Speaker: Dr Jade Du, Newcastle University
Title: A discursive study of interpreter-mediated closing statements
Date: March 3rd, 2021
Time: 4-5 pm
Venue: on Collaborate Learn (through TS Bulletin Board) OR Guest Link: https://eu.bbcollab.com/guest/1f7a6aaaee1c420d84eb84357f211572
Abstract: This study aims to investigate how the voices of English-speaking defendants in Chinese criminal trials are mediated by court interpreters. The research focuses on the stage when defendants deliver their closing statements, the final chance before sentencing to have their voices heard by judges who are decision-makers in their cases. Drawing upon the concept of voice, theories of speech acts, and pragmatic equivalence, this study presents a micro-level, discourse-based analysis of seven authentic trial recordings, and reveals how the discursive performance of the defendants is constructed, altered and even undermined through interpreting. The findings show that the speech acts performed by the defendants are often not maintained in the interpreted renditions. It is argued that when court interpreters fail to convey the pragmatic force of the defendants’ utterances, the voices of the defendants are not fully heard by trial participants, which places them at a disadvantage and may damage their right to equality and justice.
Bio note: Jade Du is a lecturer in translation and interpreting at Newcastle University. She is interested in legal, sociological, and sociolinguistic approach to translation and interpreting. Her research areas include interpreter-mediated communication in legal and healthcare settings, gender-related issues in interpreting, migration and multilingualism, and legal translation.
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