Definitions and Context

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length one of the less-discussed quality-related factors that is relevant to this research,

namely, technology and broadcasting media (see 2.5).

2.5 Media Interpreting

2.5.1 Definitions and Context

Many previous studies chose conferences settings to test the various quality criteria.

Researchers have selected conferences of different topics and with different audience

size, but many findings are still rather similar (Kahane, 2000). In contrast to quality

studies in conference interpreting, there have been fewer interpreting quality studies in

the field of media interpreting. Yet as electronic media and telecommunications

technology become more sophisticated and prevalent, there are more topics and

methodological options to be explored in this field.

First of all, it is important to understand the different definitions and scenarios of

media interpreting. Pöchhacker (2010) defined media interpreting as “a form of

language transfer in the media used primarily for live mass media broadcasts” (p. 224).

Here, the form of media refers mainly to television. But earlier in history, simultaneous

interpreting was already broadcasted over the radio, when in the 1930s Hitler’s speeches

were interpreted for French radio by acclaimed interpreters such as André Kaminker

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and Hans Jacob (p. 224). So the practice of media interpreting itself is not new, but the

scenarios, modes, and modalities are constantly changing, especially as new forms of

electronic media arise.

Mack (2002) also distinguished between “on-site scenarios that involve interpreters

in a studio-based communicative event, with or without the presence of an audience,

and simultaneous interpreting of broadcast events occurring in a remote location” (p.

208-209). An example for the former type of television interpreting would be an

interview or a talk show in a TV studio where an interpreter is required to provide short

consecutive interpretation for the host, the interviewee, and sometimes with a live

audience. As for the latter case when a distant event is provided for local audience via

live transmission, a typical example would be a foreign event with special significance,

such as a presidential inaugural ceremony. An interpreter provides simultaneous

interpretation for the audience in front of the television. In addition to these two main

forms of media interpreting, in some countries, such as in Japan, there is also need for

broadcast interpreters (Snelling, 1997). Some news programs produced in foreign

countries are broadcast with Japanese translation on a daily basis. These broadcast

interpreters prepare translation for recorded news programs and report news in a manner

37

that adheres to broadcast standard, be it voice quality, intonation, or pronunciation. In

the occurrence of significant occasions, such as the State of the Union address by the

U.S. president, live simultaneous interpretation is required.

These scenarios of media interpreting have been limited to the TV interpreting

context. But as more international conferences or media events get webcasted or stored

on the Internet, there are greater chances that interpreters’ performance would be

exposed beyond the physical conference site. As new forms of media and broadcasting

technologies emerge, the applicable definitions and likely scenarios of media

interpreting should be further expanded as well. For instance, in addition to the subject

of this study, Professor Sandel’s lecture broadcasted over YouTube, there have been

many recent highly publicized events that were live-streamed over the Internet, and the

interpreters all played visible roles or received much media attention. One is Apple’s

iPhone 6 release event on Sept. 9, 2014, where the voice of a Chinese interpreter was

broadcast to all the online users and overlaid the Apple presenters.² The Chinese

interpretation was supposed to broadcast to only those with an IP address in China, but

due to a technical shortfall, the entire online streaming to global audience was dubbed

2

http://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyleather/2014/09/10/apple-iphone-6-launch-event-technical-issues-and-a-huge-missed-opportunity/

38

by the Chinese interpreter. Two other recent examples were the Sunflower Student

Movement in March, 2014 and the g0v summit 2014. In the former example,

professional interpreters served as volunteers and used web-based broadcasting

technologies, such as Ustream, to inform the international media and oversea

communities about the protesters’ occupation of the legislature.³ The latter example

was an unconventional conference that provided interpretation service in a

groundbreaking approach—there was a dedicated interpretation channel where the

conference participants could tune into directly from their laptops, while the

simultaneous interpreters also provided live interpretation simply by using their laptops

and headphones as they listened to and watched the lecture online.⁴ All of these

examples highlight the increasing importance of live streaming technology and its

impact on the work and role of simultaneous interpreters. Yet this is a phenomenon that

is still under-studied in the field of media interpreting. Whether these new interpreting

forms fall into the category of media interpreting also warrants further discussion. As

telecommunications technologies advance further, there are increasingly more diverse

venues that could broadcast interpreting events, and the boundaries of media

3 http://www.thenewslens.com/post/34042/

4 http://summit.g0v.tw/zh-TW/

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interpreting expands further. As Pöchhacker (2011) described, media interpreting has

evolved from the early 20th-century media of television to the “new media” of the 21^st

century, which includes webcast media content and videoconferencing (p.22).