Interpreting Intentions Manifested In Courtroom Discourse

This report is based on a court interpreting task of the author,which covers the whole process of the practice.In the trial involving an alien,the author served as the only interpreter,shouldering the responsibility of removing language barriers and contributing to the fulfillment of the trial.The report analyzes intentions of different speakers in the court from the perspective of language,paralanguage and extra-language,and discusses the interpreting techniques adopted by the author as well as the reasons behind them.It is expected that this practice and the research on techniques coping with intentions manifested in courtroom discourse will contribute to the further improvement of court interpreting quality.Chapter 1 introduces the background information and features of this practice.This part emphasizes that all participants in the trial,particularly the prosecuting party and defense party,are obviously stance-oriented at linguistic,paralinguistic and extra-linguistic levels.How to deliver intentions of different speakers in target language with certain techniques means a great challenge to the interpreter.Chapter 2 describes the interpreting practice,including the pre-task preparation,interpreting techniques and quality control.This part states in detail the large amount of preparation made by the author,and points out that during the whole process,the author tried to take literal translation as the foundation.In different stages of the trial,however,she adopted different techniques as the assistant tools to maximize speakers’ intentions in target language.Chapter 3 analyzes typical cases in this practice.Based on the classification of linguistic levels by previous scholars,the author discusses intentions manifested by different speakers from the perspective of language,paralanguage and extra-language.In light with the background information obtained prior to the trial and the on-site circumstances,the author analyzed intentions of different speakers rationally and conveyed them in target language again.Chapter 4 serves as the conclusion,which states the significance of the report.From pre-task preparation to analyses of typical cases and the accomplishment of this report,it is expected that the complete record of and detailed experience from the practice provide reference and suggestions for court interpreters in coping with speakers’ intentions.Only when the interpreter understands the stances and intentions of different parties in the court and adopts corresponding techniques,will the target language match what the speaker means to the largest extent so as to improve the quality of court interpreting.