Developing The Subjectivity Of The Simultaneous Interpreter

Although the study of translators’subjectivity has always been flourishing, that of simultaneous interpreters’subjectivity is comparatively rare. With synchronicity being its unique feature, simultaneous interpreting impels interpreters to face enormous challenge. That is why the author of this essay endeavors to carry out an in-depth study of subjectivity of simultaneous interpreters.Taking theories concerning subjectivity as a starting point, and two interpretation versions of Barack Obama’s speech on the death of Osama Bin Laden as samples (one from CCTV and the other from Phoenix Satellite TV), this paper explores the linguistic factors and non-linguistic factors which may affect simultaneous interpreters’subjectivity, on the basis of which some feasible strategies are also put forward. Here literature review, case study and text comparison are the main approaches adopted by the author. The research shows that besides subjective initiative, passivity and inter-subjectivity are also closely related to the employment of interpreters’subjectivity. The linguistic elements that have an affect on simultaneous interpreters mainly include the completeness of the receiving of source language, the accuracy of interpretation, and sufficiency in preparation, etc, while the non-linguistic elements mainly include the processing of cultural information, the influence of inter-subjectivity, the distribution of attention, the ability of forecasting, and the interpreter’s personal psychological quality, etc. Every single deficiency will make simultaneous interpreters fail to display their subjectivity. Therefore, interpreters ought to receive targeted training so as to achieve the expected effects at linguistic, cultural, and communicative levels. The author hopes that this study would provide a new perspective and new materials for the research of simultaneous interpreters’subjectivity, and that strategies put forward here may, to a certain extent, help interpreters improve the skills of displaying their subjectivity.