The Communication Situation and the Production of Interference Forms by L2 Learners

Abstract

Whether produced by L2 learners or by (more or less) "true" bilinguals, experienced or inexperienced in translating as such, translated utterances are imbued with interference forms at one level or another - whether the process occurs between L1 and L2 or vice versa. This universality, which is probably due to a series of back and forth code switchings, each one requiring its own "adjustment time," finds further verification in pseudo- translation, where the (this time) deliberate utilization of inter ference forms is among the most conspicuous strategies, a clear indication of the speakers' notions as to what distinguishes translations from non-translations within the system in question. Any translation thus represents its producer's competence in "communication in translated utterances," but cannot be taken as a direct evidence of his overall competence in the target language. Moreover, especially while assigning translating tasks to L2 learners (since they involve "restricted translation"), the communication situation includes not only the "task item," but also the "translate!" instruction given to the subject, so that different instructions may yield different types/rates of com munication in translated utterances, possibly resulting in different translations as well. This should be taken as an illustration of a general point, namely that the communication situation in which the learner finds himself, or in which he is put, during the produc tion of his L2 utterances, has a decisive role to play in the shaping of these utterances, and therefore should also be taken as a cru cial factor in any description, analysis and evaluation of the learner's performance, and at least as a substantial modifying factor for any generalization concerning his competence in L2.