A Report On Interpreting For The First Taishan International Purchasing Conference,Taian 2021

Liaison interpreting is a dialogue,a cultural exchange,in which the client and the interpreter participate together.A liaison interpreter is often considered as a language information converter.However,in the practice of interpreting at the First Taishan International Purchasing Conference,Taian 2021,the author found that a liaison interpreter assumes multiple roles in liaison interpreting and serves as an independent third party who frequently interacts with both parties under the guidance of the interpreter’s subjectivity.This report is based on the interpreting practice where the author worked as the liaison interpreter,responsible for the negotiation between Mr.Yasra Sayyed,a businessman from Pakistan,and some Chinese entrepreneurs who intend to sign a contract with foreign purchasers.In this process,as one of the main participants of the communication activity,the author took on the tasks of gate-keeper of the speaker’s information,co-interlocuter,and coordinator of the communication process.Faced with pressures such as a complicated negotiation environment and communication conflicts between the two parties,the author gave full play to the interpreter’s subjectivity,negotiated and mediated the conversation between the two parties,and the negotiation ultimately achieved good results.The success of this interpreting practice is attributed to the three tenets of the interpreter’s subjectivity,i.e.,the consciousness of visibility,empowerment and non-neutral position.The author,as a third party in the communication activity,initiates the topic,empowers the client and chooses to take the client’s side,and gives priority to the client’s interests under the situation of insufficient information,which fully reflects the non-neutral position of the interpreter.This report is expected for novice interpreters to better understand how to play the multiple roles of a liaison interpreter in interpretation scenarios,acting as an information gatekeeper,co-interlocuter and communicative coordinator.