference. In this thesis, the author analyzes the inferences made in one authentic conference interpreting to show how these inferences are drawn and how they can be traced back to the interpreter's cognitive environment. Based on the analysis, the author also designs some strategies for improving the interpreters' inferential ability.