Sworn translators and interpreters in the legal field, mutually exclusive?

02/06/2016 1 FRANCISCA GARCÍA LUQUE UNIVERSIDAD DE MÁLAGA T R A N S L A T I O N A N D I N T E R P R E T I N G CO N V E R G E N C E , CO N T A C T , I N T E R A C T I O N T R I E S T E , 2 6 - 2 8 MAY 2 0 1 6 Sworn translators and interpreters in the legal field, mutually exclusive? . 1. Introduction 2. Objective 3. Premises 4. Academic overview 5. Descriptive analysis of a professional reality 6. Academic response 7. Conclusion and final reflection 8. Bibliography 02/06/2016 2 1. INTRODUCTION In a province like Málaga, located in the Coast of the Sun, the presence of foreign people who might not speak Spanish leads to a considerable demand in translation and interpreting services. Translation and interpreting tend to be considered in the academical context as two different professions. We intend to reflect a situation that seems to be more complex than what this sharp division may suggest, in which the translator and the interpreter is the same person. 2.OBJECTIVES To reflect about the relationship between translation and interpreting. Common aspects (linguistic and cultural knowledge in two languages and cultures, expert knowledge, documentation strategies, text/discourse analysis, etc.) Divergences (cognitive abilities related to different areas) Interpreting: Oral comprehension, memory, note-taking, reaction time, documentation process (before), oral expression. Translation: Written comprehension, documentation process (after), written expression. To describe a reality in which these two professional profiles converge. To analyze how university degrees try to respond to this heterogeneity. 02/06/2016 3 3.PREMISES Academia establishes a clear division between translating and interpreting. Academic profiles are often mutually exclusive. The labor market does not always reproduce this separation and very often potential clients are not aware of the different professional profiles of translators and interpreters. In many contexts, translation and interpreting converge in the same individual. 4. ACADEMIC OVERVIEW Differences and similarities Traditionally, literature focuses on the differences. Conditions concerning access to the source text / discourse. Material conditions for carrying out the activity (technical equipment, personal interaction). Cognitive abilities involved in the interpreting process: memory, shared attention, etc. Time restrictions in interpreting. Space restrictions: physical presence of the participants in the communicative act. Difference in the strategies involved: reconstruction of information. (Collados y Fernández Sánchez, 2001) 02/06/2016 4 . Documentation phase/process takes place at a different moment in translation and interpreting. The target discourse is emited only once and there is no possibility of changing or rewording. (Torres Díaz, 1998) . “Interpreting is about communication. […] Interpreters only exist because of that language barrier, and they must obviously have sufficient linguistic knowledge if they are to translate correctly. But the barriers to communication, and there the role of the interpreter, are more than that. […] Communication difficulties are thus much more than pure translation difficulties.” (Jones, 1998: 3) 02/06/2016 5 Definition of translationDefinition of translation Definition of interpretingDefinition of interpreting “Translation is an interpretative process consisting of the reformulation of a text with the means of a language that takes place in a social context and with a given purpose.” (Hurtado Albir, 2001) “The communicative oral process established to overcome the lack of linguistic comprehension between two clients belonging to two different cultures and languages or to two different communicative codes.” (Torres Díaz, 2004: 16) . . Focus on similarities Experts in linguistic and cultural mediation Translators need also competences in oral expression. Communication with clients →inspire confidence. Interpreters need also competences in text analysis and text production. Sight interpreting. Written communication with clients. Translators (i.e., in AVT or literary translation) and interpreters (in all settings, especially social settings) are cultural intermediaries. 02/06/2016 6 . Need for expert knowledge (conceptual and terminological) Curiosity General knowledge Attention to details and to precision Experts in documentation (specialized translation and interpreting) General interpreting? ≠ general translation Similarities in translation techniques (adaptation, condensation and omission) Subtitling, voice-over , interpreting. 5. DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS Some statistical data about our local market: the Coast of the Sun 02/06/2016 7 Benalmádena Torremolinos 02/06/2016 8 Marbella Fuengirola 02/06/2016 9 Nerja Sworn translators and interpreters Consequences: Growing amount of documents (not in Spanish) to be processed and used. Administrative and legal procedures to be carried out both in the public and the private areas. The presence of translators and interpreters in the daily life of many residents in our province is absolutely necessary. Part of the mediation needed is oral and another part is written. For some written documents, a sworn translator is needed, when the target of the translation process is the Justice administration or other public administrations (Education, Foreign Affairs, etc.) (Mayoral, 1999: 17)