Survey: Interpreters in Politics

Judith Gelke, Faculty of Philosophy

Program of study: Languages, Economics and Cultural Area Studies

Survey: Interpreters in politics

Dear Interpreter,

This questionnaire aims at collecting qualitative data about the particular role of interpreters in politics. Please help me to obtain a meaningful data base for my diploma thesis in the area of Intercultural Communication by clicking through and answering the following questions. To ensure validity of the conclusions your honesty and frankness are essential. Please answer all of the items relevant to you.
Your responses will be kept anonymous and confidential. Its particulars will be exclusively used in the academic context of my diploma thesis. Yourname or e-mail address will not be processed or disclosed to third parties.

Please answer and send back this schedule until July, 25th, 2008to .
At the end of the document you can request a free copy of my diploma thesis.

Thank you very much for your cooperation!

Judith Gelke

(Student at the University of Passau, Germany. Faculty of Philosophy, Program of study: Languages, Economics and Cultural Area Studies. Degree Project: The role of interpreters in political discourse. Supervising Tutor: Prof. Dr. Eva Martha Eckkrammer. June 2008)

1)Please rank the following definitions for “interpreter” according to their accuracy. 1 means the definition relates best to what the interpreter is doing, 10 belongs to the least accurate definition.

12345678910 Foreign-tongued voice of the speaker
12345678910 Language expert
12345678910 Communication medium
12345678910 Multilingual expert of a or various discipline(s)
12345678910 Intermediary between cultures / 12345678910 Alter ego of the speaker
12345678910Intermediary between people who do not
speak the same language
12345678910 Multilingual speaking tube
12345678910 Language consultant
12345678910 Multilingual actor

2) Please choose the answer that best applies to you.

to a great
extent / considerable / moderate / slight / not at
all
To what extent do you feel, that your employers or clients appreciate the high level ofcomplexity in interpreting?
To what extent, do you feel, is the average speaker aware of your presence?(think of booth interpreting)
to a great
extent / considerable / moderate / slight / not at
all
Are you satisfied with the level of professional recognition you receive either from employers, clients or listeners (apart from remuneration)?
To what extent does your remuneration reflect your professional accomplishment?
To what extent does the average citizen have a clear conception of what professional conference interpreting really means?
How satisfied are you with the amount of your
income?

3)Please indicate to what extent the following statements apply in your experience. (check one box in every row)

to a great
extent / considerable / moderate / slight / not at
all
The content I am interpreting doesn’t matter to me.
The ideology of the speaker is important to me.
When I don’t agree with the speaker I would rather speak for myself.
Sometimes I would like to argue with the speaker about the content of his speech.
When interpreting I concentrate that much, I cannot think of my own opinion at the same time.
It is frustrating that my opinion is not heard
I prefer interpreting politically neutral issues.
The subject is an important criterion for accepting or rejecting a job.
I am glad not having to make up the content and enjoy the task of transferring it into another language.
It can result dismal to be the voice of somebody you completely disagree with.
I feel usually neutral towards the subject matter of the speech.
Having an own opinion about the issue of the speech is helpful for interpreting.
It is quite interesting to interpret somebody who has another attitude towards a subject than I.
to a great
extent / considerable / moderate / slight / not at
all
In my private life I have enough opportunities to express my own opinions.
Most people don’t notice us, because on the job we never speak for ourselves.
Only few people appreciate the intellectual and physical effort of simultaneous interpretation.
Most speakers are considerate of the interpreter and adjust their speed and diction accordingly.
There must be speakers who think, the interpreting is done by machines.
Everybody knows that interpreters are highly intelligent and versatile professionals.
The average speaker thinks that interpreters are people who master one or more foreign languages.
When there’s a problem in the booth, the listener usually thinks there must be something wrong with his headphones.
People think that anybody having command of a foreign language can work as an interpreter.
The average listener thinks that interpreters are just people who master one or more foreign languages.
Some speakers should learn how to speak adequately for interpretation before standing behind a lectern again.
Many people think that machines can interpret as good as persons.
Most employers know about the importance of a reliable technical equipment as part of the interpreter’s basic working conditions.

4)Please check four out of the ten following faculties for high quality interpreting. Choose the four that appear most indispensable to you.

Perfect or close to perfect mastery of the source language

Fast reactions

Discretion

Crosscultural knowledge

Perfect or close to perfect mastery of the target language

Good physical condition

Knowledge about the topic

Good working memory

Empathy

Terminological preparation

5)a) Please check either Yes, No or I don’t know.

Yes / No / I don’t know
Is the professional secret of the interpreting profession absolute? (ignoring situations that are life-threatening for the interpreter)
Do you think a court can release you from your professional secret?
Have you ever been asked to reveal information before a court which you were given in the course of your professional activities?
Is there professional secrecy by law for your profession?
Does everything that is said during a conference come under the interpreter’s professional secret?
In your opinion, is a professional conference interpreter allowed to write his memoirs?

b)Under which circumstances could you imagine to disclose information that comes under your professional secret: (you may check several options)

never

when held at gunpoint

before a court

among colleagues

after the death of the secret carrier

after the death of the person(s) involved in the secret

among people that can not use the information

towards a person of your absolute confidence and trust (e.g. spouse)

when your interlocutor has already been informed about the issue by another source

other:

6)a)Comparing Consecutive (CI) and Simultaneous Interpreting (SI): Which of the following error categories are more likely to occur (in a working day) in Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpretingin your personal experience? (check one in every row)

extremely unlikely / ------/ rather certain
Significant omissions (omissions which result in a loss of information, not: omissions that are aimed at a loss of redundancy) / CI
SI
Significant additions (which introduce extraneous information and thus alter the meaning of the original message, not: additions that clarify or emphasize the message) / CI
SI
Significant mistakes (changes in the delivery which convey a different message; ex.: “employers” instead of “employees”) / CI
SI
b) In CI it is conventional to deliver a summary of the original message. How likely is it that there will be a loss of content?
extremely unlikely / ------/ rather certain
No loss of content at all
Slight loss of content
Moderate loss of content
Considerable loss of content

7)Have you ever quit an interpreting session or refused to start one? Yes No

If Yes: Why? (you may select several options)

Speaker too fast
Speaker too inarticulate
Speaker read the entire speech
Technical problem
other: / Health problem
You refused to interpret defamations/insults
I did not want to get involved in crime
I disagreed to such a great extent with the
message that I didn’t want to go on

8)In SI: Imagine the speaker mentions a concept or name which – for cultural or linguistic reasons – is unknown in the target culture. How likely is it that you will have time to give an explanation to your listeners without sacrificing other information? (check only one box)

highly unlikely / ------/ Highly likely

9)While interpreting, have you been confronted with terms or concepts whose meaning you didn’t know and which you could not understand in context? (choose one)

many timesseveral timesa few timesnever

If you chose any other than never: How did you react then?

You left out the term. You changed it for something you thought would fit in context.

You left out the (rest of the) sentence.other: (please fill in)

10)What do you do with expressions of humour, like „untranslatable“ jokes?

I try to tell a comparable joke that fits in the target culture.

I leave it out

I tell exactly the same joke in the target languageaccepting that it might not “work” there (won’t be perceived as funny)

other: (please fill in)

11)a)Assuming you did not receive any particular indications from the speaker, how do you react towards shortcomings and errors occurring in the speech:

Yes / No
I correct obvious slips of the tongue, e.g. “no” instead of “new”.
I correct obvious mistakes in names or numbers, e.g. “the German chancellor Andrea Merkel”.
I improve incoherent speech on a stylistic level.
I improve the word choice if it seems poor to me.
I leave out redundancies.

b) If you disagree completely with the speaker, do you tend to correct his/her errors (same as above)?

the same way as indicated above

to a lesser extent

to a wider extent

In this case you don’t correct errors at all.

12)Can you see any particular challenge in interpreting political speeches or conversations?

No Yes Which ones?

13)a)Choose either Yes, No or I don’t know.

Yes / No / I don’t know
Do you feel that you play an active role in politics?
Are you member of a political party?
Are you in favour of a political party?
Are you in favour of a general political-ideological stream (as “liberal”, “conservative”, “social democratic” etc.)?
Do you feel that you play a passive role in politics?
Do you feel completely neutral towards politics?
Do you feel your work influences the making of history?
Do you feel your work is a contribution to democracy?
Do you feel that the person you interpret is completely at your mercy?
Have you ever felt angry about the message you had to interpret?
Do you find it more exhausting to interpret somebody you disagree with?
Do you feel a still higher responsibility when interpreting politicians? (higher than in other cases)
Have you ever felt proud about the power you hold when interpreting heads of state, deputies, ministers and the like?
Have you ever felt the temptation of changing the content of the message you were delivering when interpreting in a political context?
Then, have you ever consciously omitted or added information to your interpretation, either in order to enhance an idea or to attenuate it?
Yes / No / I don’t know
Do you think an interpreter can be completely and fully neutral towards the issue she/he is interpreting?
Do you prefer interpreting politicians that share your main political views to speakers who don’t?
Do you feel more motivated when interpreting somebody whose views you share?
Do you feel more motivated when the speaker seems likeable to you?

b)While interpreting a politician, are you aware of the power you hold?

Yes, definitely.

Interpreting a politician is the same as interpreting any other speaker.

There’s no time for such reflections during interpretation

other remarks: (please fill in)

c)Do you interpret anybody, not matter what her/his view may be? (not talking about crime here)

Yes

No

I would not interpret under the following circumstances: (please fill in)

14)Is there any error (or class of errors), politicians tend to commit frequently, that handicap interpretation?

(please fill in)

15)Please rank the following elements according to their importance for your dedication (1 most important, 12 least important) (given: a soundly working technical equipment and acceptable working conditions )

123456789101112 My form on the day
123456789101112 Interesting Topic
123456789101112 The speaker is likeable.
123456789101112 Acquaintance with the speaker
123456789101112 Private problems/contentment
123456789101112 How I get along with the colleague(s) in the
booth / 123456789101112 Time of day
123456789101112 Speaker’s speed
123456789101112 Good payment
123456789101112 Importance of the meeting and thus of your
interpretation
123456789101112 I agree with the speaker
123456789101112 Rhetorical quality of the speech

16)Do you think many or most of the speakers whom you have interpreted or heard need to attend a training course where they learn how to speak more “translatable”?

YesNo

If yes, which should be the main issues touched in the training?

Only for Spanish Interpreters, all others continue with N° 19, please!!:
(Spanish as A-, B-, or C-language) You may also answer in Spanish here.

17)There are words, phrases, and situations that are culturally heavily charged. In linguistics they are identified as “hotwords”, “hotspots” and “rich points” and refer to “hot moments” and stumbling blocks in intercultural communication. An example from the German language would be the semantic field of the “Third Reich”, e.g. “Heimat” (home(land)), “Vaterland” (home country, fatherland), “Kamerad” (comrade), “Reich”, “Heil” (salvation).
Thinking of the Spanish language, do you have any of those hot moments in mind? Please give a short explanation of the semantic range or special difficulty of your indication. If necessary, mention the cultural area (e.g. Spain, South America, Colombia, the Andes etc.).

Words: (Please fill in)

Semantic fields: (Pleas fill in)

Situations: (Please fill in)

18)Thinking of all the political speeches you have interpreted from or into Spanish, is there any anecdote, joke, pun, allusion etc. you can remember as especially difficult to interpret or culturally striking?

19) Personal Data

a)Are you an AIIC-member? Yes No

Are you a member of any other association for conference interpreters? Yes No

b)Your type of employment:

FreelanceStaff interpreter

c)Your languages (A-, B- and C-languages)

A: B: C:

d)Professional domicile (country):

e)You are: female male

f)Number of years in the profession: 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-25 26+

g)How much do you (approximately) work in the political or diplomatic field?Never

less than 10%10-25% 26-50% 51-75% more than 75%

Thank you very much!!!

If you are interested in the results and wish to receive a free copy of my diploma thesis, check here, please.

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