The Linguist

24 The Linguist Vol/63 No/1 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES challenges during ST. Syntacrobatics, a portmanteau of 'syntax' and 'acrobatics', is a term used in the field of ST to describe this skill. Let's consider this example: 'The protagonist, haunted by memories of the past, embarks on a perilous journey through the desolate landscape, grappling with existential questions along the way.' The English sentence involves a complex structure with a non-finite past participle clause ('haunted by memories of the past'), a noun phrase ('through the desolate landscape') and a present participle phrase ('grappling with existential questions along the way'). The challenge for the Arabic translator lies in maintaining this complexity in the translation. Arabic has a different syntactic structure than English, so the translator needs to choose appropriate verb forms, maintain agreement between nouns and adjectives, select the lexical items that precisely reflect the shades of meaning and semantic properties, and ensure the overall fluency of the Arabic sentence: ي ش ر ع ا ل ب ط ل ، ا ل ذ ي ت ط ا د ه ذ ك ر ي ا ت ا ل م ا ض ي ، ف ي ر ح ل ة خ ط ي ر ة ع ب ر ا ل م ن ا ظ ر ا ل ن ا ئ ي ة ف ي م ا ي ت ص ا ر ع م ع ا س ئ ل ة ا ل و ج و د ي ة ع ل ى ط و ل ا ل ط ر ي ق . In this translation, the sentence has been restructured, as the embedded clauses need to be rewritten in Arabic into their long forms. Syntacrobatics is essential for handling ambiguity within sentences. Skilled interpreters can navigate ambiguous phrases or structures, making on-the-spot decisions about the most plausible interpretation. One illustrative example is 'The chicken is ready to eat.' Without context, it is unclear whether the chicken is ready for consumption or the chicken is alive and hungry. The ambiguity arises from the placement of the prepositional phrase 'to eat', which could be associated with either 'the chicken' or an implied subject. The translation could take either interpretation:n ا ل د ج ا ج ة ج ا ھ ز ة ل ل ت ق د ي م or ا ل د ج ا ج ة ج ا ھ ز ة ل ت أ ك ل . This gets harder when references are made exophorically – i.e. when a word or phrase refers to something outside the discourse. Examples include 'They're late again' and 'Well, they'd better get here soon or it'll get cold.' 'They' refers to some people outside the discourse, known to both speakers; 'it' also refers to something that both speakers know about (perhaps the dinner). In such contexts, there are a few strategies which can help. One is to provide sufficient contextual cues to bridge the gap between the reference and its intended meaning. It is important to consider whether the meaning is contained in shared knowledge between the speaker/writer and the intended audience. This could include cultural references, common experiences or widely known facts in the source culture. Despite its challenges, the accuracy of ST is higher than that of other modes of interpreting. 3 One reason for this is that ST occurs in a controlled environment where the interpreter has access to the source text before rendering it in the target language. This allows for careful analysis and planning, resulting in a more accurate interpretation. In ST, interpreters have the advantage of having some time to preview and mentally process the content before delivering it in the target language. This brief preview period allows for better understanding and formulation of the target language rendition. Continuous training, practice and exposure to diverse materials are essential for interpreters to maintain their skills and stay abreast of linguistic trends and cultural shifts. Sight translation is not only a valuable tool for language professionals but also a dynamic aspect of the broader field of interpretation. Notes 1 Martin, A (1993) 'Teaching Sight Translation to Future Interpreters'. In Picken, C, Translation: The vital link, 6-13 August 1993 Brighton (XIII World Congress of FIT), London: Institute of Translation and Interpreting, 398-405 2 Gile, D (1997) 'Conference Interpreting as a Cognitive Management Problem'. In Danks, JH et al, Cognitive Processes in Translation and Interpreting, Sage, 196-214 3 Lambert, S (2004) 'Shared Attention During Sight Translation, Sight Interpretation and Simultaneous Interpretation'. In Meta 49,2 4 Ibid. WORKING BY SIGHT The interpreter must convey the intended pauses, emphasis, tempo, pitch and breaks denoted by punctuation marks © PEXELS

• Cover