Lexical Similarity vs. Lexical Dissimilarity

Lexical Similarity Vs. Lexical Dissimilarity in Consecutive Interpreting Helle V. Dam (1998) Lexical Similarity vs Lexical Dissimilarity in Consecutive Interpreting, The Translator, 4:1, 49-68, DOI: 10.1080/13556509.1998.10799006

Abstract •

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The present paper reports on a product-oriented study of consecutive interpreting in which lexical similarity and lexical dissimilarity, i.e. similarity and dissimilarity between source and target texts as regards the choice of lexical items, are proposed as tools for the identification of form-based and meaning-based interpreting, respectively. Contrary to current claims regarding the typical distribution of form-based and meaning-based interpreting, the findings of the study suggest that form-based interpreting is more frequent than meaning-based interpreting.

La Théorie Interprétative •

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Transcoding is described as a direct transmission of the individual source text words to corresponding words in the target language. In interpreting proper, by contrast, there is supposed to be no direct passage from source to target text. Rather, it is suggested that this type of interpreting proceeds through an intermediary stage of deverbalization, in which only the meaning of the source text — stripped of its linguistic form — is represented in the mind of the interpreter; only on the basis of this non-verbal representation is the target text produced.

Neurophysiological research •

Franco Fabbro, Bruno Gran and Laura Gran found in their neurophysiological research that the professional interpreters identified more semantic errors and fewer syntactic errors than the students — a finding that is extrapolated by the authors to indicate a tendency among professional interpreters to focus attention on semantic features when processing a text and, conversely, a tendency among students to focus on syntactic form. The authors further suggest that this pattern provides evidence of a preference for meaningbased interpreting among professional interpreters and of a tendency towards form-based interpreting among student interpreters.

Focus •

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In the present study, the author proposes to examine the distribution of form-based and meaning-based interpreting from an entirely different angle. Whereas the studies described above focus on the cognitive processes involved in the two procedures of interpreting, the focus of the present study is on the interpreting product. In other words, the question here is not how interpreters process a source text, but what kind of target text they produce.

Lexical Similarity and Dissimilarity •

The concepts of lexical similarity and lexical dissimilarity obviously pose certain problems when comparing texts that are expressed in two different languages. In the present study, the identification of lexical similarity and dissimilarity is based on the notion of formal equivalence.

Data •

The study is based on an experimental corpus which consists of recordings of a Spanish speech (the source text) and five consecutive interpretations of this speech into Danish (the target texts).

Method of analysis •

According to their formal-lexical relation to the source text segments, the target text segments may be allocated to one of two opposing categories: parallel segments or substituting segments. Parallel segments are target text segments that are exclusively characterized by lexical similarity in relation to the source text. Substituting segments are target text segments that are exclusively characterized by lexical dissimilarity in relation to the source text.

Results •

the category of paralel segments (51% in total) outnumbers the category of substituting segments (33% in total). The same pattern can be observed in the interpreters’ individual performances. Thus, all five target texts have a higher representation of paralel segments than of substituting segments.

Conclusion •

The formal-lexical relation between the source and target texts analyzed in the present study was found to be dominated by similarity rather than dissimilarity, a finding that runs counter to the hypothesis that interpreting generally proceeds on the basis of a nonverbal representation of the source text.