On The Subjectivity Of Interpreter In Lecture Interpreting

Training courses and seminars have become an important part of China’s foreign aid project under the South-South Cooperation Framework.Many lectures of those training courses and seminars need the service of interpreters.Therefore,interpreting takes a major role in such events.The author was given a chance to be involved in one of the training courses – 2017 Training Course on Mushroom Technology for Developing Countries – as an interpreter.He experienced the whole process of interpreting from preparation before interpreting to on-site interpreting and then to evaluation after interpreting.During his services for several lectures of the training course,he was confronted with many problems.Among those problems,some are about the interpreting skills and language competence,while some others are highly relevant to the subjectivity of interpreter.Many researches and studies had been conducted for the former,so the main focus of this report lies on the latter.The author aims to have a further discussion about the subjectivity of interpreter based on his experience and with the inspirations from predecessors’ studies.He demonstrates some signs of subjectivity from three dimensions – namely visibility,empowerment and non-neutrality of interpreter —through several cases selected from the records he made during the lectures and gives detailed analyses about those cases.For a long time,the subjectivity of interpreter had not been acknowledged and it was common that the interpreter was required to be totally “faithful”,“impartial”and “not felt while still on the spot”.With the development of translation studies and interpreting as a profession,those opinions are challenged by scholars and interpreters and the subjectivity of interpreter is gradually put under the spotlight.Visibility is the most obvious part of interpreter’s subjectivity.The visibility refers to not only the presence of interpreter on the spot but also the self of interpreter in his or her orally translated text.It can be sensed through many ways such as the selection of the information and expressions.An interpreter cannot and should not let himself or herself become a “conduit” that cannot be felt.Empowerment is also a major part of the subjectivity of interpreter.In communication and exchanges,two parties often fail to take equal positions.It is more so in cross-cultural communications.As the third party who usually knows the two languages and cultures,interpreter shoulders the responsibility to reduce the inequality caused by factors such as background knowledge between the two parties.By doing so,the interpreter empowers the weaker party.Non-neutrality is another important dimension of interpreter’s subjectivity.According to the conventional views,a qualified interpreter needs to be “totally impartial” during the service.However,these opinions are too ideal to be realistic.Interpreter often shows signs of being closer to one of the other two parties.Apart from being non-neutral,interpreter often changes his or her stance consciously or subconsciously even during the service instead of having a fixed stance.This report consists of four chapters.In the first chapter,the author gives a brief introduction of the training course,its relevant background,and the focus of this report.In the second chapter,the author mainly describes how the interpreting service has been provided and this chapter is divided into several parts according to different phases.Cases studies and analysis on interpreter’s subjectivity are given in Chapter Three to explore the signs of subjectivity and their influences from three aspects – the visibility,empowerment and non-neutrality of interpreter.In the fourth chapter,there comes the conclusions and suggestions for similar interpretation tasks in the future.