Dialogue Interpreting: What are the main effects of the verbalization of interpreters’ inferences?

Les représentations mentales de l’interprète de dialogue : de la pertinence locale à la cohérence discursive globale

This study aims to deepen the understanding of the negotiating of meaning between participants in an interpreted bilingual interaction, i. e. between two primary speakers (PSs) and the interpreter, by focusing on the effects of the verbalization of the interpreter's mental representations (inferences) as to the speaker's communicative intentions. We apply the conceptual tools of Sperber and Wilson's (1986) Theory of Relevance to two case studies, combined with those of Grosz and Sidner's (1986) Theory of Discourse Structure, as a methodological innovation. We show that the verbalization of the interpreter’s inferences not only contributes to creating a mutually evident cognitive environment between PSs (local effects), but also strengthens the intradiscursive coherence of the original discourse, which underpins the speaker's communicative purpose, as well as the interdiscursive coherence between PSs (global effects). These effects undoubtedly facilitate their mutual understanding. Keywords: dialogue interpreting, verbalization of inferences, mutual cognitive environment, global discursive coherence, Theory of Relevance, Theory of discourse structure. Delizée, Anne, et Christine Michaux. sous presse. « Les représentations mentales de l’interprète de dialogue : de la pertinence locale à la cohérence discursive globale ». In Déverbaliser - reverbaliser: la traduction comme acte de violence ou comme manipulation du sens ?, édité par Svetlana Vogeleer et Laurent Beghin, Presses de l’Université Saint-Louis, 165‑90. Bruxelles.