Chapter 5
The importance of video recordings in signed language interpreting
research
In signed language interpreting studies, researchers have devoted
attention to the role of video recordings in data collection since the very
beginning. Given the visual nature of signed languages, such recordings are
imperative in order to investigate various aspects of signed language
interpreting such as for instance interpreting strategies, interpreting
quality, and interactional aspects of the interpreter mediated
communication.
This differs from studies looking at spoken language interpreting,
where traditionally audio recordings were and to some extent still are the
primary source of data in research.
In this chapter I claim that, in line with recent shifts in the
understanding of communication and interaction (Mondada 2011), any research on interpreting –
which is a communicative act – should be based on multimodal data, including
the visual, audiological, gestural and any other layers of interaction.
As a way of introduction, the chapter gives an overview of how and
to which extent video recordings as a data collection tool have been used in
three research fields in spoken and signed languages; spoken interaction
studies, sign linguistics and interpreting studies, drawing primarily on
Erickson (2011), Lucas et al. (2013), and Napier & Leeson (2016).
This chapter goes on to discuss the advantages and possible
challenges of the use of video as a recording tool in signed language
interpreting research, based on a case study on interpreting strategies used
by Flemish Sign Language interpreters (Heyerick forthcoming). The same
example also illustrates the role of video as an elicitation tool within
signed language interpreting research.
While the chapter explores the benefits, opportunities and
potential obstacles of working with video in research on signed language
interpreting, I argue that including video recordings in any research
examining communication and/or interaction has the potential to provide very
rich data. Video allows for interactive events to be registered in their
full multimodal effect and to be regarded and researched as multimodal
events (Mondada 2011). This
approach can broaden the understanding of human interaction in any field of
study.
Article outline
- Video recordings as a data collection tool
- Spoken interaction: Acknowledging the multimodal layers
- Signed interaction: Visual registration of visual languages
- Spoken and signed interpreting studies: The emergence of corpora
- Signed language interpreting: Visual registration of communication
- Video as a data collection and elicitation tool: A case study
- The case study
- Use of video recordings: Data collection and elicitation
- (1)Preparation session with Think-Aloud Process (TAP)
- (2)The interpreting task
- (3)The stimulated recall interview
- Conclusion
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Notes
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References