C.I. Unit 6: Reformulation

Reformulation is the visible or audible result of the interpretation process.

Reformulation allows the message to take form in the target language.

The interpreted message must conform to the target language syntax.

It must also preserve the illocutionary force or impact which allows the listener to know whether the source language utterance is a question, an insult, a command, or other type of utterance.

Reformulation allows you to focus on creating a product as the result of the processes you have used so far in consecutive interpreting.

In consecutive interpreting the reformulation process will depend, in part, on how the source message is produced. If the entire speech is given and then you render the interpretation, you will need to work with the entire text in mind.

If the speech is given one sentence at a time or one idea at a time, then you can only work with as much information as has been revealed. If you have taken notes you will refer to your notes during the reformulation process.

Gile (1995) explains that people have verbal habits or ways of expressing ourselves and that these usual approaches to expression are superseded by the fact that the “interpreter must follow the path of the source language speaker”.

The following sections deal with specific aspects of reformulation that you should be aware of as you develop your skills.

First we consider the broader aspects of reformulation: finding the gist of the overall message, reformulating the location of actors and objects, reformulating specific concepts and relationships.

Next we consider the importance of preserving the illocutionary force of the message. Some methods of reformulation including ideas for reformulation at the word level, modulation, and adaptation are addressed.

Finding the Gist:

Being able to find the gist or overall idea of the message of the sentence or entire text is a way to help you begin to correctly reformulate the message in the target language.

You need to know what the speaker is talking about generally or have some hypothesis about the topic in order to begin formulating an approach to the interpretation.

The speaker may state the topic and provide information that supports the stated topic. At other times the speaker may state a topic and not address it.

Sometimes the speaker does not state the topic and you may need to infer the topic in order to understand the text as a whole. You can use hypothesis testing to help you formulate an idea that can guide you in finding the gist.

Regardless of whether the speaker states the topic, you must still have an overall idea of what the message is about, whether you are dealing with a sentence or a passage.

Reformulating the Location of Actors and Objects:

You need to establish a location for each of the actors and objects.

For example,

• Is one person to the right of the other?
• Is the car in front of the truck?
• What is the relevance of the location for these actors and objects?

While assigning a physical location to actors is necessary in signed languages, both signed and spoken language interpreters can benefit from creating a visualization that locates the actors in relation to each other.

Be sure to visualize before you begin your interpretation and keep the same mental image so your interpretation will be consistent.

Reformulating Specific Concepts and Relationships:

Visualizing the location of actors and objects and assigning a mental location to each of the actors and objects includes visualizing their relationships to each other. The relationships between actors and objects must be preserved in the interpretation.

• You can ask yourself some questions to help clarify the pertinent concepts and relationships.
• Who or what is doing the acting or initiating the action?
• Who or what is receiving the action?
• What is the action?
• What is the probable cause of the action?
• What is the reaction?
• What is the importance of the reaction?
• Does it lead to another probable action?

Sometimes the information is explicit and easy to find in the source text and sometimes it is not. When the concepts and relationships in the source message are explicit it will be easier for you to preserve them in the target language.

Reformulating Illocutionary Force:

The arrangement of information at the grammatical level of the source text lets us know whether the text is:

• A statement
• A Question
• Rhetorical question or
• Exclamation

These are called illocutionary force. These various types of utterances have specific functions in communication. The interpretation must reflect the same discourse function as the source message. For example if the source text is a question and you convey it as a statement then the function of the statement is not held constant and the effect of the interpretation will be different from that of the source text. You must know how to construct the appropriate syntactic arrangement in the target language in order to create an equivalent impact on the target language audience.

Reformulating at the Word Level:

Once you have considered the overall meaning of the source message, you can begin to develop specific word selection techniques.

Sometimes source language words will have equivalent lexical items in the target language then it is easier to interpret but it does not mean you can always use a word replacement technique. You must keep the intent and context of the overall message in mind while you interpret.

There are several methods of choosing lexical equivalents:

1)      Borrowing: using or borrowing a word directly from the source text and using it in the target text. For example, the word, “computer” is used in French, even though it is an English word or “déjà vu” which is a French word but understood in English as well.

2)      Modulation: this represents a shift in the point of view. It is the difference between asking “Is this seat taken?” and “Is this seat available?” Another example is “no vacancy” vs. “full” conveys the same concept from opposite viewpoints. It is important that the change in point of view do not change the meaning.

3)      Adaptation: selecting a culturally equivalent target language response. In France, people say, “bon appetite” before eating a meal, but in English the equivalent may be silence. Speakers of American English may say nothing or may say something like “dig in” or “let’s eat” at the beginning of a meal.

Also some words or concepts has more than one possible translation, usually you eliminate one possibility in favor of another. Example, the source language has only one way to express “joy” but the target language may have several so the word you select may fit in the concept better. The risk of error is higher here.

Reformulation process naturally includes possibility of some loss of meaning in the target language. Some loss is inevitable in interpretation due to the differences in cultures and the limitations of one language to fully convey the cultural constructs of another language.

Ideally, linguistic and cultural competence in the two languages you are using, along with clear reasons for the choices you make in the consecutive interpreting process, can minimize loss.

Discussion Questions:

1)      What is reformulation?

2)      What is the goal in reformulation?

3)      How does visualization help you in reformulating the message?

4)      What are the methods of choosing lexical equivalents that Bell (1991) described?