The use of conjunctions by Chinese learner interpreters in Portuguese-Chinese consecutive interpreting: a corpus-based analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21814/diacritica.6380Keywords:
Portuguese-Chinese consecutive interpretation, Chinese learner interpreters, Interpretation corpus, Model of cohesion, ConjunctionsAbstract
The use of conjunctions is essential for discourse cohesion in Portuguese-Chinese consecutive interpreting. However, there is a significant gap in research on these cohesive devices, which directly affects interpreter performance. This study aims to comparatively analyse how Chinese learner interpreters utilize conjunctions in consecutive interpreting, focusing on identifying the main challenges they face and the strategies they employ to address these difficulties. To achieve this, a corpus of Portuguese speeches and their consecutive interpretations into Chinese by advanced-level Chinese learners of Portuguese was created. The analysis examined the frequency and types of conjunctions used, based on Halliday, Hasan, and Matthiessen’s categorization (Halliday & Hasan, 1976; Halliday, 1985; Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004) of additive, adversative, causal, and temporal conjunctions. The findings revealed that additive and adversative conjunctions were most frequently used, while causal and temporal conjunctions appeared less often. The inappropriate use of these conjunctions leads to distortions in logical and semantic relationships, compromising the cohesion and accuracy of interpretations. The study concludes that greater emphasis on teaching cohesive devices is necessary, particularly the correct use of conjunctions, to improve the quality of Portuguese-Chinese consecutive interpretations.
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