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ERIC Number: ED161273
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1978-Aug
Pages: 36
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Use of Gestures in Consecutive Interpretation.
von Raffler-Engel, Walburga; And Others
This study attempts to show the intrinsic connection between the verbal and nonverbal components of human communication. It suggests that consecutive interpreters should not transform spoken language into what amounts to an incomplete form of the corresponding written language, but that they should transfer gestures of the source language and culture into the equivalent gestures of the target culture. It proposes that meaning is language-specific and so cannot really be transferred from one language to another. Without kinesics even less of the original meaning is transferred and the chance of distortion of meaning is increased. The research design involved a videotape of two American students acting as a brother and sister having an argument. Several pairs of foreign students were videotaped doing a consecutive interpretation of the original performance in their native languages. A third group of foreign students were shown the video portions of the foreign language versions and were asked to identify the language and subject matter and then to write running commentaries. The reports in this paper cover the interpretation of the dialogue into German, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and Tagalog, and include a complete description and illustrations of the gestures in several video frames. Suggestions for further research conclude the report. (AMH)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A