Litnet

Abstract

This article is the first of three articles in LitNet Akademies reporting on a study from the first author’s PhD dissertation in Translation (Van der Merwe 2025). In this article, memory and compensation interpreting-learning strategies are discussed in terms of their potential to improve the memory skills and capacity of interpreting learners (whether interpreting students or practicing interpreters) as well as to build their resilience.

The creation of interpreting-learning strategies from language-learning strategies is investigated to enrich the field of interpreting as a lifelong learning process. Oxford’s (1990) three types of both direct and indirect language-learning strategies are utilised for interpreting. Direct language-learning strategies are used to master the target language through memory, compensation and cognitive strategies. Indirect strategies include metacognitive, affective and social language-learning strategies. For interpreting purposes, direct interpreting-learning strategies are broadly defined as strategies that are directly related to the interpreting process between two working languages and that require mental processing in various ways. Determining which language-learning strategies have potential for process-oriented interpreter training can lead enable interpreting learners to facilitate lifelong learning. The following main research question was addressed: To what extent can language-learning strategies be utilised for process-oriented interpreter training?

Two theoretical points of departure are discussed in depth, namely process-oriented interpreter training and language-learning strategies.

The process-oriented approach to interpreter training dictates that the focus should be on the translation and interpreting process rather than the product. In doing so, interpreter trainers aim to identify process-related challenges, raise awareness of problems and suggest interpreting principles, methods and procedures. In this section, the following components are discussed: The Effort and Gravitational Model of language availability (based on the human mind’s limited processing capacity); communicative, subject area and attitudinal interpreting competence (a complex interaction of different interpreting skills); preparation phases and strategies before and during the interpreting assignment (ad hoc knowledge acquisition regarding terminology work); internal and external interpreting problems (within the interpreter’s control, such as language-specific problems and outside the interpreter’s control, such as a fast speech rate); and interpreting norms and strategies (including learning strategies).

Language learning is accelerated through the use of language-learning strategies. Oxford’s (1990) model is one of the most complete and detailed language-learning strategy models and is applicable to any language combination. This section discusses communication and production strategies in language learning (respectively, an attempt to convey sufficient content despite target language deficiencies and to simplify speech production), and Oxford’s (1990) memory and compensation language-learning strategies. Oxford (1990) includes four categories with ten individual memory strategies in the model: creating mental linkages, applying images and sounds, reviewing well and employing action. The two categories of compensation strategies are guessing intelligently and overcoming communication obstacles in speaking and writing, comprising ten individual strategies.

A qualitative descriptive research methodology was followed, in which interpreting-learning strategies were elucidated as a phenomenon using process-oriented interpreter training and language-learning strategies as theoretical lens. The methodological approach was to investigate Oxford’s (1990) memory and compensation language-learning strategies and developments in process-oriented interpreter training theoretically, in order to create an interpreting-learning strategy model as an explanation for the phenomenon. Data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously. Six characteristics of qualitative descriptive methodology are discussed, namely a natural environment, context dependence, a cyclical process, words as data, thick description and inductive reasoning. Although no model can comprehensively capture interpreting as a phenomenon, the study represents an attempt to capture interpreting-learning strategies as thoroughly as possible.

An interpreting-learning strategy model with 19 memory and compensation interpreting-learning strategies was recreated after careful discussion, with examples and associated interpreting theory and concepts from Oxford’s (1990) 20 language-learning strategies.

In the interaction between memory language-learning strategies and process-oriented interpreter training, emphasis is placed on memory components with reference to working and long-term memory, the Effort Model, the Gravitational Model, ad hoc knowledge acquisition and memory training. Memory interpreting-learning strategies are used before or during the interpreting task (or throughout life) to learn and recall interpreting material, such as interpreting assignment-specific terminology, to improve communicative, subject area and attitudinal competence. This enables the interpreting learner to optimise overall memory performance and increase the capacity of working and long-term memory. In this way, memory effort in the Effort Model is managed more effectively and items in the Gravitational Model become more available.

Furthermore, a definition is provided for each individual strategy.

Create mental linkages

1. Group: Chunk and classify interpreting material into meaningful units, for example based on a semantic category or parts of speech.
2. Associate and elaborate: Link interpreting material in meaningful ways with existing information to create associations in long-term memory, for example by remembering four unrelated words in a strange way.
3. Place interpreting material in a context: Place interpreting material in a context by using it in a sentence, making up a story, or retelling a 200-word story in the source language.

Use imagery and sounds

4. Use imagery: Visualise the interpreting material or source text as meaningful mental images, for example a road, building or the written form of a segment.
5. Use sounds: Create a meaningful sound-based association between new and familiar interpreting material, for example by using sound, rhyme, rhythm and alliteration (such as coping) to remember speakers’ names (such as Kopeng).
6. Map semantically: Remember interpreting material by visualising or drawing a network with a key concept (such as healthcare interpreting) as a brainstorming technique, and map main and underlying ideas (such as doctor and patient).
7. Use keywords: Remember a new fact using auditory and visual links, for example that Bheki Cele is the former minister of police: Associate sel or cell with Cele and visualise Bheki Cele locking criminals in a cell.

Review thoroughly

8. Review structurally: Review interpreting material at carefully spaced intervals that gradually increase in length, for example every twenty minutes, followed by a day apart, a week apart (try to rest on the last day), and so on.

Use action

9. Use physical response or sensation: Connect the source text segment with a physical response or sensation, such as smelling a baking croissant while interpreting.
10. Use mechanical techniques: Use physical or online flashcards to learn interpreting material by marking items as known or forgotten and moving them between piles as they are learned.

In the interaction between compensation language-learning strategies and process-oriented interpreter training, emphasis is placed on compensation in interpreting as a response to the Tightrope Hypothesis, saturation and interpreting problems. Compensation interpreting-learning strategies are used during the interpreting task to perform continuous online compensation due to exhaustion and saturation. This enables the interpreting learner to compensate for internal and external interpreting problems and to consider interpreting norms. In this way, the Tightrope situation is managed and resilience is pursued to overcome comprehension and production obstacles. The definitions of the strategies are provided below.

Guessing intelligently

11. Use linguistic clues: Use language-based clues to make collocation-based inferences (lexical, syntactic or morphological), such as inferring from caseous pneumonia that it is a type of pneumonia.
12. Use contextual clues: Use contextual (linguistic, interactive, cultural, intertextual and situational) clues to make cognitive, situational and pragmatic inferences, such as using the event as a source.

Overcome communication obstacles

13. Switch to the source language or transcode: Transfer the unchanged source language segment into the target language or translate it directly by applying existing language knowledge.
14. Get help: Get help by relying on resources such as interpreting colleagues, documents, a smartphone or a dictionary.
15. Use or interpret non-verbal behaviour: Use or interpret the speaker’s paralinguistic features (such as intonation, tone and rhythm) and kinesics (such as facial expressions, hand gestures and eye contact).
16. Avoid interpreting production partially or completely: Avoid interpreting production partially by reproducing, referring to other information sources, evading and delaying response, or completely in more serious cases by omitting, using incomplete sentences or turning off the microphone.
17. Adjust the interpreted utterance: Adjust the interpretation using substitution, generalisation, simplification and online paraphrasing, for example by interpreting cystic fibrosis as mukoviskidose, die siekte, ’n liggaamsproteïensiekte or ’n siekte wat die liggaamsproteïene aantas, respectively.
18. Elaborate the interpreted utterance: Convey the meaning of the source text segment by explicating or explaining rather than providing the target text equivalent, for example by explaining how cystic fibrosis occurs.
19. Use appropriate coinages: Use appropriate coinages, as characteristic of creativity, to capture “untranslatable” source text segments, such as interpreting yuppie as stadsjapie.

It is concluded that language-learning strategies can be used to a large extent for process-oriented interpreter training, since Oxford’s (1990) 20 memory and compensation language-learning strategies were recreated into 19 memory and compensation interpreting-learning strategies. Only one strategy was not recreated, namely choose the topic. These strategies could be taught to interpreting students in the classroom and practitioners in short courses to facilitate their lifelong interpreting-learning process.

Keywords: compensation strategies; interpreting-learning strategies; language-learning strategies; memory strategies; process-oriented interpreter training

This article’s featured image was created by RF Studio and obtained from Pexels.

Lees die volledige artikel in Afrikaans

Van taalaanleer na tolkaanleer (deel 1): Die skep van geheue- en kompensasietolkaanleerstrategieë vir prosesgerigte tolkopleiding