2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Cognitive-Linguistic Study on Translation Delay in Simultaneous Interpretation
| Project/Area Number |
12610560
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
言語学・音声学
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| Research Institution | Osaka Prefecture University |
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Principal Investigator |
FUNAYAMA Chuta Osaka Prefecture University, College of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Professor, 総合科学部, 教授 (10199416)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TAMAI Ken Kobe Shoin Women's University, Junior College, Associate Professor, 助教授 (20259641)
INAGAKI Shunji Osaka Prefecture University, College of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Lecturer, 総合科学部, 講師 (00316019)
MIYAHATA Kazunori Osaka Prefecture University, College of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Associate Professor, 総合科学部, 助教授 (20229876)
NISHIMURA Tomomi Kyoto Tachibana Women's University, Associate Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (90237735)
KASAHARA Taeko Kyoto Sosei University, Associate Professor, 経営情報学部, 助教授 (80280014)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2001
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| Keywords | simulteneous interpretation / language understanding / cognitive linguistics |
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| Research Abstract |
This research consists of two parts: The building of transcribed data of actual simultaneous interpretation and their theoretical analysis. We recorded the presidential debates between the two candidates in fall, 2000 broadcast on NHK and CNN in Japan with simultaneous interpretation into Japanese. The audio stereo recordings were then transcribed in a way both the original English and its Japanese interpretation are reproduced literally with their temporal occurrences synchronized. The audio records were also analyzed by the computer software called DigiOn Sound Light to measure the time delays observed in comparing counterpart expressions in the original speech and its translation. It was found out that the average gap between the original nouns and their interpretations was 1.6 seconds while the comparable figure for verbs was 3.9 seconds.
We analyzed the delays both quantitatively and qualitatively to examine the cognitive-linguistic properties of simultaneous interpretation. One dimension of measurement is the actual time consumed between the end of an expression in the original speech and the onset of its translation uttered by the interpreter. In addition to this measurement we took into consideration two other kinds of distance between such two points in time: information density and relativized burden. The former takes note of the number of words or units of information between the two points. The latter furthermore includes the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic nature of those expressions found between the two points. Long delays are characterized by light relativized burden, which may enable relatively long holding of incoming information on the part of the interpreter.
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