Towards a Comprehensive Model of idiosyncratic Style: An Empirical Study of Simultaneous and Consecutive Interpreting of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly

Abstract

Simultaneous interpreting remains an intriguing process in the eyes of interpreters, clients and researchers. Research in the interpreting field has gained momentum over the last 20 years in an attempt to describe the complex processes involved and to formulate robust assumptions to build on in interpreter training. This study is an attempt to contribute to the body of interpreting studies research with special reference to the Arabic-English language pair. 1. Problem Statement A translator’s idiosyncratic style, similar to an author’s “writeprint” , may be hidden due to the editing and proofreading processes that the translated text undergoes– sometimes by an individual other than the translator. An interpreter’s writeprint, on the other hand, seems to remain untouched due to the immediate nature of the interpreting process. Some studies have been concerned with the idiosyncratic features of interpreting and tried to link them to interpreting directionality or interpreters’ normal speaking style features. In fact, in the interpreting market, almost all interpreters offer simultaneous and consecutive interpreting services as well as the at-sight mode, though in less common circumstances. However, no light has been shed on the degree of consistency in interpreting style across these different modes. 2. Objective of the study The study sets out to trace the idiosyncratic features of interpreting style in Arabic-into-English interpreting. The goal is to develop a comprehensive model of the features that distinguish an interpreter’s style. Through an empirical methodology and building on previous research in the same field, the study aims at a model that highlights the similarities and discrepancies between interpreters’ style during simultaneous and consecutive interpreting. 3. Research questions The study attempts to answer the following questions: • What are the idiosyncratic features of style for a given interpreter? • To what degree is an interpreter’s style consistent in the simultaneous and consecutive modes of interpreting? • How far does the mode of interpreting affect the interpreter’s writeprint? What shifts in global and local strategies appear in a given interpreter’s output due to the change of interpreting mode?