Cover not available
Article published In:
Target
Vol. 31:3 (2019) ► pp.352–377

Self-repair as a norm-related strategy in simultaneous interpreting and its implications for gendered approaches to interpreting

ORCID logo | Ghent University
| Ghent University
This paper analyses a possible gendered manifestation of norms in interpreting. It focuses on the use of self-repair, a textual expression of the norm, by male and female interpreters. Two research questions are examined: (1) whether the extent to which self-repairs occur in interpreting is gendered and (2) whether gender influences the way in which the output is repaired using editing terms. Considering the literature on gender and norm-compliance, female interpreters are expected to produce more self-repairs and editing terms than male interpreters. The research is based on the 2008 subcorpus of EPICG with French source speeches and their English and Dutch interpretations. The interpreters’ self-repairs were manually identified and statistically compared. Regarding the first question, it appears that gender influences the use of self-repairs in interpreting. As for the second one, statistical analysis reveals language-based patterns: in the English booth, women use significantly more editing terms than men. The French/Dutch subcorpus yields no significant difference. However, women seem to also use apologies as editing terms.
Keywords: interpreting studies, norms, gender studies, self-repairs, simultaneous interpreting
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Norms in interpreting
  • 3.Gender and norms
  • 4.Interpreting norms and corpora
  • 5.Data and methodology
    • 5.1Data
    • 5.2Methodology
  • 6.Results
    • 6.1Research question 1
    • 6.2Research question 2
  • 7.Discussion
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 29 March 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.18076.mag
References (71)
References
Bachy, Sylviane, Anne Dister, Michel Francard, Geneviève Geron, Vincent Giroul, Philippe Hambye, Anne-Catherine Simon, and Régine Wilmet. 2007. Conventions de transcription régissant les corpus de la banque de données VALIBEL [Conventions to transcribe corpora in the VALIBEL database]. Accessed October 15, 2013 [URL]
Bakti, Mária, and Judit Bóna. 2016. “Self-Monitoring Processes in Simultaneous Interpreting.” In FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation 14 (2): 194–210. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Barik, Henri. 1971. “A Description of Various Types of Omissions, Additions and Errors of Translation Encountered in Simultaneous Interpretation.” Meta 16 (4): 199–210. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bendazzoli, Claudio, Annalisa Sandrelli, and Mariachiara Russo. 2011. “Disfluencies in Simultaneous Interpreting: A Corpus-Based Analysis.” In Corpus-Based Translation Studies: Research and Applications, edited by Alet Kruger, Kim Wallmach, and Jeremy Munday, 282–306. London: Continuum.Google Scholar
Bergvall, Victoria, Janet M. Bing, and Alice F. Freed. 1996. Rethinking Language and Gender Research: Theory and Practice. New York: Addison Wesley Longman.Google Scholar
. 2011. “Rethinking Language and Gender Research. Theory and Practice.” In The Sage Handbook of Sociolinguistics, edited by Wodak Ruth, Barbara Johnstone, and Paul E. Kerswill, 411–423. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Bernardini, Silvia, Adriano Ferraresi, Mariachiara Russo, Camille Collard, and Bart Defrancq. 2018. “Building Interpreting and Intermodal Corpora: A How-To for a Formidable Task.” In Making Way in Corpus-Based Interpreting Studies, edited by Claudio Bendazzoli, Mariachiara Russo, and Bart Defrancq, 21–42. Singapore: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bühler, Hildegund. 1986. “Linguistic (Semantic) and Extra-linguistic (Pragmatic) Criteria for the Evaluation of Conference Interpretation and Interpreters.” Multilingua 5 (4): 231–235.Google Scholar
Butler, Judith. 1988. “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Theatre Journal 40 (4): 519–531. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cecot, Michela. 2001. “Pauses in Simultaneous Interpretation: A Contrastive Analysis of Professional Interpreters’ Performances.” The Interpreters’ Newsletter 111: 63–85.Google Scholar
Chambers, J. K., and Peter Trudgill. 1998. Dialectology. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chiaro, Delia, and Giuseppe Nocella. 2004. “Interpreters’ Perception of Linguistic and Non-Linguistic Factors Affecting Quality: A Survey through the World Wide Web.” Meta 49 (2): 278–293. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Coates, Jennifer. 1993. Women, Men and Language. 2nd ed. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Dailidėnaitė, Alina. 2009. “Directionality: Types and Frequency of Repairs in Simultaneous Interpretation.” Vertimo Studijos 2 (2): 9–25. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Eagly, Alice H., Wendy Wood, and Amanda B. Diekman. 2000. “Social Role Theory of Sex Differences and Similarities: A Current Appraisal.” In The Developmental Social Psychology of Gender, edited by Thomas Eckes and Hanns M. Trautner, 123–174. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Eckert, Penelope, and Sally McConnell-Ginet. 2003. Language and Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Garzone, Giuliana. 2002. “Quality and Norms in Interpretation.” In Interpreting in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities, edited by Giuliana Garzone and Maurizio Viezzi, 121–130. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gerver, David. 1969. “The Effects of Source Language Presentation Rate on the Performance of Simultaneous Conference Interpreters.” In Proceedings of the Second Louisville Conference on Rate and/or Frequency Controlled Speech, edited by Emerson Foulke, 162–184. Louisville, KY: University of Louisville.Google Scholar
Gile, Daniel. 1995. Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 1998. “Norms in Research on Conference Interpreting: A Response to Theo Hermans and Gideon Toury.” Language and Society 5 (1–2): 99–106.Google Scholar
Harris, Brian. 1990. “Norms in Interpretation.” Target 2 (1): 115–119. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Holmes, Janet. 1995. Women, Men and Politeness. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Hyde, Janeth, and Marica Linn. 1988. “Gender Differences in Verbal Ability: A Meta-Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 104 (1): 53–69. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jansen, Peter. 1992. “The Role of the Interpreter in Dutch Courtroom Interaction: The Impact of the Situation on Translational Norms.” In Selected Papers of the CERA Research Seminars in Translation Studies 1992–1993, edited by Peter Jansen, 133–155. Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.Google Scholar
Kalina, Sylvia. 1998. Strategische Prozesse beim Dolmetschen: theoretische Grundlagen, empirische Fallstudien, didaktische Konsequenzen. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.Google Scholar
Katan, David, and Francesco Straniero Sergio. 2001. “Look Who’s Talking. The Ethics of Entertainment and Talkshow Interpreting.” The Translator 7 (2): 213–237. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2003. “Submerged Ideologies in Media Interpreting.” In Apropos of Ideology, edited by Maria Calzada Pérez, 131–144. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.Google Scholar
Kopczynski, Andrzej. 1994. “Quality in Conference Interpreting: Some Pragmatic Problems.” In Translation Studies. An Interdiscipline, edited by Mary Snell-Hornby, Franz Pöchhacker, and Klaus Kaindl, 189–198. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kurz, Ingrid. 2000. “Conference Interpreting: Quality in the Ears of the User.” Meta 46 (2): 394–409. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kurz, Ingrid, and Pöchhacker, Franz. 1995. “Quality in TV Interpreting.” Translatio. Nouvelles de la FIT – FIT Newsletter 15 (3/4): 350–358.Google Scholar
Labov, William. 1966. The Social Stratification of English in New York City. Washington DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.Google Scholar
. 1990. “The Intersection of Sex and Social Class in The Course of Linguistic Change.” Language Variation and Change 2 (2): 205–254. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
. 2001. Principles of Linguistic Change. 2: Social Factors. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Lakoff, Robin. 1975. Language and Woman’s Place. New York: Harper Colophon.Google Scholar
Lederer, Marianne. 1981. La traduction simultanée – Fondements théoriques. Paris: Minard Lettres Modernes.Google Scholar
Levelt, Willem J. M. 1983. “Monitoring and Self-Repair in Speech.” Cognition 14 (1): 41–104. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Magnifico, Cédric, and Bart Defrancq. 2016. “Impoliteness in Interpreting: A Question of Gender?” Translation and Interpreting 8 (2): 26–45.Google Scholar
. 2017. “Hedges in Conference Interpreting: The Role of Gender.” Interpreting 19 (1): 21–46. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Marzocchi, Carlo. 2005. “On Norms and Ethics in the Discourse on Interpreting.” The Interpreter’s Newsletter 131: 87–107.Google Scholar
Mason, Marianne. 2008. Courtroom Interpreting. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.Google Scholar
Mills, Sara. 2003. Gender and Politeness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Monacelli, Claudia. 2009. Self-Preservation in Simultaneous Interpreting. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Moser, Peter. 1995. Simultanes Konferenzdolmetschen. Anforderungen und Erwartungen der Benutzer. Endbericht im Auftrag von AIIC. Vienna: SRZ Stadt und Regionalforschung GmbH.Google Scholar
. 1996. “Expectations of Users of Conference Interpretation.” Interpreting 1/21: 145–178. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Moser-Mercer, Barbara. 1996. “Quality in Interpreting: Some Methodological Issues.” The Interpreters’ Newsletter 71: 43–55.Google Scholar
Ng, Bee Chin. 1992. “End Users’ Subjective Reaction to the Performance of Student Interpreters.” The Interpreters’ Newsletter, special issue 11: 35–41.Google Scholar
Petite, Christelle. 2005. “Evidence of Repair Mechanisms in Simultaneous Interpreting. A Corpus-Based Analysis.” Interpreting 7 (1): 27–49. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pöchhacker, Franz. 1995. “Simultaneous Interpreting: A Functionalist Perspective.” Hermes. Journal of Linguistics 141: 31–53.Google Scholar
Pöchhacker, Franz, and Cornelia Zwischenberger. 2010. “Survey on Quality and Role: Conference Interpreters’ Expectations and Self-Perceptions.” Accessed October 14, 2017. [URL]
Pool, G. J., A. F. Schwegler, B. R. Theodore, and P. N. Fuchs. 2007. “Role of Gender Norms and Group Identification on Hypothetical and Experimental Pain Tolerance.” Pain 129 (1–2): 122–129. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Postma, Albert. 2000. “Detection of Errors during Speech Production: A Review of Speech Monitoring Models.” Cognition 77 (2): 97–132. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Postma, Albert, and Herman H. J. Kolk. 1993. “The Covert Repair Hypothesis: Prearticulatory Repair Processes in Normal and Stuttered Disfluencies.” Journal of Speech and Hearing Research 36 (3): 472–487. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Reiss, Katharina, and Hans J. Vermeer. 1984. Grundlegung einer allgemeinen Translationstheorie. Tübingen: Niemeyer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ruel, Allred. 1990. “Gender Differences in Spelling Achievement in Grades 1 through 6.” The Journal of Educational Research 83 (4): 187–193. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Russo, Mariachiara. 2016. “Orality and Gender: A Corpus-Based Study on Lexical Patterns in Simultaneous Interpreting.” In Translating Orality / La traducción de la oralidad, edited by Cesáreo Calvo and Nicoletta Spinolo, special issue of MonTI 31: 307–322.Google Scholar
. 2018. “Speaking Patterns and Gender in the European Parliament Interpreting Corpus. A Quantitative Study as a Premise for Qualitative Investigations.” In Making Way in Corpus-Based Interpreting Studies, edited by Claudio Bendazzoli, Mariachiara Russo, and Bart Defrancq, 115–131. Singapore: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schjoldager, Anne. 1995. “An Exploratory Study of Translational Norms in Simultaneous Interpreting: Methodological Reflections.” Hermes. Journal of Linguistics 141: 65–87.Google Scholar
Seleskovitch, Daniela. 1975. Langage, langues et mémoire: Étude de la prise de notes en interprétation consécutive. Paris: Minard Lettres Modernes.Google Scholar
Shlesinger, Miriam. 1989. “Extending the Theory of Translation to Interpretation: Norms as a Case in Point.” Target 1 (1): 111–115. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Straniero Sergio, Francesco. 2003. “Norms and Quality in Media Interpreting: The Case of Formula One Press-Conferences.” The Interpreters’ Newsletter 121: 135–174.Google Scholar
. 2007. Talkshow Interpreting. La mediazione linguistica nella comunicazione spettacolare. Trieste: EUT.Google Scholar
Tannen, Deborah. 1990. You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation. New York: Morrow.Google Scholar
Tissi, Beneditta. 2000. “Silent Pauses and Disfluencies in Simultaneous Interpretation: A Descriptive Analysis.” The Interpreters’ Newsletter 101: 103–127.Google Scholar
Toury, Gideon. 1980. In Search of a Theory of Translation. Tel Aviv: The Porter Institute.Google Scholar
. 1995. Descriptive Translation Studies and beyond. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Trudgill, Peter. 1972. “Sex, Covert Prestige and Linguistic Change in the Urban British English of Norwich.” Language in Society 11: 179–195. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Van Besien, Fred, and Chris Meuleman. 2004. “Dealing with Speakers’ Errors and Speakers’ Repairs in Simultaneous Interpretation.” The Translator 10 (1): 59–81. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wadensjö, Cecilia. 1992. Interpreting as Interaction: On Dialogue Interpreting in Immigration Hearings and Medical Encounters. PhD thesis University of Linköping.Google Scholar
Wenger, Etienne. 1998. Communities of Practice. Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by (4)

Cited by four other publications

Acosta Vicente, Carmen
2023. A Literature Review on Gender in Interpreting: Implications for Healthcare Interpreting. In New Trends in Healthcare Interpreting Studies [New Frontiers in Translation Studies, ], ► pp. 41 ff. DOI logo
Götz, Andrea
2023. Chapter 3. Adding connectives to manage interpreted discourse. In Pragmatics and Translation [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 337], ► pp. 51 ff. DOI logo
Lee, Jieun & Seoyeon Hong
2021. Help me to help you to help me: a conversation analytic study of other-initiated repairs in a case of Korean–Russian interpreter-mediated investigative interviews in South Korea. Perspectives 29:4 ► pp. 522 ff. DOI logo
Abdel Latif, Muhammad M. M.
2020. Translation/Interpreting Process Research. In Translator and Interpreter Education Research [New Frontiers in Translation Studies, ], ► pp. 85 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.