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@Linguist_CIOL AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 11 FEATURES Why teaching theatre techniques to interpreting students can dramatically improve their practice. By Mira Kadrić M ost people have the ability to read body language intuitively, especially facial expressions and gestures, and are generally able to interpret it immediately. This is true both for everyday and for highly formalised settings involving face-to-face communication. When a statement is to be assessed formally, we need methodically sound decision-making techniques to take in information. When evaluating what has been said in a police interview or in court, for example, where both the verbal and the non-verbal content of the statement must be considered, it is crucial not to base one's assessment on a gut feeling, but on a sound and justifiable approach. This is even more difficult in interpreter-mediated communication, when the court must base its assessment of the credibility of a defendant or witness on the interpretation provided. Conversations in institutional contexts are highly structured: in a police interview or courtroom, turn-taking follows an expected pattern whereby the representative of the institution asks questions and the other party answers. Nevertheless, such conversations can go in unexpected directions and the messages may contain ambiguities or contradictions. It can be part of a questioning technique to ask surprising questions, or to ask someone to tell a story backwards. In addition to such linguistic difficulties, the interlocutors may complement or even replace verbal utterances with body language. Interpreters must learn to handle surprising turns in communication. What do you do if one interlocutor swears at another? How should an interpreter react to participants speaking over each other, or to a racist leader of negotiations? Based on a method developed by drama theorist Augusto Boal, 1 I use training techniques that are especially suited for teaching interpreting because they treat verbal and non-verbal communication equally, work with repetition, and aim to change (communicative) behaviour. Boal aimed to empower people and show them how they might reach their goals by changing their strategies of (inter)action. This is also the purpose of teaching exercises: they are intended to help students develop their skills so that they not only have more knowledge but also a larger repertoire of strategies. Theatre techniques as a didactic tool How can the approach of theatre pedagogy be applied in class? Boal's method is based on repeating scenes with a clear goal in mind: acting with more confidence and overcoming conflicts of interest or oppression by others. It can be easily adapted for interpreting classes by having students repeat an interpreting situation – e.g. a diplomatic meeting, questioning in court or doctor- patient interaction – until a result is reached that is satisfactory to everyone involved. Boal distinguishes five phases of the didactic process of change: reflection, improvisation, rehearsing action, reflection, Dramatic expression BODY LANGUAGE Key lessons can be learnt from repeating role- play scenarios, such as police interrogations © SHUTTERSTOCK