Interpretese vs. Non-native Language Use: The Case of Optional That

Abstract

Interpretese seems to be more spoken than translated (Shlesinger and Ordan 2012). Indeed, it is hard to show in an undisputed manner, using the parameters traditionally applied to translation, that the language of interpretation and the language of translation share the same characteristics. For example, Sandrelli and Bendazolli’s (2005) analysis of lexical patterns showed that simplification was observed in one language pair, but not in another. Likewise, Kajzer-Wietrzny’s (2012) investigations on different language pairs show similar findings. But there is one parameter of explicitness (or explicitation, as originally suggested by Olohan and Baker 2000) which strongly distinguishes translations from non-translations and interpretations from non-interpretations, namely the optional complementizer that. Previous research proves that similarly to translations, simultaneous interpretations into English show a greater tendency to explicitness, indicated by a more frequent use of the optional complementizer that than in native English speeches (Kajzer-Wietrzny 2012). There are different plausible explanations for the increased frequency of optional that, ranging from the subconscious process of explicitation to the need for greater formality. However, as pointed out by Halverson (2003), certain characteristic features of translations might not be specific to translation only, but can also be found in other cases of discourse production in multilingual contexts. Following this line of thought, the present paper investigates the use of the optional that in a corpus of simultaneous interpretations into English delivered at the European Parliament and compares it to both a corpus of speeches given by native English MEPs and a corpus of speeches given at the European Parliament by Commissioners speaking English as a foreign language. It is hypothesized that the use of optional that by the EP interpreters is more similar to that of non-native speakers than to that of native English MEPs.