The Interpreter's stance in intersubjective discourse

Terry Janzen annd Barbara Shaffer

Traditional view

Interpreters as neutral conduits transferring meaning objectively.

• influenced by the "machine" model.

Cognitivist view

• Discourse is negotiated and intersubjective

• meaning is co-constructed

• interpreters cannot be neutral.

Intersubjectivity

Shared understanding created through participants’ experiences, knowledge, and context.

Contextualization

Adding relevant background information to ensure the message is understood in context.

Modal

A linguistic feature expressing necessity, possibility, or the speaker’s stance (e.g., must, might).

Agent-Oriented Modal

Describes necessity/possibility about the subject’s action (e.g., “She must leave”).

Epistemic Modal

Expresses the speaker’s belief about the truth of a proposition (e.g., “It must be true”)

Topic-Comment Structure

ASL grammar feature where a topic is stated first, followed by a comment about it.

Perspective-Taking

Using space, body, and eye gaze in ASL to show viewpoint and narrative position.

What is the main critique of the traditional model of interpreting?

It falsely assumes interpreters can be neutral and objective like machines.

Why can’t interpreters be truly neutral according to the cognitivist view?

Because meaning is co-constructed, and interpreters inevitably shape it.

What is contextualization in interpreting?

Adding background info to help the receiver understand, especially when the original message assumes shared knowledge.

How does ASL use modals differently than English?

Epistemic modals often appear at the end of the utterance and reflect subjective stance.

Give an example of a topic-comment structure in ASL.

BOOK, I READ FINISH.

(Topic: "Book", Comment: "I read it.")

What is one challenge interpreters face with perspective-taking?

Representing the source speaker’s viewpoint accurately in the target language.

Which of the following best describes the cognitivist view of interpreting?
A. Language transfer is automatic and objective
B. Meaning is co-constructed through interaction
C. Interpreters should remain invisible
D. Words have fixed meaning across contexts

Meaning is co-constructed through interaction

What does “intersubjectivity” depend on?
A. Word-for-word translation
B. Cultural neutrality
C. Shared knowledge and context
D. Lexical equivalence

Shared knowledge and context

In ASL, where are epistemic modals typically placed?
A. At the start of the sentence
B. Before the verb
C. After the verb, utterance-final
D. They are not used in ASL

After the verb, utterance-final

What is the interpreter’s role according to Janzen and Shaffer?
A. To transfer meaning with no added input
B. To advocate for the Deaf person
C. To co-construct meaning and manage intersubjectivity
D. To edit the message to suit cultural norms

To co-construct meaning and manage intersubjectivity

Which of the following is not a type of ASL topic construction?
A. Nominal
B. Temporal
C. Passive voice
D. Locative

Passive voice