Stance-taking lexical bundles in interpreted diplomatic discourse. A corpus-informed approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper aims to investigate the practice of using stance-taking lexical bundles in retour consecutive interpreting. Motivated by their multiple functions in interpreting as well as the potential offered by a corpus-informed approach, we extracted from the CICPPC 4-gram lexical bundles fulfilling different stance-taking functions and identified eight schematic frames of such sequences. Based on that, we developed a systematic glossary of stance-taking formulas functioning in the analysed diplomatic context. Our final step was the analysis of different correspondence patterns between source and target texts and the functions they fulfill in interpreting outputs. We found a broad array of frequently recurring lexical bundles, resulting in an increased degree of formulaicity in the production of the target texts. Our findings indicate that stance-taking lexical bundles not only function as a cognitive strategy to manage the substantial cognitive load associated with the task but also contribute to the foregrounding and reinforcement of the speakers’ stances and positions. In this manner, the frequent use of stance-taking lexical bundles underscores that interpreters actively engage as co-participants in public diplomatic settings. We hope this study will shed light on the discursive practices of interpreters in high-stakes diplomatic settings.