INTERPRETATION PRACTICE

Tóm tắt

'The interplay of irreplaceables' may also describe the workings of interpreters themselves. Interpretation requires the irreplaceable engagement of a sentient consciousness. That is what ensures that the effort to convey the symbolic meaning of the interpretable succeeds. Interpreters, so to speak, have to be present. The subjectivity underscores any description of actual interpretation practice or theoretical styles. The very concept of interpretation implies the cooperation of not two or more persons, and what makes the idea feasible is an entirely specific individual character. An interpreter, qua interpreter, can only be a finite individual, necessarily with a specific perspective and preference, capacity and comprehension, and mapping onto determinate other individuals and their stances. The only alternative to considering an interpreter only as a means to an end is to place the interpreter wholly outside the scope of any theory of interpretation. Personal attributes and contingencies in play would then be exterior. We cannot, however, rationally treat interpreters as remote. Various philosophical commitments reinforce or prohibit, according to one's past preference or capacity to take an interpretive stance in argumentative transactions. We need to clarify and respond to argument and inference-producing interlocutors, and the reply is purposeful. Who acts? The requisite activities are likely to be interactive or consistently replaceable. We hope that this book will allow students to better understand and appreciate the complex yet rewarding field of interpretive communication. We seek to help individuals learn the content and methods of the professional interpreter so that they may further their own employment and, in the process, fulfill increasingly important personal and public communication needs. We believe that a major appeal of this field lies in its humanistic tradition. Interpretive communication, as we see it, is an age-old process by which people draw upon people for understanding. The interpreter, in an ethical framework of concern and shared societal values, becomes a trusted friend and a guide for diverse audiences. In essence, we believe that interpreting results from the dynamic capability of humans to envision and share meaning