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An opinion(ated) piece on the Institute of Welsh Affairs blog:<br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.clickonwales.org/2010/08/don't-get-lost-in-translation/">http://www.clickonwales.org/2010/08/don't-get-lost-in-translation/</a><br>
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<div class="standfirst">
<p>Judith Kaufman describes some subtleties we should look out for
when interpreting Welsh into English</p>
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<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>Recent developments in the law courts show that simultaneous
interpreting has been accepted as a central part of language
policies in Wales. New court centres like the one in Caernarfon
have state-of-the-art interpreting booths and equipment
incorporated in their chambers. The ongoing consultation on
bilingual juries in criminal court cases is also a sign that the
use of Welsh in trials is being taken seriously, and that
interpreting is a resource people should be able to rely on.
Nonetheless it is a resource that should only be used when no
better ways of conducting a trial in Welsh are available.</p>
<p>These developments bring us a step closer to recognising an
important part of the identity of Welsh speakers. But if we want
to get even closer to our ideal of Welsh and English being treated
equally we might have to accept that English needs to be
de-normalised in some situations. Interpreting can play a role in
doing this which means that those who happen not to be able to
speak and understand Welsh are not excluded.</p>
<p>A number of linguistic norms become obvious in meetings where the
services of an interpreter are sought. People tend to speak more
Welsh when the Chair of the meeting does as well. People tend to
ask their questions and discuss a presentation or contribution in
the language the contribution or presentation was made in. And the
smaller and the more personal and familiar a meeting, the likelier
it is that people address English speakers in English in order not
to lose direct communication with each other.</p>
<p>Interpreting can be an opportunity to question those norms.
International studies of translation and interpreting
internationally have examined how dominant languages and cultures
assimilate lesser-used languages (or languages considered to be
subordinate) into their own ideological principles. They have also
shown that translation and interpreting can be a focus for
resisting such ideologies.</p>
<p>It is an interesting question how interpreting could make a
stronger case for the use of Welsh. No-one should be afraid of
losing out here. At its best interpreting is an inclusive
activity. By establishing new norms for Welsh in a number of
social contexts, this is about improving the participation of
Welsh speakers rather than reducing the input of English speakers.</p>
<p>Interpreting (and translation) needs to be looked at from the
point of view of democracy and ownership, not only in terms of
financial cost. If the suggestion to stop translating the
Assembly’s <em>Record of Proceedings</em> last summer was
acceptable to some, this shows that the close involvement of
translation in improving a democratic society has not yet been
understood.</p>
<p>For interpreting to be successful in that respect, it is not
enough to have accomplished interpreters in all the meetings where
potentially someone might be speaking Welsh. We need to make sure
that people who can speak Welsh will do so. With the symbolic
value attached to the National Assembly, that is the first place
where Welsh speakers should be expected to use the language, as a
sign of their vision for a bilingual Wales. Organisers and Chairs
must be made aware of the requirements of interpreters in terms of
preparation and room layout for instance. But even more important
than that, they need to be aware of their own role in making
meetings more bilingual.</p>
<p>The best encouragement to speak Welsh in a meeting is a Chair who
speaks Welsh as much as possible, thus indicating that an
interpreter is trustworthy, that bilingual meetings are nothing to
be scared of and that Welsh is a language of communication for
business and politics. However, to give this message more effect
guest speakers and persons holding a role within the group should
be encouraged to speak Welsh. This is not always easy. Many Welsh
speakers feel it to be a matter of courtesy to ask questions and
discuss a point in the language in which that point was made (of
course, monolinguals do not have to think about courtesy). If more
speakers spoke Welsh, it would then be regarded as polite to
respond to them in Welsh.</p>
<p>The relative formality or informality of a meeting might be an
indicator of how much Welsh will be spoken. It is generally
assumed that interpreting works better in relatively formal
meetings, where interchange is not too much disturbed by
translation. Such meetings, it is assumed, allow forms of
discussion where repetition, rephrasing and generally informal
speech are not seen as an obstacles to the flow of discussion.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it can be argued that the more formal a
meeting the more difficult it is to rely on the interpreter. When
every word had to be weighed and every sentence put together
carefully, an interpreter can constitute an additional layer
between one speaker and another that inhibits frank discussion.
Community meetings, on the other hand,</p>
<p>This viewpoints stress the importance of the overall atmosphere
in a group. The atmosphere of a discussion can be influenced by
the use of Welsh/bilingual documentation, but more even by
people’s habit of using Welsh in other contexts. In meetings where
people know each other in Welsh; they will find it easier to
continue talking in Welsh in a meeting, even if there are English
speakers present. On the other hand, in work-related meetings
where Welsh speakers have got used to discussing their work in
English, then English will tend to be part of their work-related
comfort zones (and of their identities relating to their position
at work). Speaking Welsh in a work meeting will be much more of an
effort for them, especially if their close colleagues are in the
meeting too.</p>
<p>Of course, these are not conscious mental processes. The
confidence to speak Welsh publicly is not only a question of
fluency in different registers of the language or familiarity with
the appropriate terminology. Much more than that, it is a matter
of the relationships we form with others when the language we
speak is an essential component. Talking of ‘language choice’ does
not seem to take into account of the way that relationships grow
and develop. In some cases choosing to speak Welsh might
profoundly disturb a relationship. Even the thought of having to
choose a language each time we communicate can bring a lot of
pressure to bear on all but the most assertive Welsh speakers.</p>
<p>It is evident, therefore, that simultaneous translation is about
more than ‘merely’ transporting meaning from one language to the
other. It is a crossroads where the two cultures of Wales come
into direct contact with each other, and where her people are
reminded of the fact that language and identity form a close
relationship. This relationship is not necessarily one-to-one. We
all behave and speak differently according to the different
contexts of our lives.</p>
<p>With the language policies of recent decades it has become
possible and desirable to give more room to the Welsh-speaking
part of our identities, and this is why more meetings are held
with the use of an interpreter. It is more democratic to allow
Welsh speakers to express themselves in Welsh. But this is only
one side of the coin! In Welsh areas the interpreting services are
provided not to give a majority of Welsh speakers the right to
speak Welsh, but to give those without fluency in Welsh the
opportunity to take part in meetings and events. Every area’s
linguistic reality is different. Interpretation not only makes
people aware of this reality, but it is also a means of coming to
terms with it.</p>
<p>Translators’ and interpreters’ experiences must be taken on board
in designing language policies. For centuries they have been
specialists involved not only in the creation of standard forms of
languages and of new terminology, but also in observing
relationships between people and cultures. By the nature of their
job they have a wealth of social and intercultural insights. Yet
too often, translation is a bone of contention within language
policies, and its cost is often seen as a safe argument for
dismissing it as an undesirable side-effect of bilingual policies.</p>
<p>When people argue that translation should be cut in favour of
spending on stronger second language teaching, they do not realise
that without translation and interpreting, professionals would
find it difficult to get used to new terminology, to writing in
Welsh (because translators are also often proofreaders and
correctors), and to develop the use of different registers in the
language. We need to make sure that the new strategy for a
bilingual Wales takes the translating and interpreting profession
seriously.<!-- Author details custom field and classes added within CMS - Written by Rob 07-01-2010 -->
</p>
Judith Kaufmann works at Cymdeithas Cyfieithwyr Cymru (the
Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters) in Bangor.
<div class="author_details"> </div>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.clickonwales.org/2010/08/don't-get-lost-in-translation/">http://www.clickonwales.org/2010/08/don't-get-lost-in-translation/</a><br>
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<br>
Dave<br>
<br>
--<br>
Dr. Dave Sayers<br>
Honorary Research Fellow<br>
School of the Environment and Society<br>
Swansea University<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:dave.sayers@cantab.net">dave.sayers@cantab.net</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://swansea.academia.edu/DaveSayers">http://swansea.academia.edu/DaveSayers</a><br>
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