More spoken or more translated? Exploring the known unknowns of simultaneous interpreting from a multidimensional analysis perspective

Cui Xu and Dechao Li
Beijing Institute of Technology | Hong Kong Polytechnic University

This article explores the features of simultaneous interpreting (SI) from a multidimensional (MD) analysis perspective (Biber 1988), drawing on a newly built comparable intermodal corpus, the LegCo+ corpus. The corpus incorporates Cantonese speeches that are both interpreted and translated into English, as SI and written translation (WT), respectively. Additionally, a third English corpus consisting of English native speeches (NS), without mediation, serves as a benchmark comparison. We aim to examine the extent of similarities and differences between SI, NS and WT in terms of the linguistic patterns they display. Our findings show that: (1) SI is a hybrid language mode, exhibiting features that lie between those of non-mediated spoken language and mediated written language; (2) in terms of its spoken nature, SI resembles NS in certain dimensions where typical features are associated with orality, suggesting a strong modality effect; and (3) in terms of its mediated status, SI demonstrates similarities with WT, despite their perceptibly distinct modalities, pointing to a potential mediation-specific effect. These empirical findings emphasize the necessity of understanding the multidimensionality inherent in interpreted language.

Publication history

Date received: 9 February 2022

Date accepted: 10 September 2024

Published online: 30 September 2024

Table of contents

Intuitively speaking, simultaneous interpreting (SI) in the spoken modality is perceptibly distinct from written translation due to its intrinsically different mediation mode or modality. However, Shlesinger (2008) and Shlesinger and Ordan (2012) have challenged this intuitive understanding, sparking further debates on the impacts of modality (oral vs. written) and ontology (translated vs. non-translated; see Section 2.1) on the linguistic manifestations of interpreted outputs. Their ultimate goal has been to isolate features of SI as being both spoken and translated discourse (referred to as ‘interpretese’) so as to deepen our understanding of the complexities of oral translations, instead of subsuming them under the generic concept of ‘translation’.

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