Cognitive-linguistic Processes of Simultaneous Interpreting: A Case Study of Three Speeches by Ex-President Hosni Mubarak (Jan-Feb 2011)

Abstract

Simultaneous interpretation (SI) is a relatively new field both as a practice and as a study that has started officially in the twentieth century. While it is arguable whether the size of the body of research presented in this field matches its counterpart, translation studies, research in the simultaneous interpretation of Arabic texts is rather lacking. In an attempt to explore the process of SI, and study its linguistic and cognitive aspects in relation to the simultaneous interpretation of Arabic political speeches, and to the field of crisis communication, this thesis applies the cognitive model presented by Daniel Gile (2009) for the Efforts exerted in SI, his list of the problems interpreters often face, his list of the tactics they use to cope with the difficulties of SI, along with other tactics and problems discussed by other authors in the fields of both interpreting and translation studies, to analyse the interpretation of the three speeches delivered by the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak in January and February 2011. The analysis attempts to investigate the cognitive aspects of SI; the linguistic aspects, specifically in terms of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics; and the effect of these on the crisis communication strategies involved in the three speeches. The thesis falls into an introduction, four chapters, and a conclusion. The introduction highlights the research problem, significance, questions, and methodology; presents the theoretical background briefly; and outlines the division of the thesis. Chapter One, entitled “Cognitive linguistic processes in simultaneous interpreting: Effort model of simultaneous interpreting and discourse analysis”, expands upon the theoretical framework and presents the link between the different theories and models presented in this study. It starts by